Fashionista for Jesus
Have you ever thought that your clothes could make a difference in your relationships? I'm not talking about dressing modestly, although that is definitely is important. In Senegal, the importance of personal attire goes way beyond avoiding shorts and tight-fitting pants (even if both are big no-nos). What I'm talking about is dressing to impress in a culture where everyone from your friend next door to the fish monger dress their best any time they step out the front door.
The implications for ministry are simple. If I leave the house without giving much thought to what I'm wearing, I could be closing doors in my community without realizing it. And the thing is, the emphasis isn't necessarily vanity, but caring for others. Locals say, "You eat for yourself. You dress for others." In other words, eat whatever you want, but don't make anybody look at your scruffy, unkept mug; make an effort!
Being poor is considered no excuse, either. Another local proverb states, "A beautiful outfit covers an empty stomach." And it's true, people will actually sacrifice food for the sake of fashion. So, the way the Senegalese see it, as Westerners, we can afford to dress well. We have no excuse. Most people won't say anything to your face about neglecting your appearance, but they'll take notice. On the positive side, if you do bother, especially if you dress in local attire, you may find yourself attracting a lot of positive attention from happy nationals. Once when Dan was walking to church in a "bou bou" (the typical men's outfit), one guy actually stopped him on the street to shake his hand and say, "Thank you! Thank you!"
The plus-side to this cultural value is that I have to go shopping for beautiful fabric and have my tailor make me one-of-a-kind outfits. Tough times, right? But the downside is that I can never just run a quick errand without getting decked out, and that can make leaving the house a bit of a pain. These are the realities we live with in Senegal, and although it may seems strange, we take our job of looking good seriously, not wanting anything to get in the way of the gospel message. Who would've thought that I'd move to Africa to become a fashionista? :)
The implications for ministry are simple. If I leave the house without giving much thought to what I'm wearing, I could be closing doors in my community without realizing it. And the thing is, the emphasis isn't necessarily vanity, but caring for others. Locals say, "You eat for yourself. You dress for others." In other words, eat whatever you want, but don't make anybody look at your scruffy, unkept mug; make an effort!
Being poor is considered no excuse, either. Another local proverb states, "A beautiful outfit covers an empty stomach." And it's true, people will actually sacrifice food for the sake of fashion. So, the way the Senegalese see it, as Westerners, we can afford to dress well. We have no excuse. Most people won't say anything to your face about neglecting your appearance, but they'll take notice. On the positive side, if you do bother, especially if you dress in local attire, you may find yourself attracting a lot of positive attention from happy nationals. Once when Dan was walking to church in a "bou bou" (the typical men's outfit), one guy actually stopped him on the street to shake his hand and say, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Such a great look a Senegalese culture and how it'd made you change for the sake of the Gospel. It certainly isn't what we would initially think would be need, but I'm so thrilled to you are honoring it!
ReplyDeleteHey Langs! Thanks for checking in and reading our post! It definitely comes as a surprise to people who aren't prepared for this cultural value when they arrive in Senegal. I try to warm short-term teams not to bring their grubbiest clothes (which is what people often do!), b/c they'll just look ridiculous! That's when I really get into fashionista mode, giving specific instructions about leaving camping clothes behind and bringing nice (albeit modest) outfits. I'll be curious to hear what it's like in Germany, as we have colleagues in Italy who find that when it comes to the way they dress, they face some of the same cultural values that we do in Senegal (minus the need for modesty!).
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