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By Anita Nakizito
Along the bustling Cooper Complex stretch in downtown Kampala, Lingala music plays. On a chilly morning, Mrs. Bongo Honoring, 40, prepares to braid one of her clients’ hair.
It’s a joyful mood at her salon as customers await their turn. From a childhood marked by war in Congo, to becoming a successful hairdresser and salon owner in Uganda, Bongo inspires hope in her family and those around her.
Mrs. Bongo Honoring (center), preparing to braid a client’s hair, at Uncle Joel’s Salon
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Beauty as a livelihood
Originally from Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, DRC, Bongo arrived in Uganda in 2015 from Rwanda through the Bunagana border point in Kisoro district. She stayed in Kisoro for two months until a friend invited her to Kampala and got her a job as a laundry attendant.
There, the language barrier affected her performance... and her dream of a salon job.
“Back home, we all did each other’s hair, so I had learnt the basics of braiding from my family.”
She soon travelled to Jinja in eastern Uganda to develop her hair styling skills. It was easy for her to pick up and practice on her friends’ hair in the evenings.
In Jinja, they spoke Swahili, a language she properly understood. This made it easy for Bongo to adapt to the dynamics of the business.
“My dream was to own a salon. I saw it as an opportunity to work for myself,” she explains.
However, returning to Kampala from Jinja was not a bed of roses. One of her employers in the city would pay her peanuts because she could not express herself properly in English.
Listen to Bongo speak:
In 2018, Bongo enrolled for a hairdressing course at the Federation of Beauty and Salon in Kawempe, after which she received a certificate in styling and hairdressing, and a workers’ permit.
This helped her get a license to operate a salon and train young women interested in the skill.
Over the years, she has amassed a huge following on social media, especially Instagram, where most of her customers found her.
“A customer fell in love with my craft and created this Instagram account for me. After I made her hair so neatly, she begged me to make a video and share it on social media,” Bongo said.
“At the time, my English language was not so good, so I asked her to do it for me. She posted most of my work that day and taught me the whole process of uploading it. Later, I started receiving calls from people who had interacted with my posts, asking for the service, and that was how my Instagram page grew."
Intricate small twists by one of Bongo’s Congolese braiders
The clients would call and ask for the cost of braiding their hair, book an appointment, and bargain.
For Bongo, her service is more than just a source of income. It’s a source of hope for others. She now employs four full-time and two casual workers.
“My family lives well, and the women I work with are also doing well for themselves.”
About what draws customers to her salon, and those of other Congolese women in the hub, in particular, Mrs. Bongo shares that Congolese braiders are persistent and will go the extra mile to ensure the client is satisfied with the results. They pay attention to detail and make neat braids.
“We give the client’s hair enough time because we want the customer to come back to our salon,” she said.
“When we were still in Congo, people used to say that Ugandan hairdressers only know treatment of hair but not braiding. I came to Uganda to exploit this opportunity, and now, I have both skills.”
Due to the rush for Congolese braiding in the complex, Bongo can save each month after covering all the salon’s expenses and providing for her family.