Acholi dressing

The folks in Gulu are smart dressers.  Despite the midday heat, men commonly wear long sleeves and blazers with occasional neckties.  Notwithstanding the muddy or dusty roads, men manage to keep their shoes clean and shiny. Children who go to town are also dressed up.

I read that this penchant for smart dressing was unconsciously influenced by the colonial masters of the past.  The local men aspired to dress-up like them and be dignified. If I'd be asked what makes an African male distinctive, I would say his shoes.











Women who go to work in town usually wear western clothing with blazers.  But less ordinarily, women wear gomesis or kitenges.

The gomesi is the official dress in Buganda, and the tribes people known as Baganda were considered high-class, had good upbringing and been through school.

A less formal wear is called kitinge.  Western clothing is commonly available from stalls that sell pre-owned clothes.  But most ethnic wear is tailor-made.  
What makes an African woman distinctive to me is her headwear or turban.  They wear this, not for religious reasons but more to hide what otherwise would be a problematic hair.  

Kitinge and turban

Despite the weather, men and women do not wear walking and sports shorts.  Perhaps because of the heat, plunging necklines and display of cleavages by women who wear western clothing are ordinary views.  

I have not attached a picture of these views, lest this blog be censored.