During my first three months in Togo, the trainees and our host families were invited to organize a 'fashion show' to serve as a cultural exchange activity and a chance to practice our French. My host mother, Zacharine, thought seriously about what I would wear in the fashion show.
She did not want me to just wear the standard 3-piece complet (note picture at right) like all the other girls probably would be wearing. So she presented me with two choices, the standard complet and the pagne (2 meters of cloth) girls wear when parading during traditional festivals.I chose the purple-velvet pagne embroided with high-heel shoes. After trying it on, Zacharine painted circles on my shoulders using a mixture of sweet smelling herbs and water. Then she handed me a necklace of traditional beads, a gift from one of her aunts.
The day before the show I practiced my turn down the catwalk in a spare room. I was to hold a calabash (the shell of a local dried-out fruit) filled with candy to toss to the crowd. During this dress rehearsal, Zacharine insisted that I should saunter dow
n the 'runway' like the models do—swaying my hips. I had fun alone practicing in front of my small audience of host brothers and sisters. But on the day of the fashion show, the entire crowd went crazy as I tossed the candy from my calabash. My host mother was very pleased.After the show, my host sister, Florence, and her friends decided to dress up themselves and put on their own show. Together they did a series of choreographed dances and sketches that lasted the entire evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment