Do You Rock Dashiki?

Do You Rock Dashiki?

Most people in Ghana these days are wearing Dashiki. Most people are just loving it that anytime you walking in town you spot a few people a wearing it. When in attendance of occasions it’s all over. The rich and poor are all wearing it. The popular and unpopular. Recently when you watch videos; both Ghanaian and Nigerian artiste wear this popular attire in their videos. The new fashion trend which is bisexual for both sexes rocking it. It comes in very loud and vibrant colours that is easily identified. The designs and colour spins a happy mood and loved by most young people as well as the old. It kept me wondering where it really came from and in my search I found some quite interesting information about it.

The dashiki is a colorful men’s garment widely worn in West Africa that covers the top half of the body. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines.

The name Dashiki is derived from the Yoruba word “dashiki”, which means shirt. It is usually worn with a hat called “Kurfi” or “Koufia”, which are Yoruba words for hat, and a pair of pants called “Sokoto”, which is the Yoruba word for trousers.

The Dashiki was made popular in the western parts of the world by Oba (Yoruba word for king) Ofuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi, who was born Walter Eugene in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1928. He became interested in African Studies at the age of 16, and travelled to Haiti at the age of 20 in order to be exposed to African religion from indigenous Africans. Soon after, he returned to the U.S. and began a small scale manufacturing business which included African attire, most notably dashikis

The informal version is a traditional print or embroidered dashiki. Three formal versions exist. The first type, consists of a dashiki, sokoto (drawstring trousers), and a matching kufi. This style is called a dashiki suit or dashiki trouser set and it is the attire worn by most grooms during wedding ceremonies. The second version consists of an ankle-length shirt, matching kufi, and sokoto and is called a Senegalese kaftan. The third type consists of a dashiki, and matching trousers. A flowing gown is worn over these. This type is called a Grand boubou or an Agbada.

There are several different styles of dashiki suits available from clothing stores. The type of shirt included in the set determines the name. The traditional dashiki suit includes a thigh-length shirt. The short sleeve, traditional style is preferred by purists. A long dashiki suit includes a shirt that is knee-length or longer. However, if the shirt reaches the ankles, it is a Senegalese kaftan. Finally, the lace dashiki suit includes a shirt made of lace. A hybrid of the dashiki and caftan worn by females is a traditional male dashiki with a western skirt.

Story:

Monica Otumfuor

extracts from wikipedia