Sunday, October 30, 2011
Kofia, Bargashia, Fez: Three African Hats, Three Symbols of African Fashion
Yesterday, I went to this vintage store in
the outskirt of Johannesburg and I saw these beautifully-crafted designs of a
common African hat which are frequently seen among royalties, wedding
ceremonies, costume parties or big festivals in Africa. These are called Kofia,
a cylindrical small embroidered cap and mostly worn in countries who generally
speak Swahili. This Kofia are worn and dressed up with an African traditional
costume called Kanzu, a white-coloured long robe or also known a as a tunic. In
some parts of Africa, it is worn as a traditional costume especially in
countries such as Tanzania, Comoros and in some towns of Kenya. In other
countries, dressing up with kanzu is
not necessary. Informal wear are usually worn with a kofia mostly people inUganda. To get the best and
well-designed kofia, you might want to try to visit in the East African
countries such as Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda which has special designs and
special holes for air to go in and out of the cap. Designs such purple leaves,
solid black stripes, minimalist structures, sartorial lines, etc. are nicely
made to suit the need and taste of the user. 
Bargashia is the most common hat in
Northern Uganda. Mostly this is used in countries such as Zanzibar, which are
also partnered also with kanzu. The difference with kofia is that when it is dressed up, it doesn’t have holes on
top of the hat.
In Northern Africa, fez is very popular.
People of different ages wear this—from the youngest to the oldest. I have
observed that unlike the kanzu and bargashia, fez has a unique tassel, just
like a toga hat. The usage of fez was recorded way back when the Great Britain
colonized this part of Africa which was worn by the King’s African Rifles,
group of British people to symbolize their high status in the society. Fez hats
are coloured red but some few hats are black.
As what I have observed, Africa has a rich
culture of different traditions compiled from the long decades of colonisations
of different countries around the world. Such long history has been brought
down until today with a colourful and festive way of living. The tradition and
heritage has been passed and the result is a rich fashion sensibilities. These
African hats are symbols of all of the hardships and sufferings Africa has
received and with the new millennium, the concept of Africa has gradually
changed into a more positive perspective in the international community.
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