Category: Culture

According to Kim Erickson, author of the book ’Drop Dead Gorgeous: Protecting yourself from the hidden dangers of cosmetics.  ‘Modern cosmetics contain a host of dubious ingredients which would be more at home in a test tube than on some ones face. Are these things we call beauty products actually a death sentence?’ Most of the products we use nowadays for ‘better sanitary’ are actually making us sick. These products range from deodorant, body sprays, skin lotions to hair sprays, face powders and even mascaras.

The things we apply are absorbed by the skin, enter the bloodstream  and may cause illnesses we do not understand.  For example they can affect internal organs which may trigger allergies and cause hormone disruption.  These in most cases start as minor ailments such as an itch from a recurring rash. This may be the body showing signs of rejecting the elements in the products we are using but we dismiss this as a mosquito bite or such. It is like our own daily dose of poison. ”Makeup accentuates my features, it brings out the intensity of my eyes ” this said by one of the women who loves to wear makeup. Is it worth it? Is being beautiful on the outside worth the failing of a liver?

The street market has further worsened this situation in Zimbabwe as these products are being sold cheaply on street corners. Questions arise as to whether they are the same as the ones being sold in shops. In any event, once you purchase the ‘street make up’ it is hard to come back and claim compensation for an allergic reaction. These are the questions people do not bother to ask themselves before purchasing these products.  The Zimbabwe Republic Police have tried to curb the situation but these products and their distributors resurface in the name of making a living.

One Police officer goes on to say, “’These products are deadly and greatly hazardous to health so we are trying by all means to eradicate these unlicensed sellers and their products off the streets” He goes on to say “these people who sell on the street are actually crippling the market for store owners” and as we ourselves can conclude that this is actually hurting our economy and worsening the tear of unemployment in our society. So it is left to the passersby who embrace the cheap cosmetics without considerations of their health. Local pharmacists posit the notion that indeed most products sold on the street may be hazardous to health as some may be fabricated and possess a similar label to the original but do not actually contain it.

One pharmacist who chose to remain anonymous stated that most forms of makeup may be equally hazardous to one’s health.  It however also depends on frequency of use, allergic reaction or dosages of toxic components. For example lipsticks contain lead which may be hazardous to health if put in large doses when making the lipstick. Similarly skin lightening creams contain mercury which may be lethal.  So one should take extra care and check ingredients before use. Or at least be certain that they are buying a certified product.

by Rumbidzai Zijena 

It is safe to say the internet has increasingly challenged the importance of  books in the 21^st century.  This is because the internet now provides information that was previously the preserve of  books at a much faster rate and in quicker summary. So for many Zimbabweans it appears that there is no more flocking to the libraries or  long queues to purchase a bestseller but rather at the click of a button all the information concerning a topic, an individual and even scholars to accompany any theory are made available.

This has been lauded as a good thing. Particularly because it allows for greater access to information through internet. But there is another side to it.   The internet however good it may be, has also caused a massive disruption  in the culture of reading. Because information is readily available on the net, reading habits for educational, social and entertainment purposes have changed dramatically. It all requires little or no effort from the scholar or researcher . Furthermore, while the internet has devised a new efficient way of online sales where people can buy and sell without crossing any borders let alone their outside door, it has made the traditional book less valuable.

Hence the children of today no longer know the value of books, journal and diaries which in past year were valued  heirlooms (hand-me-downs) between generations.  Books were and are probably still timeless,  as the information was preserved for decades. According to a few street side booksellers in Harare, demand for books is almost non-existent these days and as a result book sales are very low.

A Harare City librarian, who requested anonymity, similarly points out that borrowers and readers of books have decreased significantly. This in turn has caused  them to reduce the number of new books that they purchase as well as the fee charged to read and borrow books.  The internet has converted novels into online reads, newspapers into blogs.  Not even the intimacy of a physical love letter has been spared.  Email and chats have become the new medium of expressions of love and affection.

Zimbabwean bookshops ,paper companies and even traditional writers have been pushed into bankruptcy as the print industry becomes less profitable. As it is, perhaps the internet may be more efficient but it has made reading less of a long term pastime. It has not spared the education curriculum nor will it spare the traditional literature book. Nothing is  written down these days..ever.

A majority of  Zimbabwean men generally prefer short brush cut hair  over other adventurous hairstyles. Can this be said to be their independent sentiment or rather the way in which they have been socialised. Most African expectations especially from the parents dictate a ‘son’ should be a leader, exemplary in the way they conduct themselves; and this may not go well with society if a male child prefers ‘dreadlocks!’ to say the least.

Similarly as a young Harare businessman  views it , ‘’if a black man is to work at a non-black organisation he must be perceived as clean cut and non-threatening which entails a clean and neat haircut amongst other characteristics.’’

That can be taken to mean that looking professional equals ‘short hair for men’, but is this entirely true? Can one not look professional with neatly kept dreads or even an afro? Interviewing more individuals and the question  of hairstyles as reflective of economic cost emerges.Some men prefer or rather opt for short brush cut hair because, “it offers a stylish look at a very cheap cost and is low maintenance.  But can we say these men are ‘lazy’ and do not want to make an effort with their appearance? Or are they actually running away from the stereotype attached to long hair, dreadlocks, braids and afros?  Which is in most cases associated with criminals, thugs and laziness.Another man went on to say,  “short hair is a quick and cheap way of maintaining hair and so as to overally feel comfortable. Í dislike spending minutes when combing my hair, that’s why I keep my hair short.  However fashion dictates too, seeing pictures of my dad when they were young with the afro, which was a fashion trend in those days’’.By saying this can we assume that the ‘short’ brush cut hair is a fashion trend of the 21st century or it is rather a neutral stance to the Mohawk hairstyle of today? This brings to rise the issue of whether this short hair is kept by the conventional/professional man or is it for the elderly who feel they are mature and should conduct themselves as such.

In response, an elderly man told this reporter, ’’After a certain age you want to present an air of responsibility. You hardly look responsible and trustworthy with an afro!’’

Another went on to say,  “There is a good feeling you get when you raise your hand and rub your freshly cut and sharp looking low cut. It feels great and air flows through it. I don’t know about other black men but having too much hair makes me uneasy and feels like a burden.”He went on to add, “Too much hair makes me look like a child while freshly cut hair makes me feel mature especially if you are going to wear suits. It has zero to do with any inferiority  complex but everything to do with masculinity, too much hair is for women and looks rubbish on men.” However celebrities, fashionistas and many public  figures can be said to have changed  from short hair into funky hairdo’s suitable for both men and women.  For example certain people began to copy and find acceptable the advent of dreadlocks because of their liking of local celebrities like Thomas Mapfumo, Andy Brown, Chiwoniso Maraire to name a few. Another example is that of Sulumani Chimbetu who has made popular the so-called Dendera hairstyle, which is more or less the traditional boxcut similar to the one his father, Simon Chimbetu had. Some of his fans have  undoubtedly copied this. So next time, if you are a Zimbabwean male, and find yourself going to the barbershop, ask yourself, what motivates my hairstyle?