Traditional vs modern: We’re not intimidated by technology, say local barbers

Despite the coming of modernisation which saw the rise of barbing salons and sophisticated implements such as electric clippers, razor blades and sterilisation gadgets, some Nigerians still prefer to patronise traditional barbers. People, especially in the Northern parts, patronise the traditional or nomadic barbers, because of various reasons ranging from economic, poor infrastructure, especially power […]

Despite the coming of modernisation which saw the rise of barbing salons and sophisticated implements such as electric clippers, razor blades and sterilisation gadgets, some Nigerians still prefer to patronise traditional barbers. People, especially in the Northern parts, patronise the traditional or nomadic barbers, because of various reasons ranging from economic, poor infrastructure, especially power outage and convenience. The normadic barbers can render services to customers cheap and in the comfort of their homes.
The patronage of Wanzamai cuts across all age groups and has become a sustainable means of livelihood for the practitioners, which could explain why some unemployed are joining the ranks of these barbers to earn a living. The cost required to become a Wanzami is very little. All one needs to start is enough money to procure the traditional knives and razor blades needed for shaving.
The typical Wanzami is always seen carrying his bag, called Zabira, in which a sharp knife is stored alongside items like a cup, a piece of soap, charcoal and other herbs.  
Abdulhamid Usman, a 28 year-old traditional barber from Kano state, who has been in the business for the past five years, narrates his experience to Weekly Trust. “It is through this trade that I’ve been taking care of my family. It is a noble business especially here in Northern Nigeria because many northerners prefer to patronize us than the modern day barbers. After my secondary school, I decided to venture into the business with a view to earning a living instead of waiting for someone to give me peanuts. I also grew up learning the trade because my parents were also traditional barbers.
“I shave according to what my customers want. Even the tools I use depend on what they require. Some may just want to remove the hair while others demand a clean shave. There are different knives used. Another challenging factor is that some with a sensitive skin react to the blade, so as a barber, you have to be very careful how you shave such a client’s skin. It will interest you to know that some of my clients, after they must have shaved their hairs in the modern barbing shops, come back to us (the traditional barbers) for the final touch, which may include removing of their facial hairs. So, the talk that we are going into extinction is false because our services are still very much needed today,” he said proudly.
On how much it cost to shave hair with a traditional barber, he explained: “The man I just finished shaving his face paid me N100, some will pay N50 because it’s not like I have a standard price for every shave, but the highest pay is N100. As for the head, some pay as high as N500, some N250 depending on how hairy the head is.”
The business had served as a springboard for Usman since he began. “I got married with the proceeds of this business. The room I’m renting, I pay from the proceeds of this business and feed my family also. So you see, I don’t have to depend on people to give me food, rather, I’m the one that gives others.”
He continues: “I don’t believe that modern barbers have any relationship with the traditional ones because everyone has a specific thing he likes. Some like to patronize the traditional barbers while others prefer the modern ones. A reason why some do not patronize traditional barbers is that when they do, they get bumps on their faces because the face is scraped by the blade and some skin types tend to react to it.”
On when people shave their heads and faces more, Usman intimated that. “Thursdays to Sundays are mostly the peak periods because that is when more people patronize us based on my observation in the past five years. It is on those days Christians and Muslims come all the way from Ungwan Rimi, Ungwan Yero, and Tudun Wada. Mondays to Wednesdays are very slow days for me.”
Concerning how hygienic the traditional barbing tools are, he said, “as long as the barber sterilizes them properly with sprit and high heat, there is no fear of any hazard related to once health. It is when this is not done that a problem may arise. Anyone who comes to patronize you and notices you do not take precautionary measures will definitely have second thoughts.”
Usman advised youths to stop living in the past where white collar jobs were available and engage themselves in one job or the other. “For example, if I wear my nice clothes and ride my motor cycle, no one will know the trade I’m engaged in, so it’s all about keeping body and soul together and in the process people will be envious of you because you do not go around begging. If I had waited to finish school and secure a white collar job, I would not have been able to achieve what I have achieved today. I can proudly say that if today I want to go back to school, I have the means to sponsor myself through the proceeds of my business without the help of anyone.
Ibrahim Hussaini, another Wanzami, said people now prefer the traditional approach to barbing because the practitioners have improved.  “We’re still relevant in the society. We learnt the art from our ancestors. Not all can afford the expenses in starting a modern barbing salon.”
Hussaini said he has never witnessed any accident in his first decade of engaging in traditional haircuts, using knives and razor blades across many towns in Nigeria. “I haven’t had any health-related problems involving my customers because we wash our implements thoroughly with mentholated spirit, as well as with water and soap.”
Some customers of the traditional barbers seem to have much confidence in the services they render and as such have no fears of getting infected with any diseases. Mallam Adamu, a regular customer to the traditional barbers, said that the good service he receives from them has remained an attraction to him. He stopped using clippers a long time ago and adapted to the use of razor blades because the traditional barbers use one razor blade for one person, unlike the modern salon where the barbers use one clipper for a thousand customers, although they sterilise their equipment.
“I think they’re more experienced than the other barbers we have around and they’re cheaper. In salons, it costs between N200 to N500 to get a haircut, but here you pay just N100.” He however advises customers to try to buy their own personal hair cutting implements to minimise the risks of infections to the barest minimum despite the precautionary measures taken by both modern and traditional barbers.”
Despite the viewpoints of these customers about the hygienic aspects of the traditional barbers operations, Dr. Giwa, a medical practitioner, said that customers to the traditional hair cutters risked contracting diseases as the proximity of the blade cutting them is higher, because when it cuts someone, there is blood, and if there is contact, there might also be problem.
He also said although it is safer to patronise the traditional barbers considering the fact that a lot of the modern barbing salon methods of tools’ sterilisations are not adequate especially when they have many customers and there is rush advising that the best way to play safe is for customers to buy their own blades and clippers when they visit their barbers unless they are sure of the sterilisation. “Whenever an individual wants to go to a barbing saloon, it is better that he has his own razor or cumber blades instead of using a clipper that someone else has used because you cannot guarantee the sterility,” he said.
Many see the issue of hygiene as one contributing factor to the decline of Wanzamais. Muhammad Garba, an estate agent said he has known some of the local barbers to be ignorant of the campaign to sterilize their instruments. “This makes a lot of people to distance their wards from the hands of the Wanzami and his tools. If they would make efforts to modernize their activities, a lot of people would revert to the tradition,” he explained.
Regardless of all these concerns, the traditional barbers have demonstrated the capacity to sustain their trade over the years, despite the advent of modern tools for the business. Although, Wanzamai may be seen as ancient, to some in the Hausa and neighbouring communities, the local barber knows better how to create a good and satisfying hair cut and shave which lasts longer.