Holiday in Nigeria
The Easter holidays spent in Nigeria were indeed refreshing.I started writing again whilst enjoying the rare company of family and friends.Whilst there,the idea to sew or purchase African inspired prints dawned upon me.Purchased the material from a local market and found a tailor willing to do the job for a relatively cheap price.The joyous thing I found about making this shirt and shorts,was the personal process and motive behind it all.No matter how far we go from the shores of our motherland,home would always be home. Shockingly I had never felt the need to identify myself with Nigerian culture very much till this holiday.I purchased a hand made talking drum, from a crasftman and quickly became acquainted with it.
The first look has a more mature and conservative look to it with the sweater hanging round the neck,finished with the black tassel loafers.Wearing prints well could definitely be tricky but pairing them up with staple colours that accentuate the beauty of the prints would rarely fail you.
Listening to Mykonos by Fleet Foxes
The Talking drum…
The talking drum or tama is a West - African drum with an hourglass-shaped body is covered by two skins which are connected by leather strings, which allow the player to tweak it’s pitch by pressing the drum between his arm and body. A skilled player is able to play whole melodies and phrases.Hourglass shaped talking drums are some of the oldest instruments used by West African griots and their history can be traced back to the Ghana Empire.
One of the items I picked up on the trip were this drum and I’ve grown fond of it ever since.Embracing my culture is something I’m hoping to pick on as I grow older.
The sun is out but the weather’s still chilly so why not long sleeve tops and shorts?The prints having a soil brown and slight red look to them,I paired them up with brown shorts to ease the pressure of the prints.It’s advisable not to look too busy nor too lackadaisical when pairing patterns and colours together.The red and white striped espadrilles calm and give a summer feel to the look.Plainer shoes would have bored the outfit as the colours are pretty conservative but red and white liven the look,I’m still young and willing to explore the zany.
Finally,what you wear is always an extension of who you truly are.African prints reflect an aspect of my heritage,pairing them up together or with Western staple clothing,they reveal a facet of who I truly am. Despite the pressure of trends and fads, stay true to your aesthetics,you’d only look better.
Much Love.
