Djiba, the barber.
In my December 2008 visit to Macenta, Guinea, I occasionally visited Djiba – one of the best barber professionals at the suburb. Despite being unlucky in this domain – my head lacks long hair- I was a regular visitor to his shop because of the joyful atmosphere reigning there all day long. The place is always animated by scores of “jeunes éveillés” (or awake young people – as Djiba proudly dubbed them). There, we used to spend hours drinking green tea and talking about different stories including politics, local traditions and football while listening to African songs. The conversation, mainly, focused on the political elite in the country.
As genuine Guineans, the shaky economic situation always emerged in the discussion, which is hot topic between my countrymen. The soaring unemployment level in the country, naturally, forces the citizens to be free for political debate, as they do not have jobs to focus on.
Many people here feel the political issues moving in their bodies freely like red and white blood cells. But there is a difference with Djiba: His cells compete with each other, like Guinean leaders. He is flexible to follow expected or improvised political changes. At one point, he is with a given political party; a few days later, he will support a different opposition leader or the incumbent government. All depend on the week's events.
However, Djiba is more than a barber. He is also a philosopher and observer of events. Most of his clients confide to him their secrets that he keeps firmly. He often tries to show them his views on life in general and particularly on women.
Another distinctive character of Djiba is: He always possesses a story that goes with your mood. Thus, while telling you anything you would enjoy, he cuts your hair well. Once finished, you would wish the new form of your hair remains as it is, forever.
But that day, I decided to surprise Djiba by asking him to cut my hair to zero. That requires no effort or even time. But, how much should I pay for shaving my short hair? And how much to pay for styling the head of a young who wants a style that requires an hour labor or more: the same price! My astonishment prompted me to ask for the reason of this equality of prices between removing all the hair and giving it a popular stylish look? His answer: "My price depends on the value of the person and not the hair on his head." A meditative response! But if he knew that I reside in Kuwait, what would have been the price?
by: Moysekou
/Mahboulah, Kuwait, December 08, 2010 /
#story #lifestyle #societe #anbiance #daily #quotidien
