The Queen Saloon

This may sound like an English pub, but it is in fact the place where I get my hair cut and in so doing provide entertainment for the local passers-by. It’s better now that they have moved to a first-floor building, but my arrival is still an event of some note.
My haircut was long overdue, because of various dressings on my neck, but I went on Saturday. Apart from the small kiosks which sell the common foodstuffs, hairdressers are easily the most common business in Kamembe. The price list is interesting – it starts with “Abagabo” (men) for 300 Frw (less than 30p) and at the bottom is “Umuzungu” (me) – 2000 Frw. However, I have managed to negotiate a special rate of 1000 Frw (“Umushitsi oya – I am not a tourist”), reminding myself that it is 1/6th of what I pay at home and is of better quality. The warm welcome makes it easy to ignore the apparently racist prices, although people I have talked to here genuinely believe that mzungu hair is harder to cut, even though mine only requires a run over the head with a razor.