latest from lilongwe: women wearing trousers are being stripped in the street.

http://www.malawivoice.com/latest-news/breaking-news-vendors-undressing-ladies-in-trousers-and-mini-skirts/



vendors (the general term for men in the street/market) have been ripping the closthes off of  'offsensively dressed' women in the streets of the capital city, protesting that the apprearance of trouser-clad women is disrespectful to men.


strict laws governing malawian people's wardrobe choices were adopted during the dictatorship of Kamuzu Banda, the first president of malawi. women were not allowed to wear pants at all and men's trousers were regulated by width ( ie. nothing tight and no bellbottoms). the state-mandated dress codes were repealed only as recently as 1993. now people can wear whatever they want, but certain clothing choices are still viewed as less-than-acceptable.


 it's considered provocative for a woman to expose thigh in public. but somehow, this perceived indecency of shorts and mini-skirts is hard to swallow, especially in a culture where its perfectly normal for a mother to unbutton her blouse and breast-feed in public.


i haven't personally seen any strippings, but i do know that i get more cat calls when i wear pants, i never wear shorts out of the back yard,  and most women in the street wear a chitenji wrapped over their skirt or pants. even in the office, female colleagues cover-up with chitenjis before they go outside to eat lunch with the men.


malawi, you've got a long way to go