Fashion
beth Jakob
An Essay on pagne
April 26, 2008
“Pagne”
is a French word that is used in West Africa to refer to a rectangle of
cotton cloth measuring approximately 45 inches wide and 67 inches long (about
1 metre by 2 metres). Here in Burkina, they exist in two main forms: a
heavy fabric handwoven on a narrow loom and colored with indigo dyes or
a manufactured wax print. The second variety is far more popular despite
the fact that it is a relatively recent tradition.
About 150 years ago, Dutch traders were looking to do business with the
people of the Gold Coast (now called Ghana) for reasons apparent in the
name. At first, they tried trading cheap printed fabrics from Indonesia,
but these were rejected by the Africans as too flimsy and unattractive.
So, the Dutch developed a cloth adapted specifically to the tastes of
West African market - the Wax Pagne was born! It was a heavier grade of
cotton and printed with bold, colourful designs. It caught on and
quickly became a traditional favourite throughout the sub-continent.
Today, the so-called “Holland Wax” and its imitations are made
throughout West Africa. Senegal is a major supplier, but even here in
Burkina there is Fasotex making local patterns. They used to be known as
Faso Fani, but were notorious for the low quality their fabrics. And
African women are VERY picky about the quality of their pagnes and
accept nothing shoddy! So, the factory was sold and re-fitted and the
new fabrics seem to be acceptable to the local ladies
The patterns of pagnes are amazing. There are geometrics, florals and
even designs based on household objects like brooms , fans, and cell
phones! There are political pagnes printed with the face and name of
local candidates and special event pagnes printed up with the logo and
date of conferences and festivals. Even better, you can easily have
pagnes custom-printed! Wealthier people often do this for a funeral,
having pagnes printed with the photo and name of the deceased. Everyone
going to the funeral will purchase (if they can possibly afford it) some
of the fabric and have funeral garb made from it!
Above is a special pagne that was printed for a school.
If they can’t afford to have a special motif printed for their event, the
folks here love to choose a pagne pattern for their wedding or special event
and then have everyone attending buy some of the fabric, so that everyone
can have matching outfits. This is considered very, very cool.
But the pagne isn’t just for special events. It’s the workhorse of West
Africa!
First of all, it is a basic wrap skirt. Every woman, rich or poor, owns at
least one simple rectangle of this cloth. Most own two. You need one to form
the basic skirt . The second is used as a baby carrier, sunshade, dust
protection, cushion when you carry stuff on top of your head, and when not
in use, it serves as a second modest covering over your hip to knee area.
The wealthier woman buys three pagnes (measures) of the same cloth at a time.
Then she will have a tailor sew her a “complet”. This means a long skirt,
often lined, with a matching top. One pagne is left as rectangle and hemmed
at the edges. This “extra” pagne serves as an additional layer OVER the
stomach to thigh area of the
outfit. This is often called a “petite pagne”
and is vital for ladies in a position of respect. A teacher, for example,
would definitely wear an extra layer over her tailored skirt or pagne. (NB:
As I’ve said several times in this blog, it’s important to keep the hip to
knee area well-covered. It’s vital for women, but it also goes for men.
Please, please, please don’t come to this country and wander around the
streets in your shorts or short skirts. It is SO disrespectful and the
Burkinabé are so kind. Please don’t.)
The West African complet can be a hard outfit for the non-African to pull
off. It can feel hot and confining, as it is usually lined and often tightly
cut to show off womanly curves. There are looser styles, but they often look
and feel like pajamas or maternity wear, IMO. I think the easiest and most
fun way to wear a pagne is the most common way- as a wrap skirt. Once you
get the hang of it, it’s very simple and comfortable. Plus it will get you
lots of compliments and make it easy to stike up conversations with people
other than street vendors trying to sell you tourist junk.
How does it work? It’s best if you ask a Burkinabé lady to help you. You’ll
giggle a lot and have a good time as she gives you pointers on how to make
it come out even and not fall off of you in public.
But here are some vital basic hints:
1.
Hold one of the short ends to the RIGHT side of your body, haul the fabric
around your back and overlap it over the front. The loose front end will be
on your LEFT hip. Do NOT do this the opposite way, or people will mock you.
Nicely. But still.
2.The top of the pagne is then rolled down. Very thin people can tie the two
top corners together. But most women just tuck it under. If you watch women
here, you will see that readjusting the pagne is a common, frequent gesture.
They are re-tucking and tightening. This is normal- fussing with your pagne
is not a sign the you're doing it wrong.
3.
Get the two raw ends of the pagne sewn so they don’t unravel over time. It
will cost maybe 25 cents to have this done by a tailor, depending on where
you live. The long edges of the fabric are already finished and should NOT
be hemmed. There is usually writing on these edges denoting the manufacturer.
This is considered good and should not be hidden.
4.
I recommend that novices, those easily scared and the accident prone get two
long strings sewn onto the to the top two corners of the pagne. You wrap,
tie and then fold the top over to hide the strings. This is a very secure
system and you can’t go wrong.
5.
If you are going to be riding a bike or motor scooter while wearing this,
you will need TWO pagnes (or a pair of bike shorts or a slip underneath) To
prevent your top flap from flying open too far, you’ll want to wrap a second
pagne around your tummy to thigh area. You just fold the second pagne in
half, so it’s only knee length and you wrap it like the basic pagne. Women
that can't afford a second pagne, or are using it to hold a baby ride their
bikes with one hand. The other hand clutches the front of the skirt closed.
They are good at it. (NB: Frankly, for bike riding, I go with capri pants
and a tunic that hits me mid-thigh. It's modest and so much easier. But if
you will be teaching out in a village, for example, this might not be the
best solution for you. It would probably be better to wear a pagne and
develop your skills...........There's lots more to say...... So, tomorrow
our course in Basic Pagneology will continue!
An Essay on pagne Part II
In the previous session, we went over the general history of the pagne and
how to wear it. Now I’d like to go into more detail on its many other uses.
1. Baby carrier- The normal position for a baby is tied firmly to her
mother’s back with a pagne. Even a newborn is easily carried this way- or at
least, the ladies here make it look easy. It takes years of practise to do
it really well and girls here start practising early on. You often see
toddlers walking around with a corn cob or stick tied onto their back as a
makeshift doll. They grow up to be quite skilful, able to do all kinds of
tasks with a baby on board.
The child is balanced on the mom’s back and then the pagne is tied or tucked
in at the top and bottom corners . From the front, all you see is the pagne
covering the mom’s front and a little foot sticking out over each of her
hips.
I can attest that it’s quite comfortable for the mom and the children get
used to it pretty quickly.
Babies get their arms tucked inside the cloth, so it works like swaddling
and , indeed, they do seem to find it soothing. Toddlers get tied on with
their arms out. Watch out for hair-pulling, is my advice on that.
2. Gift- The pagne is a great, much appreciated gift in any social setting!
If you are invited to a local wedding, you can’t go wrong bringing a set of
three pagnes. Ot two or three sets, according to your budget. And as pagnes
vary in price from two dollars each to more than 14 dollars each, there
really is a lot of choice. Hint: Super Wax Hollandais is THE big name in
pagne-dom and expect to pay big bucks. 50 dollars for three pagnes is a
common starting point for haggling. If you get down to about 38, you've done
well
3. Sunshade- The infrastructure, such as there is, is not really set up for
anyone’s comfort. Yes, there are nice, cheap public buses, but the bus stops
are often just a metal sign out in the middle of a dusty plain. Not a bench
or a stick of shade in sight. In this situation, and the many others that
resemble it, a bit of portable shape is very useful.
4. Sand storm protection- The winds of February bring the Harmattan- a
strong gale that carries a huge load of Saharan sand. Visibility goes down
to nearly zero. Everybody heads for cover. If you are out when it hits, it’s
nice to have something to wrap around your head to keep the worst of the
dust out.
5. Seating adjustment- wooden benches are always locally made and often
boast problematic nails and splinters. And even when they are not frankly
dangerous, they are often dirty. And even the clean ones can be
uncomfortable, especially if you are a nassara (foreigner) with a bony
behind. Having a nice, thick, folded square of cloth to sit on can be a
great help- especially if you are invited to a formal event ( wedding, mask
festival, etc) where you may be expected to sit for long periods of time.
These are the main uses that a typical expat will find for their pagne. Of
course, they are also good for padding the top of your head when you carry a
heavy object- but that’s really not to be attempted by the novice.
The final and most sophisticated use of a pagne:
6. Communication!! Yes, the pattern you wear can send a message! Many pagnes
are designed every year. Some of them die out, but some of the patterns
become very popular. They even get a name. It might be a simple descriptive
word like Ventilateur (for a pagne depicting fans) , L'ordinateur (computer)
ot telephone-portables (cell phones!).
Others are much more abstract and complicated. They are phrases like: Si tu
sors, je sors. (If you go out, I'm going out), Ton pied ,mon pied. (your
foot, my foot) Mon mari est capable (My husband is capable). Maîtresse,
laisse-moi mon mari.(Mistress, leave my husband alone) Six bougies (six
candles), Gombo-noir (Black Gumbo), Tais-toi-jaloux (Shut up, jealous one!)
Dévaluation, Stop-SIDA (Stop HIV/AIDS), Je-cours-plus-vite-que-ma-rivale (I
run faster than my rival)..... These are instantly recognisable classics
that send a message. If you wear "Mon mari est capable", it is a compliment
to your husband's abilities as a provider. But 'Ton Pied, Mon Pied" is a
warning to a spouse that if he keeps being unfaithful, his wife will "follow
in his footsteps" and cheat, too. So, by choosing one of these patterns to
wear, a woman "talks" to her husband, co-wives, her husband's mistresses and
her neighbors.
This one is called "The eye of my co-wife" .
It's all very fascinating and
probably seems a bit tricky to navigate. But don't worry that you'll get
into trouble for wearing the "wrong" pagne. Just ask if the pagne has a name
when you buy it. Most of them don't, especially the less expensive ones.
And that's pretty much what I know about pagnes.
beth Jakob burkinamom
Pagne
