Back during the Middle Ages in Europe, a barber surgeon was one of the most common European medical practitioners around. At that time, surgery was infrequently carried out by physicians, but instead by barbers, who possessing razors and excellent coordination by nature of their trade, were called upon for numerous duties from cutting hair, shaving, cracking necks and backs, amputating limbs, and other surgical procedures. Obviously the two professions of a barber and surgeon became more clearly defined and distinguished over time, but elements of it still exist today in certain cultures. A trip to the barbershop was meant to be a time where men could be most relaxed from all their worries and responsibilities during the day. It can serve as therapy for many, where secrets and intimate stories are shared and a relationship of trust is established. It just turns out that I happened to stumble across the most unique barber experience I’ve ever had in my life while here in Malawi.
barber surgeon
Finding a high-quality barber can be a tedious task that takes time to ensure you always look fresh and clean. I was told by some local friends that if I want the best haircut in town, I would have to make a trip to a shop in the south side of a town run by some Pakistani men. So I decided to go one Saturday morning and give it a try.
I walked into this place and there were two men cutting hair. They didn’t say a word and the guy just smiled with a very subtle smirk on his face before telling me to sit down on the chair. Instead of describing the haircut I wanted and providing the measurements, he proceeded to ask me to simply show a picture of what I wanted it to look like. He spoke very little English, but just managed to get by. He then put on a barber cape for me to wear and began cutting away. Typically, I try to make conversation with my barber, but he wasn’t having it, so I just stayed quiet and watched in awe of how meticulous a job he was doing. The cuts were extra clean and detailed, and the lining of my beard with the straight edge razor was right on point. It was interesting because he had what seemed like a microwave, but was actually a heater used to sterilize the razor along with some rubbing alcohol wiped along the blade with a rag. However, just when I thought the experience was over after the haircut, the best was yet to come.
The barber then took a hot towel and started to wipe my hair vigorously and massage deep into my scalp. Keep in mind, all I asked for was a simple haircut and beard trim. He continued massaging my head with the towel and then proceeded to twist and crack my neck and then pluck my ear lobes until they both cracked. He then tilted my neck back and forth before scratching my scalp a bit more and finally slapping the sides and back of my head…somewhat lightly. It was certainly the most pleasurable haircut experience I’ve ever had in my life. Before taking off the barber cape, he then grabbed some thread and began threading my eyebrows to shape them nicely. The last bit consisted of pouring some oily liquid onto a new towel and then wiping it across my face, which stung quite a bit due to the fresh beard trim using the straight edge razor. And just like that, the ultimate haircut experience was over. He told me to pull up the picture I originally showed him at the beginning and asked if I liked the haircut and if it matched the style in the photo. I was still awestruck by the whole experience and just smiled and said, ”yes, of course”.
Thinking the price would be quite high for everything, I couldn’t believe it when he said the cost was a whopping total of the equivalent of ~ $8 USD! The whole haircut experience lasted about an hour, so I felt like he was robbing himself out of money. In Malawi, tipping isn’t very common, and if you do, usually no more than 10%. I only gave him ~$10 USD, and as I walked out of the shop he then ran after me to give back my change. I told him to keep it, and he was very appreciative and grateful. While barber surgeons may be a thing of the past, this experience made it feel like elements of it are still practiced to this day, but in a much safer and subtle manner.
Some things really do take you by surprise in this country. A few weeks back, I saw a flyer being passed around on WhatsApp for a Turkish food festival that was happening in town at the Muslim sports complex. Now I had met one Turkish person before in Lilongwe, but was quite shocked to find a whole community of Turkish people when I arrived to the festival. Anytime food is involved, I’ll do my best to attend, but when it’s Turkish food, you can always count on me being there. I was a bit skeptical at first of how authentic the food would be, but to my surprise they actually had quite a wide variety to offer. I went with a German friend I recently met, and was fortunate to meet some wonderful people at the event doing some awesome work. While the food was quite good, the portions were a bit small for our appetites, so we all decided to go to a Chinese restaurant in town for a full meal.
Lamb shawarma on the rotating spit
Malawian worker sporting the Turkish fez hat
Turkish Ayran (cold yogurt-based beverage)
Through conversation with the new group of friends we met, all from different countries, we learned more about the organization they work for, Halo Trust. It’s a British-American nonprofit that strives to remove leftover war debris, particularly land mines in the aftermath of war and conflict. They were a group of 5 from all over the world, who typically work in hardship posts such as Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, South Sudan, and more. They just happened to be serving in Malawi temporarily for their weapons management division (storing weapons safely/destroying them). It was crazy hearing some of their experiences, in particular Somalia and Iraq, where a couple of them served for three years. They were confined to a compound but were not allowed to leave the premises without an armed vehicle and a military escort due to the constant threat of roadside bombings and kidnappings. It was really inspiring to hear about the work they do and how it has shaped their perspective on the true costs of war that get inflicted on the innocent citizens for decades thereafter.
Halo Trust worker screening the land for mines
It was interesting to hear from my Chichewa language teacher that in its early years after gaining independence from the British, Malawi used to have a thriving economy in which the national currency, the Malawian Kwacha (MWK), was nearly 1:1 with the United States dollar (USD). While salaries weren't necessarily high, prices for goods were much cheaper and affordable to sustain a good standard of living. Malawi had it's own national airline that flew to several destinations around the continent of Africa and major international airlines like British Airways and KLM (Dutch carrier) were flying directly into Lilongwe. The Dutch would take flowers back with them, particularly the lotus flower, which is the national flower of Malawi.
The Malawi national flower: lotus