Zam Fashion

If you are anything like me, when you picture African fashion you imagine tribal attire with the sword or water jug as the perfect accessory. Not so my friend! Unbeknownst to most of the world, Zambian fashion is made up mostly of second hand clothes from other parts of the world – mainly the United States. Since my last blog was a bit heavy, this week I thought I would stick with a lighter subject-the majesty of the second hand t-shirt, and its impact on Zambia. Most of the Zambians wearing these t-shirts have no idea what the slogans or logos mean and so this makes for a really humorous situation. I highly doubt that Milimo really was one of the ‘Mission Viejo Softball Champions’ or that Nchimunya has been to Arizona. My friend Brad tells of the pastor at the church in his village preaching an entire sermon while wearing a t-shirt with the caption ‘Tequila Mornings’ under the picture of a donkey wearing a sombrero passed out on the floor. His only response was “Amen.” At the funeral this last week Mrs. Mpongo wore a ‘Las Vegas’ t-shirt with a glittery rose on the front. Not exactly your typical funeral attire in the US. A couple months ago I was teaching at the school when a student walked in wearing a ‘Drake Relays’ shirt. Drake is the university in Iowa my little sister Devon attends. Maybe they know each other? The rapper 50Cent has a clothing line that is also very popular here in Zambia, though most of the people here have never listened to his music. My favorite is the knock off ’50Cents’ line of clothing that has also become popular. I also love seeing little kids wearing ‘Nick and Jessica 4ever’ shirts – guess that one didn’t work out? One day I know I’ll see a Coronado High School or PRIDE soccer shirt…you just never know who will be wearing your clothes next! Granted, for a lot of the people in my village this is the nicest shirt they have, and so they wear these clothes proudly, but I can still smile to myself and think, “Where am I?”