Dressing up, part 1: respecting others.
Wow, October is already here, and as for the Muslim months, there is still some 9-10 days of
Ramadan left. The Ministry of Tourism from the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government (it is the official name!) has distributed announcements of Ramadan and all the restrictions involved in it in hotels - I tried to attach a picture of the paper here, but unfortunately Blogger failed to import the photo...anyway, it is being reminded time and time again that especially during this month - the holiest month for the Muslims - it is advisable not to wear short skirts or sleeveless shirts, to smoke on the street or kiss on the street. I decided to dedicate this post, and some of the next ones as well, to dressing and all the connotations involved in it.
Dress code
I wouldn’t want to turn into a dressing police, but I can’t help my eyes attaching to some of these many, many tourists in Zanzibar: despite mentions in every single guide book, and probably in every single hotel, people just don’t care about the way they dress in Zanzibar. Whether they are deliberately disobeying the rules or just being ignorant, that I can’t tell. But how is it possible to walk around in skimpy dresses way above the knees and not feel yourself naked amidst local women who are all veiling themselves? Some other ex-patriates have also recognised in themselves a change of attitudes towards dressing – we throw disapproving glances at tourists who don’t seem to care about the dress code.
Dressing up is an action, material language through which you transmit the values of your community as well as your own. Finnish people would regard wearing clothes as a purely secular issue, but it is not the same thing for everywhere. In Arabic the term “dress” (libas) includes both the material and the social or religious spectrum. The situation is very different in Finland, for example – we’re famous for dressing badly (although not as much as the British…), or more like just not caring how we look like. Nobody cares about your clothes in Finland, not at least after the teenage phase. Maybe it is changing, but still: the way you dress is an individual choice you make or more often, decide not to make. There are exceptions, though – when going to a job interview, one normally does think a bit what to wear or at least what NOT to wear. Why is it so different or difficult here, then – just to consider what you are wearing and make a choice not to wear something you know will insult other people.
Respect
What it all comes down to in the end is a matter of respect. Unfortunately the way you dress can lead to cultural clashes in other environments than that of your own. Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim society in which the way you dress also tells something about you. Basically, if the way you dress is regarded as being indecent, you will be treated as such. A tart (or just a stupid mzungu), sorry to say. One day I was walking on the streets of Stone Town, wearing a normal kanga (a piece of fabric, tied as a skirt until my ankles) and a T-shirt and heard the following comments: “Wewe ni mzuri, lakini dada yule…” (“You’re good, but that girl…”) with some disapproving gestures and sounds. Some 50 meters in front of me was a couple walking, and the woman was wearing a strap dress which reached maybe halfway of her thighs.
Although women are even more scrutinized regarding their dress than men, wearing respectable and clean clothes is definitely important for everyone. It is not only too revealing clothes (for women, shoulders and knees should be covered, whereas for men walking around without a shirt or in a sleevelss shirt is not appropriate), but also scruffy, dirty or torn clothes are definitely not respectable. Only very poor people would wear clothes like that, and not even the dingiest backpacker can claim to be poor, really. Finally, if you really insist on walking around in mini skirts or tiny tops in the centre of the town (beaches and hotel areas are a different case, of course), maybe Zanzibar is not the place for you. Maybe you should look for the perfect beach holiday with palm trees and parties somewhere else. It is not like you should change the way you look completely, but at least come halfway towards the culture you're traveling in. Respect, OK?
Ramadan left. The Ministry of Tourism from the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government (it is the official name!) has distributed announcements of Ramadan and all the restrictions involved in it in hotels - I tried to attach a picture of the paper here, but unfortunately Blogger failed to import the photo...anyway, it is being reminded time and time again that especially during this month - the holiest month for the Muslims - it is advisable not to wear short skirts or sleeveless shirts, to smoke on the street or kiss on the street. I decided to dedicate this post, and some of the next ones as well, to dressing and all the connotations involved in it.
Dress code
I wouldn’t want to turn into a dressing police, but I can’t help my eyes attaching to some of these many, many tourists in Zanzibar: despite mentions in every single guide book, and probably in every single hotel, people just don’t care about the way they dress in Zanzibar. Whether they are deliberately disobeying the rules or just being ignorant, that I can’t tell. But how is it possible to walk around in skimpy dresses way above the knees and not feel yourself naked amidst local women who are all veiling themselves? Some other ex-patriates have also recognised in themselves a change of attitudes towards dressing – we throw disapproving glances at tourists who don’t seem to care about the dress code.
Dressing up is an action, material language through which you transmit the values of your community as well as your own. Finnish people would regard wearing clothes as a purely secular issue, but it is not the same thing for everywhere. In Arabic the term “dress” (libas) includes both the material and the social or religious spectrum. The situation is very different in Finland, for example – we’re famous for dressing badly (although not as much as the British…), or more like just not caring how we look like. Nobody cares about your clothes in Finland, not at least after the teenage phase. Maybe it is changing, but still: the way you dress is an individual choice you make or more often, decide not to make. There are exceptions, though – when going to a job interview, one normally does think a bit what to wear or at least what NOT to wear. Why is it so different or difficult here, then – just to consider what you are wearing and make a choice not to wear something you know will insult other people.
Respect
What it all comes down to in the end is a matter of respect. Unfortunately the way you dress can lead to cultural clashes in other environments than that of your own. Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim society in which the way you dress also tells something about you. Basically, if the way you dress is regarded as being indecent, you will be treated as such. A tart (or just a stupid mzungu), sorry to say. One day I was walking on the streets of Stone Town, wearing a normal kanga (a piece of fabric, tied as a skirt until my ankles) and a T-shirt and heard the following comments: “Wewe ni mzuri, lakini dada yule…” (“You’re good, but that girl…”) with some disapproving gestures and sounds. Some 50 meters in front of me was a couple walking, and the woman was wearing a strap dress which reached maybe halfway of her thighs.
Although women are even more scrutinized regarding their dress than men, wearing respectable and clean clothes is definitely important for everyone. It is not only too revealing clothes (for women, shoulders and knees should be covered, whereas for men walking around without a shirt or in a sleevelss shirt is not appropriate), but also scruffy, dirty or torn clothes are definitely not respectable. Only very poor people would wear clothes like that, and not even the dingiest backpacker can claim to be poor, really. Finally, if you really insist on walking around in mini skirts or tiny tops in the centre of the town (beaches and hotel areas are a different case, of course), maybe Zanzibar is not the place for you. Maybe you should look for the perfect beach holiday with palm trees and parties somewhere else. It is not like you should change the way you look completely, but at least come halfway towards the culture you're traveling in. Respect, OK?
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