You Have to Portray Some of Your Culture!

Redefining Nationalism through Fashion and Textiles in Ghana: A Preliminary Assessment

McNair Scholar: Katherine Ntiamoah, Indiana University Bloomington Faculty Mentor: Dr. Beverly Stoleje, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington

Arguably, one of the most important parts of creating a coherent national identity is crafting a national garb as a visual symbolic form because national dress has been noted as an aspect of nationalism. By using relevant examples, I will discuss how dress and nationalism have been sufficiently linked. Specifically this investigation provides an initial analysis of the impact of dress in Ghana. The wearing of Ghanaian dress dating to independence has been effected by recent economic trends and national ideology over the last 50 years. In the present, the textile and fashion industry has suffered a near collapse because of the economic slump of the early 80s and late 90s, which necessitated the buying of second hand clothing from Western countries.

The new government elected in the mid 90s has revived and returned awareness of Ghanaian pride and collective identity. This analysis will focus on the government’s creation of National Wear Friday, an initiative where people are encouraged to wear national dress as an emblematic expression and an outlet to invigorate the local textile industry.