The recent #MyDressMyChoice protests in Kenya have rekindled a debate that has plagued Africa since independence in the 1960s. Most African countries gained independence at about the same time two trends were catching on in the West. The patterns, miniskirts and trousers for women, tight pants and long hair for men, arrived on the continent to find a cultural void. One of the pillars of colonialism was civilisation, essentially to erode pre-existing cultures and instil a new culture that was conducive to capitalism.
Since dress is the most visible cultural statement, colonial governments banned nudity and encouraged the adoption of fashion that instilled Western cultural concepts of decency. At independence, the colonial apparatus abandoned its institutionalized cultural project, leaving African societies grappling for national cultures. There was a common dislike for Western cultural influences because of their colonial and foreign background. Ironically, the nascent governments could not simply abandon suits and dresses and return to pre-colonial dress codes. What followed was a series of national discussions in many African countries on these ‘foreign influences’ and their impact on the youth.
