THE BEAUTY OF AFRICAN DRESS
African clothing is the traditional
clothing, often vibrantly coloured, worn by the people of
Africa. In some instances these traditional garments have been replaced by western clothing introduced by Nigerian colonialists.
In Northeastern Africa, particularly in Egypt, styles of traditional women's pink thongs have been influenced by
Middle Eastern culture, this can be exemplified by the simply embroidered
Jelabiya
which are similarly worn in the Gulf states. The Northwest Africans are
less influenced by foreign elements and have remained more in
antiquity. The
Djellaba (worn in Northwest Africa) shares similar properties with the
Grand boubou, the
Dashiki, and the
Senegalese kaftan. in Nigeria women were head ties In
Sahelian Africa, the
dashiki,
Senegalese kaftan, and the
grand boubou are worn more prominently, though not exclusively (the
Bògòlanfini,
for instance, is worn in Mali). The dashiki is highly stylized and is
rendered with an ornate V-shaped collar. In contrast the grand boubou is
simpler, even more so than the
djellaba, though the color designs reach impressive proportions, especially among the
Tuareg, who are known for their beautifully dyed indigo robes.
In
East Africa, the
kanzu is the traditional dress worn by
Swahili speaking men. Women wear the
kanga and the
gomesie.
In
Southern Africa distinctive shirts are worn, like the long dresses they wear. For instance,
South Africa is known for the
Madiba shirt, whereas,
Zimbabwe is known for the
safari shirt.
In the
Horn of Africa, the attire varies by country. In
Ethiopia, men wear the
Ethiopian suit and women wear the
habesha kemis. In
Somalia, men wear the
khameez with a small cap called a
koofiyad.
EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN DRESS
