The Hairdresser of Harare Quotes

“Men don’t take rejection so well. It’s like they’re raised expecting that they can have whatever they want.”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“It’s difficult to stop loving someone, even when they have done something that you once thought unforgivable. There isn’t an on off switch for love.”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“I can only say that friendship should rise above man-made laws, which tend to be capricious by their very nature.”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“To be dispensable is a woman's worst nightmare and I was beginning to live it. [36]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“The generations who came before us had stolen hope to such an extent that we regarded the future with trepidation. I knew people who never looked beyond the next day. Their circumstances only allowed them to focus on the here and now, which is pretty much what animals did, though we regarded ourselves as superior”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“There's only one secret to being a successful hairdresser and I've never withheld it from anyone. Your client should leave the salon feeling like a white woman.”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“He wrote about how stupid the people there could be. I never imagines white people could be stupid. He met people who had never read Shakespear and couldn't form a proper sentence in their own native tongue - though in this respect it looked as if my own daughter might be taking the same route. [29]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“A long time ago, before the time of men, when animals and birds ruled the world, the birds saw that animals had the lion as their king and decided to choose one for themselves. The owl insisted that he alone had horns, he should be ruler. They were so afraid of his terrible horns that in the end they never chose a king for themselves. And so it was that the owl ruled through fear until one day when he was asleep as usual during the day, a little sparrow checked the 'terrible horns' and discovered that they were in fact overgrown ears." [110]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“Dumi said something and she smiled. I knew then that the secret which made him the best hairdresser in Harare was that he knew how to make anyone feel like a woman”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“I have told this to everyone who's ever asked me and what they all want to know is how d'you make someone feel like a white woman? The answer is simple, Whiteness is a state of mind”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“He drew closer. "You look like someone I've met before." I ignored him; being chatted up at the bus stop was nothing new. He persisted. "Do you go to Christ Ministries?"
He looked like a typical nice guy. It's a pity he didn't know that I hadn't been in a relationship in six years and had no intention of changing that. Men didn't appeal to me anymore. They couldn't be trusted.
"You think you're special, but you're not even beautiful," he finally volunteered. Getting abused was nothing new. "You'll die without a man." [24]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“I knew instantly that she would be joining the ranks of the many used girls who lived with their parents when the father had done a runner. It was not long ago that I'd been in her shoes. [26]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“There were people who told me to take him to court and get a maintenance order, but I was too proud. I would not give him an excuse to try gain access to my daughter. As she grows older, I know she will begin to ask questions about her father but that is a bridge I will cross later. Till then, keeping her safe is my priority. [42]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“Hard times never kill. [49]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“There was nothing physical happening between them yet. She was still of that naive age where you actually believe that it would only happen after marriage. I didn't want to tell her how hand-holding turned into kissing, that turns into something else and then bam you're fucking. That relationships sour over time is a lesson that comes with age, so who was I to burst her youthful bubble? [69]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“Just coming to church this morning I saw many young women wearing mini-skirts. Why do they do this? They do not know it, but it is because they are sent by the devil to entice men and to lead their hearts astray. They are harlots like Jezebel and if you cannot resist, then it is better for you to pluck your eyes out so you may not see. [72]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“Admiral Tait Primary was a school that people from my home neighbourhood could only dream of. The teachers knew what they were doing and the library had the right books for my daughter to read. It was expensive though, and I dreaded what would happen when she finally reached high school. If I didn't get my life sorted soon, she'd be forced into a former Group B school in the high-density areas: a sure way to flunk and get pregnant before she was nineteen. There were nights where I couldn't sleep worrying that my baby would not have the sort of future she deserved. [74]”
― Tendai Huchu , The Hairdresser of Harare

“The city went on with its business as usual oblivious to my pain. [80]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“It was only when I had Chinswalo in my arms that I felt life was worth living again. Her tiny head on my bosom filled me with strength that was like a good drug coursing through my veins. There is no way she could understand why I was holding her so close, but I was slipping and she was the only thing that was stopping me from going over the edge. [81]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“The combi stopped and picked up two girls wearing extra-large sunglasses who spoke in English with a nasal accent. Back in the day they would have been called manose brigade; anything that stripped you of your Africanness - whether it was the sound of your voice or the nature of your hair - was something to be admired. One day perhaps Chinswalo will speak like these girls. Maybe it was progress, but it didn't feel right. [83]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“I'd been told that Catholic masses were stable and cold with dull organ music so I was surprised when the choir broke into song. They sang in Shona, with African drums and rattles, ngoma ne bosho. The women;s voices merged with men's bass producing an effect that was confusing but beautiful. At Forward with Faith Ministries we only used guitars, western drums and a keyboard, because Pastor Mavumba preached against using African Traditional instruments. He said that before the missionaries came, our people engaged in devil worship, so the instruments they used were the devil's instruments. We sang in English and he preached in English too, when he was not speaking in tongues. I was a bit confused; maybe the Catholic Church was the devil's church after all, but I couldn't stop my foot from tapping along to the music. [88]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“I knew people who never looked beyond the next day. Their circumstances only allowed them to focus on the here and now, which is pretty much what animals did, though we regarded ourselves as superior. [113]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare

“But you've not explained why the quality of good is not inherent, but not that of evil. I say man has these dual qualities in equal measure and both are desirable at different times during a man's development. For example during childhood, particularly infancy, it is more desirable to draw upon the good than the evil because if children were evil, society would abandon them. Yet when a man has matured he will use both to further himself and achieve his ends. In old age a man reverts back to solely being good because he needs society to look after him more and does not have the strength to perform evil deeds." [175-176]”
― Tendai Huchu, The Hairdresser of Harare