Tailoring Modernity and Wrapping Tradition: Chitenge [African Print Fabric] Class and Culture in Zambia

Abstract

This study delves into the historical and contemporary significance of African print fabric known as chitenge in Zambian dress practices, critically scrutinizing sartorial choices and developments. We explore and unravel chitenge’s multifaceted meanings for contemporary Zambians, in terms of gender, class, religion, and urbanity vs. rurality through a critical cultural hybridity approach with oral history, ethnographic, and digital qualitative methods. Our research reveals conflicting perceptions—from being labeled as backward to its proud representation as national dress during special occasions, chitenge in Zambia reflects wider global trends of local dress positioned as “traditional” contrasting with Western styles perceived as “modern.” Chitenge is desirable when tailored into Western-style attire customized for individual use, highlighting its role as a sign of conspicuous consumption, instead of its more versatile wrapped form that could be worn in multiple ways, shared, and repurposed into various other uses ranging from a baby carrier to household décor. Beyond our findings, this study also contributes to epistemic justice as one of the first studies on sartorial practices in Zambia by a Zambian scholar.