“When a family is hungry, a woman is the first to bear the burden”: Hawa Adam, henna artist, Malakal

UNMISS South Sudan Peacekeepers Malakal displaced persons COVID-19 women peace security

38-year-old henna artist Hawa Adam starts her workday at 8:00 a.m. in the UN Protection Site in Malakal where she has established a name for herself as a henna artist. She is a single mother to six children and provides for them through her skills.

4 Dec 2020

“When a family is hungry, a woman is the first to bear the burden”: Hawa Adam, henna artist, Malakal

Janet Adongo

Adjacent to the UNMISS base in Malakal is a protection site, home to some 30,000 South Sudanese who flocked here in 2013 to escape the devastation wrought by the civil war.

It’s here that 38-year-old henna artist Hawa Adam starts her workday. It is 8:00 in the morning. A slight drizzle and unforgiving humidity signal the six-month long rainy season is coming to an end, leaving in its wake trails of thick mud and puddles.

Hawa’s home is nestled among many others – most with the same design. Walls consist of iron sheets and a canvas cover passes for a roof. Windows are mostly small and wired, making the interiors dark and dull.

Her children are playing outside, breaking apart groundnut shells that she’s just harvested – a true display that life is slowly returning to some normality in this once conflict-ridden South Sudanese town.

 “I have always loved art. I was good at drawing in school,” Hawa says as she painstakingly prepares her tools of trade. “I started learning henna art when we were still Sudan. My mother encouraged me, and I have been at it since – and, interestingly, my eldest daughter has also picked it up”

As she speaks, a bridal entourage of chirpy girls arrive for their appointment. Their excitement is palpable. The nervous bride takes her place on a stool – ready to get decked up for her wedding the next day.

Hawa swiftly and skillfully draws intricate flowery patterns, starting at the feet and working her way up the legs. In less than an hour, the bride sits with artfully designed hands and legs as she waits for the henna to dry. Hawa starts creating designs for the bridesmaids.

“Women mostly apply henna during celebrations; towards the end of the year there are many weddings – which keeps me busy,” reveals Hawa. “Some days I have up to 15 clients coming in. On average, I charge 1500 South Sudanese Pounds per person.”

Henna is a South Sudanese custom adopted from Arab and Middle Eastern cultures. It refers to the application of the plant’s dye in intricate designs on the hands and feet of women.  It is customary for brides to sport elaborate henna designs on her hands and legs.

In South Sudan, most businesses operated by women are mostly small-scale. The enterprising spirit of the young nation’s women is evident in the UN protection site in Malakal which is filled with women running tea stalls or working as bead makers, hair dressers and bakers – these women are economically independent and support their families.

“My husband passed away in 2017; my youngest child was just three days old. I became the breadwinner, taking care of our six children and extended family. The henna business is my main source of income, but I am also a part-time cleaner at one of the humanitarian organizations,” Hawa discloses.  

This enterprising woman also farms on a small scale to supplement her income and feed her children. “When a family is hungry, a woman is the first to bear the burden,” she claims.

COVID-19 and subsequent restrictions haven’t slowed Hawa down. “People will still get married with or without Coronavirus,” she laughs. “So, my problem hasn’t really been a lack of clients, but the raw materials have been an issue, because of border closures.”

Hawa believes that all women possess some skills that can help them earn a living. “South Sudanese women are strong. My message to them is don’t give up; we all have something within us that can make life a little better.”

South Sudan’s second largest city, Malakal, lies some 600 kilometers away from the capital Juba.

The protection site here has played host to women like Hawa for more than six years now and is set to transition into a conventional camp for internally displaced persons soon.