Ghana Seizes Contraband Wigs

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31498, 12 October 1967, Page 2

Ghana Seizes Contraband Wigs

(N.t.TJL-ttlUtr)

ACCRA (Ghana). Customs officials at Accra International Airport made one of their biggest contraband hauls recently when they seized 293 wigs, one of the most sought after import items in Ghana.

Because of economic conditions, the Government stopped issuing import licences for foreign-made wigs earlier this year.

News of the seizure revived the controversy over whether the exemption should stand, and whether Ghanaian women should be wearing wigs anyway. Ghanaian women, who have a high reputation throughout West Africa for their attractive dress and appearance.

started the fashion of wearing wigs about 10 years ago. Today, few women who can afford a wig think of attending any notable social or business function without one. Because of the natural coarseness of their hair, which creates handling problems not experienced by European, American or Aslan women, most fashionable Ghanaian and other African women con-

sider the wig a necessity rather than a luxury. Those who favour wigs argue that they save much time, are less expensive and messy than the process of hair-straightening which the women would otherwise suffer, and have greater resistance to wind than ordinary hair-does.

Those who are opposed to the wig fashion base their arguments on the high Initial cost of the wig (at least £2O), which they regard as an unnecessary luxury. They also say that the wig is a westernisation of Ghanaian womenhood and detracts from the women’s natural African appearance. Whatever the merits of the

arguments, tha women have definitely adopted the wig. They even name wig styles after local interests, such as “VC-10”, after the British jet, or "Joromi”, after a hit tune. But the import battle has hit them hard. Ghana is faced with a foreign debt of about £300,000 sterling, and the men, who run the nation's economic affairs, had no hesitation earlier this year stopping imports of wigs, and many other luxuries, to save badly needed foreign exchange.

One senior official at the Economic - Ministry told Reuter: “Although the wigs did not account for an enormous amount of money in a year, every little counts.”