Boubou (clothing)

This article is about the grand boubou and its variations. For the Senegalese variant, seeSenegalese kaftan.For The Yoruba variant, seeAgbada.

NigerPresidentMamadou Tandjawearing a grand boubou

Theboubouorgrand boubouis a flowing wide-sleeved robe worn across West Africa, and to a lesser extent inNorth Africa,related to thedashikisuit.

The garments and its variations are known by various names in different ethnic groups and languages. It is calledagbádáinYoruba,babban Rigain Hausa,boubou,mbubb,mboubouorgrand mboubouin Wolof,k'saorgandorainTuareg,Kwayi BèriinZarma-Songhai,darra'ainMaghrebi Arabic,grand boubouin variousFrench-speakingWest African countries and the English termgown.

TheSenegaleseboubou,also calledgrand boubouin French described below, is also known as theSenegalese kaftan.The female version worn in some communities is also known as am'boubouorkaftan.

History

Its origin lies with the clothing style of theTuareg,Songhai-Zarma,Hausa,Kanuri,Toubou,and other trans-Saharan and Sahelian trading groups who used the robe as a practical means of protection from both elements (the harsh sun of the day and sub-freezing temperatures at night) while traversing theSaharadesert. The babban-riga/boubou was often paired with a large turban that covered the entire face, save for the eyes, known asAlashoin Hausa,Tagelmustin Tuareg, orLithamin Arabic. The nobility of 12th and 13th-centuryMali,the 14th centuryHausa BakwaiandSonghai Empires,then adopted this dress combination as a status symbol, as opposed to the traditional sleeveless or short-sleeved smocks (nowadays known asdashikiorGhanaian smocks) worn by ordinary people/non-royals, or theSenegalese kaftan,a variant of the Arabthawb.The use of the boubou/babban-riga as clothing became widespread among West African Muslims with the migration ofHausa,FulaniandDyulalong-distance traders and Islamic preachers in and around Muslim regions of West Africa in the 1400s and even more rapidly in less Islamized areas after the Fulani Jihads of the 19th century and subsequent French and British colonization.

Use

Boubou is usually decorated with intricate embroidery, and is worn on special religious or ceremonial occasions, such as the two IslamicEidfestivals, weddings, funerals or for attending theMosqueforFriday prayer.It has become the formal attire of many countries in West Africa. Older robes have become family heirlooms passed on from father to son and are worn as status symbols.

There are female versions of the boubou style inMali,Senegal,Gambia,Guinea,Niger,Mauritaniaand many other West African countries. M

Clothing

Boubou as a full formal attire consists of three pieces of clothing: a pair of tie-up trousers that narrow towards the ankles (known as a ṣòkòtò pronounced "shokoto" inYoruba), a long-sleeved shirt and a wide, open-stitched sleeveless gown worn over these. The three pieces are generally of the same colour. It is made from cotton and richly embroidered in traditional patterns. YorubaAgbadacomes in different styles including Asooke to Lace and silk and the design is typically distinct from the Babaringa and Grand Boubou.

Method of wearing

There is a set etiquette to wearing the grand boubou, primarily in place to keep the over-gown above the ankles at any one time, in keeping with Islamic traditions of avoiding impurity (seeNajis). This can include folding the open sleeves of the boubou over one's shoulders, normally done while walking or before sitting down, to ensure the over-gown does not rub against the ground, or by folding/wrapping each side over the other with the hand, narrowing the gown's space toward the ankles (as done by theTuaregpeople). Thus, it is rare to see the grand boubou's square-shaped gown completely unwrapped.

Popularity

The use of the boubou was historically limited to various IslamisedSahelianandSaharanpeoples of West Africa, but through increased trade and the spread of Islam throughout the region, it gained use among peoples in thesavannaand forested regions of West Africa. Through this, the boubou was historically worn by chiefs of theSonghaiofNigerandMali,HausaandYorubaof Nigeria,Dagombaof Ghana, theMandinkaof the Gambia, theSusuof Guinea and theTemnesof Sierra Leone.

Today, Boubou has gained popularity as a fashionable form of attire among wide classes of people in West Africa, theAfrican diaspora,and very recently, even amongBantupeople inEast,SouthernandCentral Africa.

Gender differences

Although usually a form of men's clothing, women's traditional clothing in much of Sahelian West Africa is of similar construction, though usually worn differently. In some places these are called them'boubou.In other regions of West Africa, the female formal clothing has been a boubou variant, called a kaftan, and in other places it is thewrapperandheadscarf.

See also

• Aso Oke hat

References

• Agbada.Adire African textiles.
• Le Boubou—C'est Chic: Les boubous du Mali et d'autres pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest - Book Review.Kristyne Loughran.African Arts,Summer 2002.
• Ettagale Blauer. African Elegance. New York: Rizzoli, 1999.
• Frances Kennett and Caroline MacDonald-Haig. Ethnic Dress. New York: Facts on File, 1994.