Tanzania, Sept. 12 -- Dar es Salaam. In the past, it was rare to see Frank Mwingira, 22, braiding a client in daylight.

Instead, he worked in secret, not out of incompetence, but from a fear of public scrutiny and ridicule.

Drawn to hair-styling from a young age after watching his mother and relatives braid, Mr Mwingira would sit aside and unravel his younger sibling's hair.

He gradually honed his craft into professional skill, though societal views that braiding is exclusively women's work presented a major obstacle.

"If someone asked me to braid their hair, I would tell them to come inside. I was afraid of people's eyes because I thought, this is feminine work; as a man, how will people view me?" he recounts.

That marked the beginn...