Many commentators called the declared win by Willian Ruto as a “yellow wave” sweeping across Kenya. Some called it a “yellow revolution.” One opponent who was defeated by Ruto’s people in central Kenya called it “yellow fever.”
These comments described the yellow that Kenya Kwanza Alliance leaders chose as their official party colour. They turned their tastefully designed yellow outfits into a powerful fashion statement during the campaigns.
Watching video footage showing stylish bright yellow outfits at rallies addressed by Ruto and other Kenya Kwanza leaders, I could not help but admire the classy elegance of those people. I think the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, whose official colour is also yellow, can learn something from Kenya’s creative fashion industry.
Indeed, NRM people should appreciate the ties that bind politics, power and fashion. Politics is an expression of power; fashion is a basic expression. Even the party chairman could benefit from guidance on what to wear at what occasion. It’s not that difficult. Nothing wrong with borrowing ideas behind the fashionable yellow-coloured outfits Ruto wore at his rallies.
And who could have failed to notice how fashion designers made Raila Odinga, 77, look dapper, younger and rearing to lead Kenya? The man seemed to be defending the belief that good wine gets better as it ages. Odinga’s stylish hats and caps were significant accessories to a tough-guy look that said he could never shy away from a fight. No wonder, he has taken his fight to court.
As for Ruto, there is absolutely no doubt that the people who chose his assorted wardrobe gave him energetic dress ammunition to take on Odinga, his main opponent. The man seemed to be well prepared to mesmerise audiences and challenge opponents by his dressing alone.
It won’t hurt NRM to consider designing specially embroidered African shirts that can give President Museveni that image of a fashion-conscious African leader. Nelson Mandela did exactly that with his silk long-sleeved, button-up shirts covered with bright, colourful patterns.
Mandela’s “Madiba” shirts, which substantially made an addition to his iconic image, were custom-made by Desre Buirski, a white South African fashion designer.
She made more than 100 shirts and he wore them from the time he became President in 1994 until his death. Interestingly, Mandela did not originate the “Madiba” shirt idea; he borrowed it from the attire favoured by Indonesian President Suharto.
This is an excellent example of the influence of fashion designers. According to Graca, Mandela’s wife, the “Madiba” shirt was as much about personal pride as it was about projecting an image of “a man who is confident, successful and trustworthy.”
Another good example of how an African leader inspired generations of men in countries across Africa, including Uganda, in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, was the “Kaunda suit” birthed by Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s independence President, who ruled from 1964 to 1991.
This must-have outfit was also called a “Safari suit” in Kenya. Martha Chama, a Zambian fashion designer, described the “Kaunda suit” as “an amazing fashion statement for iconic African leaders.” She noted that it symbolised “the African struggle to attain independence.”
In Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, President of Tanzania (previously Prime Minister of Tanganyika), from 1964 until his retirement in 1985, also set a fashion example.
After the Arusha Declaration of 1967 that made Tanzania embrace the ideology of African socialism emphasing self-reliance, frugality, and self-denial, Nyerere adopted the dress code of Chinese leader Mao Zedong. It reflected the humility of the working class. Many Tanzanians copied Nyerere’s modest dressing.
But Jakaya Kikwete, who was the fourth president of Tanzania from 2005 to 2015, changed that mindset. An article titled, ‘Have you seen the President’s new suit?’ in The East African newspaper of August 30, 2009 described Kikwete as “easily East Africa’s most well-dressed head of state who is not only well groomed but with a charisma to match.”
It portrayed Kikwete as “a symbol of the capitalism that Tanzania now embraces; a scion of the elegance that has become the trademark of the emerging generation of African presidents.”
Researchers have found a symbolic representation of power in dressing. For instance, a 2021 research by Richard Thompson Ford, an American scholar, noted that throughout history, people have used dress codes to assert political control or aspirations or even to challenge social inequality.
For example, in the 1960s in America, civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Junior, dressed stylishly at protest rallies to show they were worthy of dignity and respect.
The writer is an associate consultant at Uganda Management Institute.