What Not to Wear (or rather what you should wear)

Carrying school books in the kanga.


Typical clothing worn by the villagers in most rural communities in Kenya.










We here in the West are used to having freedom of individuality (by that I mean freedom of speech and freedom to choose the style of clothing we wish to wear). But not all cultures exercise these types of freedom. When travelling and working abroad, it is very important to show your respect of the host countries and communities by dressing appropriately and practicing cultural norms, especially if you are planning on living and assimilating in the communities.

Women and girls in rural African communities wear skirts or dresses, never pants or shorts. So if you are working in a rural area bring skirts or wraps. You can also purchase a "kanga", a brightly coloured rectangular piece of fabric that is adorned with a political or religious slogan. The Kenyan women even wrap kangas around their regular dresses. Ronnie purchased two kangas for me, one which I wrapped around my wasit and the other, which is traditionally used to carry babies, young children or even supplies on the back. I'm sure that I looked quite amusing to the school children of Wongonyi Primary School as I ("the mizungu") arrived, kanga on my back carrying books we were donating to the school as you can see in my photo above. Ladies shirts and T-shirts must also have sleeves that come below the shoulder (no sleeveless T's here.)

Men should also be cultural conscious by wearing long pants as very few men in villages ever wear shorts. And short sleeve T-shirts or cotton shirts are the norm (no muscle man shirts please).

As far as footwear goes, most people in rural areas wear sandals or flip-flops, but take note that you'll do lots of walking in Kenya as most roads and paths are of dusty red soil, often uneven. If you are working in the hilly countryside like we are, paths can be narrow, stony and with lots of ups and downs, so you are advised to take sturdy shoes, your feet will thank you!

Finally, Richard Roth, a professor from Red Derr College with many years experience working in Kenya recommends that you do not bring camouflage patterned garments as he says the Kenyan government doesn't appreciate this clothing being worn by visitors.

Remember that we cannot impose our clothing norms on the countries and communities in which we are a guest. We must respect the culture we are visiting, so take appropriate clothing with you or purchase kangas or traditional clothing from local seamstresses in the village, you'll be accepted more readily if you do.