By Salomey Ansah
Gone are the days when almost everyone thought the smock was for only indigenous people of the then three administrative regions of the North, now demarcated into five. Today, Ghanaians of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds patronise and adorn themselves in the prestigious traditional apparel of northern origin.
The Ghanaian smock is a distinctive and prestigious traditional attire for people of northern Ghana. It is usually made into the shape of “dondo” or a drum, also the local traditional musical instruments of the Dagombas.
The attire has its two ends broader with trimmer middle which when stitched together makes a beautiful outfit. History has it that SMOCK was introduced into Dagbon during the reign of then King, Ya -Naa Zangina. Its preference and patronage has now gone beyond the ethnic groups of northern Ghana extraction as it is currently widely worn even beyond Ghana into west Africa.
Smock has evolved from royal wear on communal occasions to casual and formal wear to suit many different occasions’ smock has a fascinating colour stripe arranged in rhythmic order. The beauty of smocks is seen when men engage in the “damba “dance with the edges of the dress whirling. As intriguing as it may seem, the wearing of smocks has finally caught up with the country.
This makes individuals highly value and cherish owning a piece which comes in various designs and colours. I caught up with a popular smock maker, Abdul Razak, to enquire why the story has changed.
Mr. Razak also said one unique characteristic about smock is that it is unisex.
I then sampled the views of some lovers of the attire about what attracts them to wear the smock.
As Ghana’s public broadcaster, the GBC, sets aside this month of March to promote Ghanaian culture, tradition, norms and values, why not take advantage to give the Smock a try and I bet you, you will never regret it.
