The leader of traditional barbers in Kano Emirate (Sarkin Wanzamai), Alhaji Muhammad Yunusa-Nabango, has stressed the need for barbers to combine traditional and modern tools in their work to sustain patronage and preserve the cultural heritage.
Yunusa-Nabango, who is also the President of the Herbal and Traditional Barbers Association of Nigeria, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kano.
He said the growing popularity of modern barbing salons and changing customer preferences had affected patronage of traditional barbers.
The traditional barber therefore urged practitioners to adopt the modern method without abandoning their traditional knowledge and identity.
Yunusa-Nabango, who had practised the profession for about 50 years, said he inherited it from his father, who also inherited it from previous generations.
He said traditional barbering had different forms, including skin cut (ƙwaryar molo, also known as kwal a kobo), which involves shaving all the hair from the head, and ‘saisaye’, which involves trimming and shaping the hair.
He said that traditional barbering is carried out with simple tools, like a small knife (aska), water and soap.
The leader further explained that they used to rub the head with water and soap to shave the hair.
Yunusa-Nabango said that the knife was changed with the introduction of scissors, modern clippers and other equipment.
He also noted that barbing salons had become more attractive, as some of the modern barbers decorate their shops with furniture to attract customers.
“Now the way barbing salons are beautified was not done before,” he told NAN, urging traditional barbers to learn from the changes taking place in modern barbering.
Yusuf Ahmad, a 45-year-old Kano resident who maintained the practice since childhood, said he prefer ƙwaryar molo to modern barbering.
“Since I was two years old, my father used to take me for this kind of traditional barbering.
“When I grew up, I continued with it. I am now 45-year-old, and I enjoy it more than any other style,” Ahmad said.
He said that he paid N250 for the traditional service and did not need to return frequently, unlike modern barbering, which he said attracts up to N2,000 in some shops.
But 32-year-old Murtala Abubakar, said he would not choose ƙwaryar molo, even if it was offered free of charge.
“Even free of charge, I can’t have all my hair cut. My friends will even laugh at me,” Abubakar said.
He described the practice as something mainly associated with older people.
