Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA) reposted this
Yesterday I made history by wearing the Kaunda suit. The closest person I know who donned the Kaunda Suit was my father, somewhere in the 80s. Yesterday was special. In the runup to the Kaunda Suit exhibition organised by OnaStories Group in collaboration with Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA) I asked the young people around me...we should don the Kaunda suit....I received frowns...okay...we can be creative about it...indeed they showed up in shorts and leggings, with some distance semblance of the Kaunda shirt. One day to the big day...I hadn't sorted out my wardrobe. With help of my male colleague, a fundi was in my office measuring my bits and he delivered before the event... But what was all this hype about. OnaStories Group has been showcasing a series of events under theme Utanzania ni Nini? ( What does it mean to be Tanzanian?) The Kaunda suit is one of them. We watched a documentary that rolled us back into history and into the gist of how the Kaunda Suit became part of Tanzanian culture and the identity of decolonization and Pan-Africanism. Indeed, a government official in Tanzania or someone working for Usalama wa Taifa ( security service) is often identified by this dress code. So, as I pressed those buttons and took my seat at the front to watch the the documentary and listen to the panel discussion...I was like .. So...this is what it feels to be a Tanzanian in power! A minister of culture... Tomorrow I de-role...back to my ordinary garbs but richer in terms understanding how politics, culture and fashion intersect in Tanzania.