Africa has continued to suffer bad PR. These negative narratives have been carried on for hundreds of years. We have been called undercivilized, barbaric, and viewed as lesser than human by the western colonizers and slave traders. Today, however subtle it may be, Africans are still being viewed through an inferior lens. Narratives like poverty, corruption, lack of clean water, and undercivilization still exist about the continent. But today thanks to social media and the internet, Africans can now take centre stage and own the narrative, confronting those demeaning stereotypes that are deleterious to our continent, and replacing them with the truth of Africa's richness, beauty and heritage.
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Africa is filled with rich cultures spanning across 3,000 tribes and 2,000 native dialects, and these tribes are filled with diverse and distinct attires, food, values, festivals, taboos, and other elements that distinguish and define them. The common understanding of the word ‘tribe’ is a community of people who share the same culture and dialect, and are linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties. And today, we would be looking at the most obvious form of cultural expression—clothes, which are seen mainly displayed in celebratory events, and today our event of interest are weddings. So, in no particular order, here are seven most-beautiful African traditional wedding attires that serve looks and class.
1. RWANDAN WEDDING ATTIRE: Rwanda's traditional clothing is the Mushanan. It is composed of silk and comes with a long wrap skirt and a belt that covers the shoulder. The bride, like with most weddings, is the centre of attention. In a traditional Rwandan wedding, the bride wears Kinyarwanda, or the more frequently recognized Mushanan. The bride accessorizes her gown with hair jewellery, earrings, bracelets, and armlets. The groom is dressed in fitted knee-length shirt and slacks. The outfit can be any colour and are frequently bright and colourful.
A Rwandan bride and groom in Mushanana traditional attire.
2. EGYPTIAN WEDDING ATTIRE: Egyptian brides wear elegant dresses embellished with gold embroidery and made of linen. The breast portion of the gown is frequently embellished with elaborate gold embellishments. To disguise her face in several scenes, the bride wears a similar headgear. The Egyptian wedding etiquette bans visitors from seeing the bride's face. She should be revealed exclusively in front of her spouse and family. The shawl is further embellished with gold sequins and pearls. Some couples were crowned with gold crowns. Female friends and family of the bride apply henna patterns to her hands and feet. The bridal outfit is completed with gold necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. The bride and groom both wear gowns.
An Egyptian traditional wedding attire.
3. EFIK WEDDING ATTIRE: The Efik are a Nigerian ethnic group. In their rainbow of colors and elaborate designs, the Efik wedding gowns are lively and breathtaking. Efik brides can pick between two traditional bridal gowns: the Ofong Ukod Anwang and the Onyonyo, a very long flowing gown. The Ofong Ukod Anwang is made up of a knee-length skirt, a bust-only shirt, and a beaded body chain. The Onyonyo is a flowing, long robe. Efik brides adorn with intricately created hair combs, coral bead necklaces, and Ekpa ku kwa decorations wrapped around her arms and legs. Finally, she bears a highly ornamented staff. The groom is dressed in a white or gold shirt and a usobo, which is a colorful wrapper. His clothing, shoes, and cap are all exquisitely embroidered and beaded. The Okpomkpomon, a long piece of cloth that wraps around his neck, is the last component of his attire.
An Efik bride and groom in traditional attire.
4. ZULU WEDDING ATTIRE: The Zulu wedding ceremony is elaborate yet lovely. At the wedding, the makoti, or bride, changes her outfit three times to demonstrate her in-laws that she is lovely in a variety of gowns and colors. A group of ladies decorates the bride with red and white ocher motifs on her limbs and ties oxtail fringes to her elbows and knees, goat's hair fringe around her neck, and sacks of stones around her ankles for traditional Zulu wedding attires. She is draped in a veil made of beads and twisted fig leaves. Her outfit consists of an isidwaba, a leather skirt, and an isicwaya, a piece of animal skin worn over her chest. She also wears the inkheli, a hat used to indicate that she is off the market. They wrap twisted calfskin over the makoti's shoulder and beneath her arms in a coil. She carries an assagai, a small knife pointed up, to represent this.
A Zulu bride and groom in traditional attire.
5. IGBO WEDDING ATTIRE: Beautifully crafted wedding gowns and brilliant colors make Igbo weddings, known as Igbankwu, spectacular occasions. The bride picks the color scheme and fabric for an Igbo wedding. Her wedding gown might be a skirt and blouse pair or a complete gown. To decide the pattern and fabric of the outfit components, the bride-to-be works with a designer. The bride may wear a coral beaded head tie or hat. She accessorizes with orange coral beads around her neck and wrists, ivory wristbands, and her favorite jewelry. The males dress formally, with a shirt that reaches the knee and a loose pair of pants. A hat, of course, completes the look. In certain situations, the groom will wear an Agbada over this gown and coral bead jewellery as an accessory.
An Igbo bride and groom in traditional attire.
6. ASHANTI WEDDING ATTIRE: Ghana is home to the Ashanti tribe. Brides and grooms wear Kente cloth, a woven fabric made by the Ashanti people, for their wedding dress. The bride traditionally wears a wrap skirt, iro, a shawl, iborum, and a flowy shirt called a bubba. Typically, all these pieces of apparel are produced from the same fabric. A headwrap or gele is the final element to complete the bridal dress. The groom wears a pair of sokoto pants, a bubba, and a long garment, Agbada, that goes over the bubba and the sokota. The fila, a box-like cap, completes the look.
An Ashanti bride and groom in traditional attire.
7. YORUBA WEDDING ATTIRE: Layers are used in the bridal clothing of the Yoruba bride and husband. The first layer is a long, sleeveless top. Beads and embroidery are commonly used by designers to embellish this garment. The masculine variant is referred to as the Agbada. Iro, the female equivalent, should be long enough to reach the ground. The Iro is designed to complement and bring attention to the bride. The fabrics and colors of the bridal gown are determined by the bride's taste and/or the money of her family. The second layer is the bubba, which both the bride and groom wear. It has long sleeves and just reaches the bride and groom's knees. Sokoto is the name of the groom's pants. The groom wears a particular headcover, and the bride wraps her hair and wears a veil for the event. The bride and groom also wear a lot of jewelry. Yoruba weddings are beautiful affairs as the colors chosen are always vivid and the designs very stylish.
A Yoruba bride and groom in traditional attire.
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