After about four weeks in Africa it was time to get a haircut. Junior, a staffer at the PC office, made arrangements with the barber who two former PC-Response volunteers had used. I set off on foot 30 minutes before the scheduled appointment at 10:00. I got lost trying to find the place, but it's not like there are street signs on every corner. At 10:00 I telephoned Junior and he came riding to my rescue on the back of an okada (motorcycle taxi) a few minutes later. A five minute walk and we were there. It turns out that I had walked right by the place. (Unlike most barber shops in town, nothing on the outside gave any indication of what was inside.) My barber, Jaspect, saw me but I guess was too timid to stop me. We seldom see another white person on the street. Though there are more than 1500 Lebanese in Kenema, Ann and I are about the only non Africans walking around as far as I can tell.
Most men in Salone have very short hair and a good percentage have their heads shaved. Makes sense to me, so Jaspect and I decided to cut my hair extremely short. Jaspect's shop is a two-seater. I got to watch the shearing in a well-mirrored wall about three feet from my nose. The barbering equipment was electric and the whole process of turning me into Fuzzy Wuzzy took 30 minutes. The cost, 20,000 leones (about $3.00), was about what I tip my barber, John, back home, but still more than twice what is normally charged a native. Admittedly, it is more complicated to leave a little hair on the customer's head than shaving it all off.
Women's hairstyles are more adventuresome, just like in the States. Hair extensions with fancy braiding patterns, often with different colors, are common. Head scarves and hijab are also prevalent in this majority Muslim country. The men are generally bare-headed, but I have seen a few baseball caps and the short round topper (toque?) on some Muslim men.
My typical around-the-town get-up is what you see in my photo with Jaspect (sorry, picture will have to wait until we get access to Wifi) - Travel Smith quick-dry nylon pants and one of my Tri4Grace Sport Tek shirts. Add blue Asics running shoes and you have the complete outfit minus my Roger Federer cap. An umbrella is also a necessary accessory if I don't want to wait out a sudden rainfall which can happen anytime and mostly every day. We rarely see men in shorts around town but if we do, they are mid-calf in length. Long pants are the style in public with any kind of short sleeve shirt. There are a few "saggers", but not many.
Women wear dresses or long skirts with blouses. Young women and girls prefer blue jeans with a simple top, or skirts or dresses. They will also fashion a skirt from a rectangular piece of colorful cloth wrapped around the waist and extending to their ankles. In Zaire these were called pagnes. Here they are called lapa. All sorts of African dress, Africana, can be seen; full-length gowns on men and brightly colored dresses on women. A good example of Africana is Jaspect's shirt in the photo.
Footwear tends to be rubber sandals, flip-flops included, especially on kids. This is a very functional style for negotiating the water-filled potholes of the streets and the always moist grand market paths. I notice a small percentage of stylish shoes. An athletic shoe is more common.
Now that school has started you see the private school students in their obligatory uniforms. Secondary school boys will often be in shirts and ties. Public school students have more choice in their dress. The college students dress more comfortably in short-sleeve shirts and pants.
Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Salone dress is that of most okada drivers. While Ann and I are sweating buckets, they will be buzzing around on their motorcycles, looking for fares, in fleece-lined jackets and winter caps. Inexplicable!
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