Zim flag regalia: a desperate call for a national dress?

Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya
MANY local fashion designers attempt to give their apparel a a�?Zimbabwe feela�? with colours of the national flag but unbeknown to them a�� this is ILLEGAL.

The National Flag Act Chapter 10:10, Section 5 states that:

a�?The importation, manufacture, sale, loan, use, possession, wearing or display of the flag or any reproduction or likeness thereof may provide penalties for any contravention.a�?

However, could a solution lie in the country coming up with a national dress?

For years there has been talk of designing a national dress, at some point, oneA� Mercy Mushaninga in 2012 proposed it at a fashion show.

She called hers the a�?Nhowe dressa�? made out of cotton with leather print but did not necessarily have national flag colours.

The idea had no takers and it died a natural death like many others before hers.

Mushaninga said the dress was still around but was not yet a national dress.

a�?We are yet to make it a national dress because we have not approached the Government with it. For now it is a Zimbabwe dress. We are concerned with coming up with an international dressing identity for Zimbabweans,a�? she said.

She added that the international identity status could be achieved by year end.

The major sticking point for Zimbabweans has been linking our history to fashion.

Therefore, in the end most West African clothing designs known as a�?African attirea�? end up taking local space.

a�?In our diversified Zimbabwean culture it is not easy to come up with a national dress that is a reflection of our peoplea��s different cultures. We were made to despise our own manner of dressing since the colonial times when the white settlers moved into the country,a�? said Reverend Paul Damasane the principal director of Culture in the government.

Cultural historian Pathisa Nyathi believes the solution lies in coming up with a national fabric compared to a specific form of national dress, which can easily be identified by all Zimbabweans.

A national fabric leaves room for individuals and designers to work on regalia that suits onea��s fashion taste.

a�?We should be more focused on coming up with a national fabric than a national dress. Then designers can use this fabric to come up with different dress designs which different ethnic groups in Zimbabwe can relate to.

a�?One thing that is certain is that in Zimbabwe there are symbols which can be used to reach across all the ethnic groups for example the traditional hut, which I believe is synonymous with all ethnic groups ranging from the Tonga, Venda, Shona and Ndebele among others,a�? said Nyathi.

He further added that the national fabric should be filled with symbols that relate to Zimbabweans.

a�?Zimbabwean culture is very rich and diverse. There are a lot of culturally intertwined symbols that can be used to come up with the fabric. Ita��s all about putting our heads together and coming up with good symbols that reach out to all ethnic groups. Other attempts to come up with a national dress have failed because it appeared a national dress was being imposed on the populace, which shouldna��t be the case,a�? he said.