00:01Why is there a Fugu Wednesday in Ghana?
00:04Fugu has been made as a national day,
00:08and it has been asked that everybody wears fugu on Wednesday.
00:12And then people think that it looks like a blouse.
00:15No, fugu is not a blouse.
00:17To understand Fugu Wednesdays,
00:19we have to go back to a moment the internet turned to a joke.
00:23A moment that sparked a bigger conversation about identity,
00:26style and what it means to be Ghanaian today.
00:31It is a traditional outfit or attire
00:34that is mainly worn by the people in the northern regions of Ghana.
00:39So from Upper East to Upper West to Northern region,
00:41and all the northern cultures wear this fugu
00:45that the Zambians confuse for a blouse.
00:47But it is a male dress,
00:49and it is sewn in such a way that it makes you feel like a royal.
00:53So if culture is a way of our life,
00:56why is fugu not part of our daily lives?
00:58The garment at the center of it all is the fugu,
01:02also known as patakari.
01:04Worn for generations in northern Ghana,
01:06it is loose, hand-woven, and deeply rooted in identity.
01:11It gives us a sense of belonging.
01:13If I see a brother from the north,
01:15we wear the same clothing so the person becomes my brother.
01:19Then came the moment that changed everything.
01:22When President John Jomani Mahama wore a fugu during a visit to Zambia,
01:26the internet reacted.
01:28Some people laughed.
01:29They called it a blouse.
01:31It was kind of funny.
01:32And also, it's made me realize how ignorant people are about cultures across borders in Africa.
01:39But the jokes revealed something deeper.
01:41Why does a suit and a tie feel normal everywhere,
01:45but traditional African clothing feels out of place?
01:48Is it about culture or perception?
01:51I don't think people would question if President Mahama wore a suit at all
01:54because we are all accustomed to a Western look and we've accepted it.
01:58What we do not know is our own culture
02:00and how people look in their countries or in their tribes or tradition.
02:05For designers like Mubarika Awudu, the conversation didn't stop there
02:09because sometimes it's not about culture.
02:12It's about how it's presented.
02:14Fugu cannot be designed in any way.
02:16It has a particular way and a pattern that it looks like
02:20that gives it the authenticity,
02:22that gives it the originality of where it's coming from.
02:26But this is a standard one and this is hand-stitched
02:29and it's stitched in such a way that it fits a lot of the people.
02:32So if you're small, it's goddess.
02:35If you're big, it's open up to suits to adjust into your body.
02:38And it usually goes with a hat.
02:40Usually the chiefs or the kings will wear it this way.
02:43So if you're going to see a chief, you can either take it back this way
02:47or you can put it on the side.
02:50This shows a sign of respect to who you're going to see.
02:54But if you're with your peers and then you're the leader of the group,
02:57you wear it this way.
02:58As a designer, the reimagination for fugu for women is endless.
03:02As if someone is going to get married, the person wants to wear a fugu.
03:06You can wear a full fugu look that is cosmopolitan,
03:10but identity as you, as from the north,
03:12wearing it for your ceremony.
03:14Either it is a naming ceremony, whether it is a marriage ceremony,
03:17to identify yourself as this is where I'm from.
03:21But how do young people actually feel about it?
03:24To understand the shift, we took the question to the street.
03:28I think African leaders should wear their traditional atta
03:32because it is going to help promote Africa and then their culture.
03:37Smoke is all weather.
03:39Whether you are going to feel party or any occasion, you can wear smoke.
03:44I think the youth of today do not know their culture.
03:48There should be a deliberate attempt to teach them into knowing
03:53or embracing the culture that our forefathers have left behind
03:58because we are losing the touch and the feel of culture as a matter of fact.
04:03Osajifo, 70 years ago, wore this to declare the independence of Ghana.
04:09And this is a cultural heritage.
04:10We love it and we will continue to rock it.
04:13But in Ghana, the response was different.
04:16Instead of rejecting the moment, people reclaimed it.
04:21Inasmuch as Ghanais are hospitable,
04:23but we also have a very strong sense of culture and identity.
04:26So we wanted to own what it is that belongs to us
04:29and showcase it to the world and also educate them about
04:33what the atta was and what it represented.
04:37And it also brought about a broader conversation about
04:39what other people wear across borders.
04:42So if the Zambians call it a blouse, we start to wear it more.
04:45And just like that, a new trend began.
04:49Fugu Wednesdays.
04:50A day where people show up to work, to school,
04:53places wearing their culture with pride.
04:56So every Wednesday, when I see people wear fugu or when I wear fugu,
05:00I feel very, very proud because people who wouldn't wear fugu on a normal day
05:04are compelled to wear fugu.
05:06And people are even asking what fabrics mean.
05:08So like there's a lot of education about even the identities of the fugu,
05:13how it is made and all of that.
05:15All of this has come in the spotlight and that we are enjoying it.
05:19An ill-fitted fugu can lose its power, but a well-crafted one changes everything.
05:23If you go back north, the youth were not interested in this fugu at all.
05:28But now because of the virus and people are following the trend,
05:31there's a vibe where people are now encouraging their children to go into fugu making
05:35because now there's this demand of fugu.
05:38Economically, it's also increasing the sustenance of the people in our communities.
05:44In the digital world, culture may be mocked.
05:47What started as a joke became a question, then a conversation,
05:51and now a movement.
05:53And on every Wednesday, fugu makes that statement.
05:56it's all right.
05:56And that's it.
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