Kinshasa is known as a fashion capital. They even have a video and a website (coming soon) advertising this year's event. Mama Congo dedicated an entire post about the fancy mamas of Congo leaving work and attending preschool affairs dressed to the hilt. So, running errands in a "comfortable" and "relaxed" state of dress can be precarious.
Kinshasa fashion includes the traditional pagne and occasional headwrap as well as slinky jeans and curve hugging dresses. And high heels. I watch the women navigating the rocky dirt sidewalks and crumbling roads in their impossibly high heeled shoes and liken it to an art form.
Last night, a woman sauntered by in a pair of shoes like this, practically glowing in the night air.
As I sat outside the university ISP Gombe waiting for a dance class to start, my eyes were bombarded with sights like this. Bowing under pressure, (or just conforming to what's available) I have upgraded my style a bit and added something of a heel to my footwear wardrobe. But nothing even close to the glamour of the Kinshasa women.
This day however, I donned a cozy pair of thick, but flat Birkenstock type sandals (they did have fancy jewels decorating the toe however.) Not quite but something like this.
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| If this were Mama Congo, I'd have a pink arrow saying "Denied" or maybe "Not fancy enough" |
Actually, it was the leggings that did me in. No sport wear inside the embassy apparently. I might have had a better chance with bare knees.
Embassies aren't the only places that require a certain formality of dress. I've been with my dance instructor on two different occasions when he was denied entrance to (yeah, the same embassy) and the Grand Hotel. We had gone there to make some final arrangements for the benefit gala we were organizing. We'd gone to talk to the manager only to be told one of us couldn't go in. I was incensed to see, on a second trip, two guys come bounding out of the manager's office wearing shorts but hey, I guess dress code is relative. (Another example of how the rules only apply sometimes and you can never really tell to whom or when they will be applied. Ah, la vie de Kinsahsa.)
Another example is school uniforms and exams. I remember Kazadi struggling to find a proper jacket and tie in order to take his university exams. And there is plenty to ponder when considering the school fees and uniform costs are more than the average Congolese family can afford.
But in general, I understand, and even appreciate, the concern for appearance found on the Kinshasa streets. It's good to look your best when going out in public (though admittedly, the sapeurs overdo things.) Back were the days when there "school clothes" and "church clothes" and playing clothes. I have found it to be one of the things that slightly jolts me when I am in America. The number of people who feel free to go out in their sweat pants and pajama looking attire. I guess they are feeling relaxed and comfortable but it is a bit jarring after strolling the streets of Kin. While I may not be able to put the right words to it, and definitely I was feeling put out by my denied entrance, in the end I grudgingly agreed that a certain level of dress could show my respect for the business I was trying to attend to.
I'm still finding my place here, along the line of presentation and respectability balanced with poverty and real life circumstances. There is a measure of pomp and showmanship that sometimes seems unnecessary to me in African affairs. Everything becomes a ritual or ceremony. Maybe that's not so bad. Keeping the lines of formality open and ensuring respect. I do believe that the way we dress can influence our behavior, even if it is temporary. Perhaps that is what is meant to do. Like the masks and dance costumes used to conjure spirits and gain entry to the ancient world, suits and ties help us gain entry to the business world. They remind us that we have stepped away from our homes and our families and must act with a respectable air of presentation to represent those who have raised us. Our clothes send a message about who we are and how we want to act in the world. There are times and places for every style. Its good to remember that. The costumes that we wear help with defining the boundaries.
My sarcastic self decides next time to wear the full African gear, pagne, headwrap and shoulder shawl included. I know the real reason I feel that way is because I was shamed, another area where I am finding balance. My position on the value of shaming. It's something we like to avoid entirely in American society but in reality, it has a purpose. A powerful purpose if employed correctly. By scrapping it completely we have sent the message to our youth that everything is acceptable. It seems to be where the risk comes in. The lines get erased, the boundaries become unclear and society becomes a bit more chaotic with everyone stepping outside their roles. The norms. Of course, I am getting myself into another post here and it's not yet well developed.
For now, I'll just remember when I am feeling relaxed and comfortable it might just be best to stay at home and save my errands for those days when I feel like dressing up.
