Waist beads

For years I have been hearing the same thing about Senegalese women, they are dangerous! They have everything to please and can take away your man in the blink of an eye. It puzzled me through the years and I only understood it after reading an Adoras and spending few holidays in Senegal. They have their own secrets to keep their men at home and have them under control. Some say that they are taught how to take care of men from childhood, others that the competition to stay the favorite wife motivated them to create these ingenuous strategies. I personally don’t know but I am sure of one thing, they have few tricks up their sleeves. The smell of Senegalese cuisine (you should taste the famous tchep djen), the dancing moves of the Mbalax dancers and even the beautiful dark skin tone of the ladies are few of the very beautiful features peculiar to Senegalese women. It is known that African women know how to pamper their men, the techniques might be different but the goal is always the same: catch the attention of men. One of the tools of seduction used by these women is waist beads.

Initially, beads are not a new thing on the continent. For decades they had been used to adorn women, men and children. Whether for necklaces, bracelets or for any other jewel, we often use beads. It could be made out of wood, porcelain, plastic, crystal etc... They are called differently depending on the country and the ethnic groups Bin Bin (Senegal), Djonou (Lome), Afflema (Akan) or Baya (Malinke) which is the most used name in West Africa (especially the francophone part). You can find them in traditional marriage ceremony where the bride is covered with these local jewels. People say that the Akans make golden beads for young brides so to seduce their men. Beads are also presents in some rites and folk dances.

Wearing waist beads every day helps you monitor your weight gains and loss, It is believed to contribute to shaping your waist and protects against evil spirits. It calms teething and also protects the new-born. It can also heal the waist pains. We wear them from childhood as ornaments and to affirm our femininity but Senegalese and Malians really made it a seductive science. In Senegal, the Laoube tribe is known to make them. There are different kinds:

 Djadjal which is made of small beads and are worn in large numbers on the waist.

Ferl makes noise when one moves, to keep the imagination working. It is advised to wear them on the cloth.

Peme is bright and lights the room and the woman’s waist.

Soup Candja which means Okro soup in Wolof eases sexual intercourse, girls often wear it on their wrists.

Moromoro is perfumed, people say that the scent on the beads excites men and urge them to take their women.

Many men agree to say that waist beads are an instrument of extreme seduction. Today we (Africans)  know the secret of these waist beads but it looses its place on a continent more and more open to modernity.

I personally love beads. As a kid I was always so enchanted by the many colors and shapes that come with it. I always wore some either on my wrist or on my waist but I must say even I have lost the habit of wearing them because it always got in the way of my jeans or my pubic hair. That being said it is definitely something I want to have once I get married to keep boredom out of my bedroom and always surprise my man.