On clothing

Oh, Saturdays. My day to get up at the first cock-a-doodle-do and run around like a crazy person in the morning so that I can recline on my little wicker couch all afternoon watching Arrested Development and enjoying the luxury of a carbonated beverage. After a peaceful run around the market and down the main drag, I took on the task of laundry, especially important given that I'm traveling tomorrow. In the grand tradition of 'I should know this by now,' I left my clothes out on the line (though, granted, still under the eaves of my porch) and went to run some errands that included tracking down the guy who sells bus tickets for two different transport companies. (He was setting up for a concert at the "nightclub," La Maison Blanche. What a little entrepreneur!) The second it started clouding over, I knew I should just turn around and go home. Long story short, I have now put my fan to use as my dryer. We'll see just how long it takes. My neighbors, who I alternately love and hate depending on their noise level, had gathered up all my clothes and put them inside their house. Cloud and silver lining.

Laundry day chez moi!

I would estimate that I wear something that looks vaguely Beninese/West African about half the time. This percentage increases as my American clothes are getting dingier and not really wearable. I'm sure I'm still sporting things that most people - including myself in my normal life - would have thrown out months ago. I have legitimate worries about what I'm going to wear on the plane in October when I go home on vacation. As of now I'm planning to have something VERY African made because otherwise I'm pretty sure I might be mistaken for a homeless person. and also because I no longer have any qualms about people staring at me. Looking sharp is important here. Wearing anything with holes or visible dirt is a no-no, as it's seen as a lack of respect. I'm sure I get a little more leeway, being a "batoure" and all. Anyway, here is a primer on Beninese fashion:

The majority of normal village people wear "tissue," which is (usually) very brightly colored, patterned fabric. In two-meter form, as they are sold, they are known as "pagnes." Every mother uses old pagnes to carry babies on their backs. (I will demonstrate with a sack of flour the next time I see you.) So for very budget-conscious women, this simple two meters of fabric turns becomes a wrap skirt. No tailor required. (Affixed as though you were wearing a bath towel.) This is most likely paired with some sort of tee-shirt. Some women will have a very simple hem put on the skirt and also add ties to make the wrapped nature of the skirt a little more secure. My host family in Porto-Novo had one made for me, and though some volunteers love them, I wore it all of twice because I lived in perpetual fear that it would fall open. And you have to walk like a geisha. With a nicer, tied skirt, women will wear a very simple shirt (3/4 length sleeves) made of the same fabric. They're usually very roomy and are tucked into the skirt. (So for someone who doesn't like tucking things in, this is obviously not a look I go for, although I was told I looked cute the one time I tried it.)

My fellow volunteers modeling Beninese styles

For women of greater means, fancier blouses and fitted, more tailored skirts are the norm. I see a lot of elastic, accordian (?) -like shirts here in Kandi. There are a lot of puffed sleeves (Anne Shirley would have been in heaven) and, it's pretty popular to have your shirt bejeweled. (Let's pretend that's an actual word.) There are a lot of stick-on rhinestones and stars and stuff on women's clothing. I find the extensive embroidery to be a much classier look.

Men in Kandi actually wear a lot more Western-type clothing than I would have expected, especially the young men. Maybe it's an influence from Nigeria, I'm not sure. The traditional man's outfit is called a boomba. Think of men's pajamas in crazy fabric prints. There's not a whole lot of variation with the boomba, but there are a lot of variations in fabric quality. So the wealthier men still have a way to stand out. I myself got a boomba made, and no one really thought it was weird. Very, very occasionally you'll see a woman wearing a boomba with pants.

I am lucky in that no one really makes comments on my choice of clothes. I can wear pants and jeans without worry, which is more than some female volunteers can say. Though most of my tissue outfits don't follow the exact Beninese style (at all), most people seem to be happy that I'm at least trying. In Kandi, I do have to be careful about showing my knees and shoulders. Some of my dresses are about mid-calf length and even then you'd be surprised at how many people stare at my calves. Maybe they're confounded (as I am) as to the contrast in skin tone compared to my arms and face. Shocking indeed! Until next time, bonne sante!