« Mobile (Bathing) Services | Main | Slides for Repair @ Pecha Kucha »
Electric Shaves (in the Land of Power Cuts)
The average life expectancy at birth in Uganda is around 47 years. This low figure is in part due to the prevalence of the HIV virus, which used to stand around 15% of all adults and at one point having infected almost 32% of pregnant women in cities. Following factors such as an extensive education campaign and the fact that HIV well, kills this figure is now closer to 6%. Those of you interested in background reading might head to here.
And what does this have to do with a barber shop shave in the village of Kyotera?
This barber offers an electric dry shave - somewhat surprising considering the frequency of power cuts in Uganda and the widespread availability of cheap tools that would offer a perfectly good wet shave. Except that a wet shave comes with a higher risk of cuts, and cuts have a higher perceived risk of transmitting the HIV virus.
So electric it is.
Writing from Tokyo | August 8, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
Of course, if you insist on a brand new blade, there's no risk of infection from a wet shave. And my guess would be that the electric shaver is battery powered. As a guy with a shaved head, I think about these things.
Posted by: rob neuwirth at August 11, 2006 10:56 AM
It was battery powered - a Phillishave that needed recharging from the mains.
What surprised me was that a wet shave was not available.
Posted by: Jan at August 11, 2006 11:15 AM
All about perceived risk. Oddly enough here in New Zealand (not exactly a disease hotspot) wet shaves have been illegal at barbers for about 10 years (when asked in bogglement the barber said the given reason was risk of Hepatitis transmission). Compare that to Japan where they are basically MANDATORY (I had a friend who has a thing about razor blades and he had a devil of a time convincing Japanese barbers not to use them at haircut time).
Posted by: Michael at August 21, 2006 11:05 PM