THE DRESS PARADE

Congo is a women’s world!

The Congolese ladies (Mamas as they are called), are so enthusiastic about their outfits and makeup that at most times they seem dressed for the party. The young generation – teenagers to ladies in their early thirties – sports the trendiest (albeit scanty) western outfits with perfectly matching accessories – shoes, purses, glasses, and headgears. It is hard to tell a household help from an office-goer! At first, to an Indian eye, some of these outfits appear unseemly, even scandalous; but with time one gets used to it, and often liking it.

However, the effect of these outfits on the Indian physique is often different from that on the Congolese. Even the average Congolese Mamas are endowed with the most perfect figures one often hunts for in models. In contrast, most Indian women have a tendency towards obesity with age. This accounts for the difference in appearance.

As to every rule there are exceptions, similarly, some Congolese Mamas are so extremely overweight, that it is a sight to witness them walk about the roads/malls! These Mamas would easily weigh some hundred pounds, walk with an elephant gait, and are found doing every job... controlling traffic, driving loaded vans, billing at the mall counter, or just carrying an infant that looks like a toy in their mammoth arms!

Liputa, the national dress of Congo, is a four-piece drape often in bright cotton prints, complete with a headgear. Most middle- to old-aged women prefer Liputa for casual wear over the westerns. It is noteworthy that even the fattest or the oldest woman wearing a Liputa has it perfectly fitted by a tailor.

The Congolese Papas are comparitively less fashionable, and wear everything from informal jeans and T’s to formal suits with ties and boots. Even the unbearable noon sun notwithstanding, I’d find so many men (all ages) so completely dressed that it brought to mind Bollywood song sequences where men often seem overdressed in contrast to their counterparts! The Muslim community, a minority in Congo, can often be identified by their checkered or printed two piece kurta-pyjamas and skull caps.

Some imprints on the T-shirts worn by the Congolese men and women are particularly interesting. We'll discuss it in a later post.