No shortcuts to success

Two Syrian brothers of former refugee background find a new life in Newtown after discovering some hidden talent. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. Subscribe to Voices for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public and iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts. On a Saturday afternoon in Newtown, the barberhops are busy. Here at Cultural Cuts, run by Mohummed and Raed Aldani, two former Syrian refugees, a steady stream of groomed and weekend-ready clients exit onto the pavement where more waiting clients hang around, laughing, smoking and getting some of that changeable Wellington weather.The business of trimming beards and working on those zero fades seems to be a bit of a trend here these days, or so Lazarus, of Iraqi origin and a bit of a Newtown regular, says. "You can't go wrong with a Middle-Eastern barber - the skill is there. I mean just look at our beards" Lazarus laughs. "Lately a lot of celebrities and known figures are growing beards, it's as if our cultural lifestyle has gone into the social lifestyle. A lot Middle-Easterners are opening up barbershops lately. I guess it's a trend for former refugees coming here."Mohummed, 25, and Raed, 23, have come a long way from escaping the conflict in Syria. Arriving in 2014 along with family to New Zealand at 18 and 16 years respectively, providing for their mum and their five sisters became a driving force to their success. Their story is as much about small-business success as it is proof of their sheer ambition to make it work in their new country, despite arriving as former refugees with next to no money, no English and no educational qualifications. It's also testimony to the opportunity that an incredibly mixed neighbourhood like Newtown brings.Lazarus makes music and is a friend of the brothers who run this barber shop. But he's not here for a haircut today."I have a lot of family that are barbers ... so I often go around to the different barbers just to bring a vibe."And it definitely is a Newtown vibe.Hours get spent here at the barbershop catching up, joking, people watching, and generally, yes bringing a vibe.This barbershop particularly seems a hub of sorts for Arabic speakers from the neighbourhood and in fact attracts a cross-section of Newtown's diverse demographic - men from all over the world really - Somalia, Vietnam, Tonga and beyond. "I love cutting African hair, because it's thick, shiny and fades look so good" Raed says smiling while focusing on his his long-time Somali client's buzz-cut…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details