When clothes became political statements

A simple search of Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine on Google today will present an image of the artiste-turned-politician wearing a red beret.

It is a headgear he adopted during the togikwatako campaign that dominated the biggest part of 2017. Then many of the MPs that were against the age cap removal had adopted red as the colour of choice.
Yet Bobi Wine, on his part, instead of adopting the traditional round Igbo hat that many MPs wore, he had gone for a beret.

One of the most famous photographs of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara shows him wearing a black beret with a brass star; after his assassination in 1967, the image became iconic and so did the beret as a revolution symbol.

Thus, Bobi Wine’s picture in a red beret was indeed not another attempt for the youthful leader to appear chic but a statement that channelled both Che and Burkinabe revolutionary Thomas Sankara’s spirits.

Of course this was not the first time fabric, costume and colour became a message; Mobutu Sese Seko, the Democratic Republic of Congo dictator for 32 years had mastered the art of making animal print look cool on his head. There were allegations that even when his soldiers were too impoverished to protect his head, the tight-fitting hat was present on his top, which was said to represent authority as similar to that the animal enjoys in the jungle.

In an interview with Huffington Post, Samuel Weidi, who works as a professional Mobutu impersonator, says that the hat is almost an identity of the dictator, though with the animal print “it almost feels as if the print’s power makes the wearer stand up a bit straighter”.

While for South Africa’s freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, the leopard skin was a political stand during the 1962 trial. He was clearly representing himself as an African man in a White man’s court.

It has also been widely believed that cultural leaders in the pre-colonial era dressed in skins of power like lion, leopard or tiger to emphasise their strength and drive fear among subjects.

Politics of colour in Uganda
During the pre-independence political era, new parties such as Democratic Party, Kabaka Yekka and Uganda National Congress aligned with colours they later identified with through their clothing.

However, when President Museveni took over power, he instituted a non-party movement system of government though fashion politicking wasn’t done.

Cloth and style continued to crop up on the political arena to drive perception or alliance, for instance, in the subsequent 1996 and 2001 elections, different aspirants especially in the central region had their campaign posters with pictures of them in attires deemed traditional like the busuuti for women and Kanzu for men, a practise that is common to date.

According to fashion designer Ras Kasozi, clothing is one way people express themselves; “people express their emotions through what they decide to put on, it is one thing that creates our identity.”

Fashion in a multi-party Uganda
After a referendum on the restoration of multi-party politics in July 2005, the general use of art as a political tool intensified; this saw NRM work with performers such as Bebe Cool to release songs in praise of Kisanja. Visual artistes like painters and filmmakers too were brought on board.

Fashion wasn’t officially used but its prominence was vivid with party T-shirts becoming prominent on most of the wealthy National Resistance Movement (NRM) rallies.

There was a sense of fashion change with the incumbent’s posters - he appeared different and easily recognisable, unlike the other males that stood against him, he had toned down on the formal look that had in the past presented him in a suit and tie, this time, he donned a white shirt and a hat, creating an image that wasn’t too casual, yet not totally formal.

Museveni wears a hat that has been associated with safari and farming which, according to economist, commentator and author Karl Muth works in his advantage since it communicates as well as gives the President a belonging with a Ugandan population that is mostly made of farmers.

“As someone who has done research in Uganda, I appreciate the complexity of a heterogeneous country with many tribes, many languages, and many communication challenges. Museveni’s use of his hat isn’t just smart, it’s genius. The hat stands for a cornucopia of ideas, and says things that the wearer himself need not (and perhaps cannot) say credibly: it is the ultimate prop.”

Mr Don Wanyama, the senior presidential press secretary, says the use of the hat as a brand for the President is to present him as an ordinary person that people easily refer to as an ‘old man with a hat’.

“But you should also notice that there’s a strong wordplay of ‘an old man with a heart’,” he says.

Muth says the hat is a window that allows Museveni to speak even to illiterate Ugandans in areas he could have been unpopular or that never cared about politics.
However, even when Museveni has gone on to win elections, research as to whether the shift of image through the years has wowed or made him more favourable as a candidate doesn’t exist.

Togikwatako wardrobe
In 2017, the talk of a move to amend the Constitution emerged. Even when the President insisted that it was a non-issue, the topic didn’t go away.
After the NRM parliamentary caucus gave Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi a green light to table the Bill to amend Article 102b of the Constitution, DP answered by energising the togikwatako campaign that was aimed at sensitising as well as warning the public about the dangers of amending the said Article.

Kawempe North MP Latif Sebaggala says the choice of red came during a meeting on how they would distinguish themselves from those that supported the amendment.

“We knew that if the amendment happened, times ahead were going to be bad and the best colour to represent that was red,” he says, adding that the first course of action was to buy a roll of cloth from Kikuubo.
That was the birth of the red ribbons that were outstanding during the House chaos.

“Red has been our symbol of unity and a sign for change that has even been picked on by NRM legislators that believe in our cause. In that red, parties and divisions among us cease to exist.”

Throughout history, red has been a representative of resistance. For example, red flags were first used in the 1848 French revolution to represent “the blood of angry workers” and it has continued to represent views of political outsiders.

Red was also viewed by many as a direct response to then Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga, a supporter for lifting the age limit who also enjoyed the limelight for his yellow fashion statements.

Even after the togikwatako craze, red has not been fully re-integrated into the society and with the recent rise of Bobi Wine, red can get you detained.
Yet this is not the first time the wardrobe has come to the protest scene. In 2012, at the height of corruption scandals that saw some officials in the Office of the Prime Minister implicated, anti-corruption activists launched a Black Monday Movement asking Ugandans to protest by wearing black attires to their places of work.
And, of course, four-time presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, has made a statement with his checked hoodies. He has kept law enforcement officers busy every time he spots that look.

In Kasozi’s view, fashion is an application of culture, with people showing what is on their minds through their outfits.

“Since politicians know that all Ugandans dress up, they are using cloth as a tool since it can’t be missed,” he says.

Kasozi also says that fashion as a way of communicating messages is safer than other forms of communication.

“I can tell you that music can be banned, radio and TV stations can be closed but if the message is in the outfits, you will not undress an entire city.”

Fashion resistance elsewhere
In Africa, the protest of colour and attire has been more pronounced down south than anywhere else on the continent.

On October 24, 1985, riots broke out when groups of women wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Troops Out” marched in Cape Town demanding the removal of troops that were permanently stationed in townships.

The police ordered them to disperse, but crowds refused. Finally, police decided to use water cannons with purple-dyed water to force them to disperse. People dubbed this ‘Purple rain’ after the title of Prince’s iconic album.

The aftermath of the riot was a rise of slogans like ‘Forward to purple people’s power’ and ‘The purple shall govern’.
Vocal activist Julius Malema and his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members have continuously coded their message in red polo shirts and eventually overalls.

South Africa’s news24.com says Malema uses overalls in solidarity with South Africa’s manual and domestic working class.

The Atlantic, an American magazine and multi-platform publisher, notes that red colour represents a connection not only to communist parties, but also to the blood of labourers, including 34 platinum miners who were massacred by police in Marikana in 2012, the same area EFF announced its formation in.

Fashion/political collaboration
Unlike international markets where fashion designers have added their voice onto messages with suggesting designs, patterns and showcases, in Uganda the wardrobe is only a pseudo-political collaborator.

Kasozi says this is because fashion in Uganda is still growing and many would prefer to stay in the good books of the lawmakers. On the other hand, he says even if they did, there are chances the audience will miss the message.

“Ugandan designers rarely design applications, they’ve not salvaged the opportunity to contribute to the message probably because many don’t know how to or would simply play it safe,” he says.

In 2015, fashion designers like Sylvia Owori and Santa Anzo joined artistes to endorse Museveni’s candidacy for the 2016 elections, much as it has never been revealed if they were ever used as consultants.

The evolution of fashion as a tool of political expression is progressive, whether those in power will eventually work with the designers for better ideas, that’s something we are yet to see.

What is clear though, even after togikwatako/People Power burn out, someone else will in future still look to the wardrobe to express a grievance.