Pictures of the week: Pride, by Andrew Esiebo

Across West Africa, barbershops are not only places to get hair cut and beards trimmed. Inseparable from the importance of hairstyles to men in this region, they shape their identities as powerfully as any church or school.→ Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

Less loftily, they are also semi-public hangouts – the perfect place to preen, relax and worry the afternoon away.→ Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo has documented barbershops in cities across eight countries – Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Senegal, Mali and Mauritania – and was struck by the similarities: hand-painted signs, bright colours, tiled floors, tools of the trade, and sharp hair cuts. They are two‑a‑penny: significant parts of the urban landscape.→ Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

His study focuses on exteriors, interiors, the barbers themselves and haircuts before and after. The shops range from careworn shacks with rickety benches and fraying edges to shiny emporiums such as the salon pictured, bottom right, in Accra, Ghana – the perfect illustration of how tradition is increasingly colliding with modernity in this part of the world.→ Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

Many are filled with images of religious icons, alongside superstars from those other religions, pop music and football.→ Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

'Your hair says so many things about you,' Esiebo says. 'It signals who you are and how you fit in. It has a social, spiritual, almost mystical significance in African society.' Photograph: Andrew Esiebo

But sometimes, he admits, 'a haircut is just a haircut – the perfect way to grab the attention of the ladies.'

Pride is at Tiwani Contemporary, London W1, until 8 February (tiwani.co.uk). Photograph: Andrew Esiebo