Our Culture
The announcement on Friday, November 12, 2004, of the National Friday
Wear Programme is one of the most significant acts of freedom and
independent thought to come out of Africa in a long time. All
serious-minded Africans at home and in the diaspora should greet this
initiative as a significant development.
The clothing we wear can be viewed simply as a means to protect our bodies from the environment and to preserve some decency. However, like language, clothing carries significant messages that cannot be underestimated. Our self-image, self-esteem, self-confidence, and cultural identity are all projected in the clothes we wear. Those who are fortunate enough to have real choice in what they wear use their clothes to send a message to those who care to observe them. A young Ghanaian woman in blue jeans and a see-through revealing blouse sends a different message about herself than does one wearing a traditional skirt and blouse made of locally-designed and manufactured material. A young Ghanaian business executive who puts on a western suit and tie to go to work thinks of himself differently than one who goes to the office dressed in a two-piece Ghanaian embroidered trouser and top. The major question is how observers view a person by the clothing he or she is wearing. After all if there were no observers, most of us would not dress the way we do.
The clothing we wear can be viewed simply as a means to protect our bodies from the environment and to preserve some decency. However, like language, clothing carries significant messages that cannot be underestimated. Our self-image, self-esteem, self-confidence, and cultural identity are all projected in the clothes we wear. Those who are fortunate enough to have real choice in what they wear use their clothes to send a message to those who care to observe them. A young Ghanaian woman in blue jeans and a see-through revealing blouse sends a different message about herself than does one wearing a traditional skirt and blouse made of locally-designed and manufactured material. A young Ghanaian business executive who puts on a western suit and tie to go to work thinks of himself differently than one who goes to the office dressed in a two-piece Ghanaian embroidered trouser and top. The major question is how observers view a person by the clothing he or she is wearing. After all if there were no observers, most of us would not dress the way we do.
Comments
Post a Comment