Fashion

Fashion

National Dresses Dilemma?

In many African countries the issue of national dress eludes the societies ... In Uganda any adventurous dresser may get challenges in places perceived formal! However the Kanzu for men and Gomesi for women seem to be the most popular to date. Men wear Kanzus, which are long white tunics with a collar-less neck and embroidered red thread that streams down the middle. Kanzus were modified after Arab dresses which first came to Uganda when slavers traded in ivory in the 19th century. Bodingi or gomesi were first introduced at Gayaza, the first women’s high school in Uganda where it was part of the uniform. There is a story about an Asian tailor called Gomes after whom the women’s dress was named.This makes it difficult therefore to associate these dresses with original Africa

Bark cloth
One of the finest materials from which Ugandan artists make work is bark cloth, a fibrous if coarse, material scrapped from a fig tree. Lubugo as it is called in Luganda is made from the bark of a fig tree after being soaked in water for a few days before artisans hammer it out with a toothed mallet into a fabric. The fabric comes out in various browns, some of a very rich dark brown color. Bark cloths hold a high place in many rituals in the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro where princes and princesses were obliged to wear them. Yards of it, for example, are used to screen or drape the walls of shrines and god’s homes. Kings wear them - particularly of a white color- on big commemorative ceremonies; chiefs swear by them while wearing yards of it knotted at the shoulder with a spear in hand, during burials, dead bodies are wrapped up in bark cloth. 


In the early days of kingdoms in Uganda, notable chiefs would be buried in wrappings of up to 200 pieces of mbugo. Today, since the revival of kingdoms bark cloth has regained its prestige with many Baganda making all manner of wear out of it including very attractive hats that bear the Buganda insignia, coats and long flowing robes.

Most people agree there is no such thing as a ‘National Kenya clothing’. First of all, Kenya consists of over 70 ethnic groups (tribes) who all have different traditional dress styles. Secondly, the majority of Kenyans dress more or less Western style. Along the coast – for example in Mombasa or Lamu – where a big part of the population is Muslim, some also dress Arabic style.


In fact, it has happened that Kenyan women who were supposed to represent their countries at international forums, bought traditional Nigerian clothes as they could not identify original Kenya clothing.

There have been several attempts to create a national dress. Kenyan designers Mary Kadenge and Margaret Akumu Gould have been working on this for decades. Mrs Gould organized the first ever National Dress Competition in the 1980s in Nairobi. While she did not get much support then, she has now teamed up with the Kenya Tourism Foundation (KTF) and the Ministry of Culture and Social Services, who understand very well the advantage of having a national dress for national unity and PR purposes.

Traditional tribal dress 

However, some tribes have largely kept their traditional dress and life style. The Masai Maria (also spelled Maasai Mara) are the most famous, but this also goes for the Samburu (which are closely related to the Masai), the Karamojong and the Turkana peoples, who live in the north. Although even among these tribes, modernity is making it’s way, with traditionally dressed warriors carrying digital watches or sometimes even cell phones, to be able to receive tourists.


traditional masai clothing

Among the tribes who have typically adopted to Western life styles, are the Kikuyu from the highlands, the Akamba east of Nairobi, and the Luo in the west. Not coincidentally, especially the Kikuyu and secondly the Luo have the biggest political and economic influence in the country.

Masai traditional dress

Masai women typically wear vast plate-like bead necklaces, and colourful wraps called kanga. The men are famous for wearing a red-checked shuka (Maasai blanket) and carry a distinctive ball-ended club. For Masai, red clothing stands for power. Many Masai wear simple sandals, sometimes soled with pieces of motorcycle tires. When males become ‘morans’ (warriors), around age 14, they traditionally dye their hair red with ochre and fat.

BUSUUTI DRESS FOR TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IN UGANDA

It’s a formal introduction ceremony of the bride’s fiance to her family.  It’s also the public engagement ceremony whereby he asks for her hand in marriage after receiving the blessing from the bride’s parents.  This is traditionally done at the time of engagement, but due to those traveling from abroad, we had the ceremony the evening before our wedding.

The most fascinating aspects of the ceremony are the outfits.  The women wear colorful ensembles called a basuti while the men wear tunics called a kanzu.

Picture by: Makerere - Journalism & Media Students
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The Kanzu ...

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The gifts are also an integral part of the ceremony.  The groom is expected to bring gifts for the “bride price” or “dowry”.  It’s customary in Uganda for the bride’s parents to receive gifts such as cows, chickens, goats, fruits & vegetables, and other living staples.

Picture by MUK Journalism student - gifts:

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Our ceremonies typically…

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Brides maids in modern African fashion

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More

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2 comments:

  1. Hi, I love your post and I have seen some lovely pictures here and got tempted!

    My name is Robert and I am an inforprenuer - what ever that means, ... I love writing about Uganda. With your permission please (if that is OK with you), I would love to use one of your pictures on this page about Ugandan clothing; http://www.i-uganda.com/ugandan-clothing.html

    Please let me know. Thanking you in advance. Best is through my email at; robert@i-uganda.com.

    I will be very grateful.

    Regards,

    Robert

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi there, so that you know, I have since go on to use two of your pictures and attributed them to Makerere-Journalism and Media Student as it is in this blog.

    Please let me know if this is OK. ... Sadly if it's not, I will pull them down immediately with my sincere apologies. I also hope this doesn't offend anyone in any way, if it does, my apologies again and I will do as you suggest.

    Still waiting for you reply.
    Regards
    Robert

    ReplyDelete