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Faisal's

guardian


In the fourth of my photo films as I'm now calling them, for the Guardian website barber Faisal Abdu'Allah reflects on his twelve years as a tonsor to the denizens of Harlesden north west London. The piece was set against the backdrop of the recent so called nationwide riots in the UK and Faisal's description of the barber shop as offering a privileged [ principally male dominated] space for folks to discuss the issues thrown up by such incidents and in the process of so doing potentially reunite the community keys in with how some social scientists and historians have regarded such establishments. Undoubtedly, there is much in this, there was however one quite amusing, not to say memorable moment [unfortunately not recorded] when during a debate between clients and barbers things became especially passionate, an elderly West Indian gentleman suddenly got up from his seat and marched out the shop with a ' Tsss - I just come in here for a hair cut !! Simple as.' 

View a higher resolution version on the Guardian website .

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