Clothing is one of the elements that separate a tribe from another. Every tribe, community, country, have a dress that is peculiar to them and their culture.
Hence, the role of clothing is very crucial in every tribe. It says a lot about them and of course, helps to preserve their heritage.
Here are very popular African attires and a brief history of how they came about.
Egypt
The traditional attire of Egypt is quite different from the other Mediterranean areas, which often have pieces of clothes tied around them in different ways.
The Egyptians opt for white linen tunics sewn to perfectly fit them. They either go barefoot or wear leather or straw sandals. The women and men make use of eye shadow and line their eyes with what is called black kohl. The black kohl is used to protect their eyes from the sun.
Maasai
In Maasai, the traditional attire varies by age and location. For instance, the young men go for black for months after they have been circumcised. Red is the people’s favourite colour.
In the beginning, around the 60s, the people go for sheepskins and calf hides. The animal skins were accompanied by cotton called Shuka, which is tied around the person’s body. The men and women go for wooden bracelets. Beadworks are important to the women who make use of different colours that signifies different things.
Zimbabwe
The traditional attire of these people is colourful. It consists of headdresses for the women and wraparound dresses. Their men make use of breastplate that is made from the skin of animals.
The dress of the women is decked up with colourful beads and they combine it with ornaments, which is an integral part of their outfits.
Married women are seen with Nguba, which is a blanket that is covered over their shoulders. These women also go for thick beaded hoops of twisted grass that is referred to as Isigolwani. Brass or copper rings are worn around the arms, legs, and necks called Idzilla while the breastplate for men is called the Iporiyana.
Mozambique
The different culture of the people of Mozambique is largely represented in the way they dress. The economic status of a wearer is also measured by what he or she wears. The modern Mozambique man is seen with Western-style suits at the workplace while the women go for the traditional fabrics that are colourful.
However, in the rural areas, the women go for their long strips of fabric that they wrap around their bodies and over one of their shoulders. Clothing is also used to mark ethnic identity in the country.
Madagascar
Have you seen Lamba before? It is only the people of Madagascar that are seen wearing two matching pieces of fabric in the women’s case, and just one for the men. There was a time, the Lamba was the people’s choice. The women were seen making use of it during special occasions or at funerals.
