African hairdresser dreams of success in China

A hairdresser from the Democratic Republic of Congo hopes to represent her country's culture in China by making African braids fashionable.

Martha Makuena owns the only two hair salons in China offering braid-style haircuts. She launched her second hair salon last week in the country's fashion hub Shanghai.

In the 30-square-meter salon, Makuena swiftly thrusts a thimble to and fro braiding hair into slender locks. The hairstyle can take about seven hours to finish, costing as much as 1,530 yuan (250 U.S. dollars).

"We do single braids, we do weaves, and we have dyed looks. We do everything that can be done for African culture or African hair," she said.

Hair is important to African women, more so than makeup, and this was why Makuena decided to set up business in China.

She arrived in the country in 1999 with her husband Paul Luyeye who works for a French-funded company.

After their two children started kindergarten, Makuena found it difficult to find a well-paid job.

She thought about what skills and assets she could bring to China. In Congo, she worked in fashion design and was always interested in hair.

"I knew from my African friends that many couldn't find satisfactory hairdressers in China," Makuena said.

She established her first salon in Beijing's Central Business District last year.

But it was not easy. Makuena said starting a business in China can be difficult due to rules and regulations as well as problems with the language. Her husband said, "She had to go through a process like any other foreign investor."

Makuena is among an increasing number of Africans trying to start a business in China.

"It is difficult, not just for an African woman. The regulations are the same for everyone, but the thing is you have to know how to do it and where to go," Makuena said.

Determined to make the business a success, Makuena gained a bachelor's degree in business administration after she opened the Bejing salon.

However, the real challenge is whether she can find enough customers.

Although Chinese people became familiar with Ruud Gullit-style braids when the now retired Dutch soccer star was playing in the 1980s, few Chinese have followed suit with the hairstyle.

In the Beijing salon, each week Makuena has 20 customers with about three Chinese people wanting braids or weaves.

"The younger generation want to try something new but for some Chinese they think this is a cultural thing which is only for Africans or African-Americans," Makuena said. "It is a fashion and everyone can do what you want with their hair."

To attract more Chinese customers, Makuena now speaks Mandarin fluently. "You cannot understand people if you cannot speak their language."

The hairdresser is confident about her two salons. She said. "Some people in this world look down upon African people. But I just want to prove what I can achieve."