On the way back to the village one afternoon, I saw this sign and of course it reminded me of the beautiful Kemilembe, who is at home in Sydney. So I just had to have a photograph.
As photography is not one of my talents I enlisted the aid of a local photographer, Faustine Ruta and we spent an enjoyable Saturday afternoon taking photographs of some of the artwork that decorates the numerous hair salons in Bukoba town. He used his considerable charm to obtain the permission of salon owners wherever possible.
The next two signs are for nail artists. The signs say "We paint nails."
This image was painted on the side of a clothing store, but we took the photograph anyway because we both liked it. What was interesting to note was the considerable Western influence on the styles depicted in the artwork, although this was not typical in the styles worn by many women who continue to wear elaborate braided hairstyles which are quite magnificent.
And so the menfolk don't feel like they have missed out, where else would they go for a haircut, but to the Obama Cutting Salon. Yes we can!
On a similar theme Simon Weller, the author of South African Township Barbershops and Salons has some great images on the website African Lens: Telling the Story of Africa which captures various aspects of everyday life on the African continent.
You may find the following books, Hair in African Art and Culture and Black Hair: Art, Style and Culture interesting to read.
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