05.07.2010
We got a TV yesterday. Just in time for a momentous day: British election and the decease of the Nigerian president. Other things probably also happened but that is what dominated the box for our first day of viewing.
The Nigerian president Yar Adua died yesterday and was buried according to Moslem tradition the same day but in his home town about 800 miles from here. His coffin was transported there by military plane. Most of the foreign ambassadors could not attend the ceremony as they could only get there by motor vehicle, which would take them far too long to reach the destination in time. The rest of the country had an unexpected holiday and to our frustration everything was closed for the second time this week – as they made Monday a holiday because the 1st of May workers day fell on a Saturday.
The acting president (because Yar Adua was sick since last year) Goodluck Jonathan (yes that is his name), can now take over the reigns completely. There are fears that it may cause some upheaval and rebellion but in my innocent uninformed mind I do not think so, as the next election is planned for next year April. That according to some is when things are going to become very dangerous. Not so much for us as for the Nigerians themselves, as there are several very distinct different tribes or regions such as the Yorubas, the Igbo’s , Hausa’s, Benins and others and they seem to differ considerably, even though we expats see them all as Nigerians. Admittedly each with different dress code. The biggest divide line seems to be between Muslems and Christians, the north and the south. One writer in the local newspaper described the churches and mosques as becoming temples of hate. Religion is big here. If there is a church in a street you will find a mosque a block further and if the Mosques are a massive gold domed construction the church down the road is an equally huge modern copper roofed statement. There seems to be a one-up-manship. Not very spiritual if you ask me.
You hardly see anyone overweight here and neither do you see thin emaciated people. They are well proportioned and love to dress up, with the result they are beautiful people. They love to wear their different traditional clothes even for everyday wear. The women look regal with their close fitting long skirts that flair out at the bottom, well tailored tops and beautiful big wrapped headdresses. These outfits are all made from the same material, which are richly patterned and coloured , sometime even garish. The men do not fall behind and love to dress up in equally glamorous tunics made of coloured, patterned and embroidered material. It seems to be tradition to dress up in these clothes on Fridays unlike the rest of the week which are mainly suit-and-tie days. The cherry on the cake was our driver, Kenny, who appeared one Friday with a baby pink embroidered tunic. He must have an enormous wardrobe because I have yet to see him on a Friday with an outfit he has worn before. The Muslims wear their big embroidered and layered kaftans with the little multi coloured caps on the top. All these clothes are worn very regally and proudly.
No comments:
Post a Comment