Casual Friday....

In the US and elsewhere, Friday (especially in the summertime) means casual attire or 'Casual Friday'. In the African continent, this takes on a slightly different meaning as Friday means 'African Attire'. And thus, my colleague, Marianne, the daughter of a prominent Govt official, decided to take me to her tailor to have some proper African clothes made up. After reviewing several magazines and fabrics, Mahmoud (the tailor) came up with this gem of an outfit for me.

The top or shirt goes down to about mid-calf, and has some ornate details on the front, French cuffs, and yes, a lion on the back. The lion is considered a fairly regal animal here in Sierra Leone as it appears on the country's crest / national emblem. As many of you know, my name also means lion, and thus, I am now known as "Lion" throughout the Statehouse when I wear this shirt. It confuses the security woman who calls me "Mr. Tony", so she now calls me "Mr. Tony Lion". (Clever eh?)

I must say these clothes are extremely comfortable, although sitting down is a bit difficult as you have to hitch up the shirt every time. I've also got my shirt caught on a few loose nails popping out of the walls a couple of times and have been lucky not to rip anything.

But all (or at least a vocal few) seem to admire me for wearing it. As they say, victory favours the bold and the Sierra Leoneans do seem to genuinely appreciate when you embrace their culture and traditions. In fact, the President's main body guard was yelling at my driver this morning for where he parked as he was dropping me off. (The President was about to come out of the door that our car was blocking) But then I stepped out of the car in my baby blue gown and the dude (a former member of the rebels, the RUF) started smiling and clapping. A couple of fist bumps later and suddenly, he wasn't so angry at where we were parked...

And yes, I finally shaved my head again and got rid of the hair... after all its 90 degrees here and 100% humidity and every little bit of air flow helps cool you down...