Clothing(服装) is a language. We can look at the traditional clothing to know more about culure.
Africa has a long history and a rich culture, and this is shown in traditional dress. The three colours—red, gold and green, are often used in the clothing. The first colour represents the blood of millions of people who fought for freedom; the second, rich resources of the African earth; and the third, the grassland of home.
Because clothing has strong social meanings, people are very careful in choosing what to wear. It would be a serious mistake to wear the wrong clothes, or to dress in the wrong way. For example, in Ghana, a woman should wear her waistband (腰带) differently according to the importance of the social event.
Traditional dress also tells us about everyday life. African designs are famous for loose (宽松的) clothing. The temperature there can be very high during the daytime but very low at night, so it requires that the clothes are comfortable for daily life.
Today although more and more young people like wearing Western clothes, especially in big cities in Africa, traditional African dress is still quite valuable. This is because it has deep cultural meanings.
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Traditional Dress in Africa |
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Different colours |
The three most colours used in clothing are red, gold and green. Different colours for different things: the blood of freedom fighters, resources of the earth and the grassland of home. |
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Social meanings |
Because clothing has strong social meanings, people have to choose what to wear Women in Ghana even wear different waistbands according to how important the event is. |
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Everyday life |
Because the temperature greatly, clothes are usually loose and comfortable. Though Western clothes are popular with young people in some areas, traditional clothes are still of great |
