Lovaeta K. Amoako, 42, is a naturalista who founded Brooklyn’s LOCnificent Fest in 2018. The event has since become a cultural movement celebrating the beauty, spirituality, and pride associated with locs.
Locs — often shorthand for dreadlocks — are a natural, rope-like hairstyle popularized by Caribbean and African peoples, although they historically have been found in many ancient cultures all over the globe. Amoako first loc’d her hair in December 2010. For her, locs and natural hair are symbolic of empowerment, heritage, and self-love.
“I always had a love and appreciation for locs,” she said. “Given my interest and passion for amplifying culture, I decided to put together a loc appreciation event. That is where LOCnificent Fest came from and it just turned out really well, and they suggested that I do it annually.”
The festival is meant to be a space where locs are celebrated while bringing together people of various age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and hair textures, all against the backdrop of supporting Black- and Brown-owned businesses.
A native Bronxite, Amoako grew up with her mother as an only child in a Ghanaian and African American household. She credits her mother for teaching her the importance of her African heritage and the fundamentals of pan-Africanism.
“My mom was sick — she had a stroke and unfortunately, she passed away about two weeks before the first event. She was an integral part of my life. She raised me. A lot of my interest and culture stem from her,” Amoako said. “She had locs when I was very young, in the ’80s, when it was kinda trendy but definitely not like now when it comes to natural hair and the movement.”
Amoako said that in many ways the festival is a dedication to her mother’s legacy and love for Black and African culture and natural hair. It’s become Amoako’s favorite way to honor her every year.
Amoako currently works as a director in the real estate and development department of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). She is also a board member of Africa Everything NYC, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering West African creatives and Black small-business owners in the U.S.
LOCnificent Fest 6.0 kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 6, in Brooklyn. For more information and tickets, visit locnificentfest.com/.
