Canadians are a very “sexy” people!

Here in Burkina there are three ways in which women dress.

The first, is the most common among women of all ages and that is to wear a “tafi or pagne” or piece of material. A tafi just wraps around the waist, from right to left and NEVER from left to right (I’ve been told that if you wrap your tafi to tuck in on the right side then misery will come for your husband and family). You just tuck the end in on the left and roll the material slightly, no need for a knot. I have to admit that I often tie a knot because otherwise I feel nervous that I’ll be walking down the street and my tafi will fall down! It hasn’t happened, but it can loosen with movement. The tafi is always in vibrant colours and a vibrant pattern. This is also the cheapest way to dress as all you need is about 2 meters by 1 meter of material.

The second way to dress is by taking the same tafi material to a tailor and having a “complete” made. Here there are tailors on nearly every corner ready make custom fitted outfits for a really good price too. A “complete” is a sown skirt and top. This is considered being well dressed and many women, if they have the means to afford it, were this to work and special occasions. Most of these tafi’s are made in Ghana, Cote d’Ivore and remarkably Holland and China! It is hard to find Burkina made tafi’s but with a little searching you can still find a few handmade, local materials, but these are also more expensive. If you want to wear a more expensive outfit, women make a “complete” out of something called “bassin” which is incredibly beautiful, but also strange. It is a material that has been pounded using a wooden mallet and an engraved board. The material has a very shiny texture and almost looks a little like crape paper.

The third way is called dressing “sexy” and this means to wear western style clothes like jeans and a t-shirt or tank top. Jeans are called “les habits sexy”, I’m not sure exactly why, but it may have something to do with the fact that the shape of your legs is more visible than in a skirt or tafi. Here legs, especially thighs, are considered the most attractive “sexy” part of the body, so wearing something fitted like pants shows it off. So considering back home we often wear jeans then Canadians must be a very “sexy” people! Most of these western clothes are imported from Europe, USA and Canada. It is funny to come across someone wearing a Canadian t-shirt with a Canadian sports logo or camp staff written on it. The other day we think we saw a Hamilton Bulldogs t-shirt! So if you ever wondered where your used clothing went….