It’s 2008. I’m ten years old. I have a henna cone in my hand and I’m not afraid to use it. I squeeze unrecognisable flowers onto the women, and I paint wonky footballs and messy rockets onto the boys.

In 1997, when Madonna and Gwen Stefani started sporting henna tattoos, the Western world took notice of these gorgeous and artful techniques. But we were already behind the times. This traditional ...