Ohorokova: The African attire born out of protest 

How much do you know about the African country Namibia? Well, for starters it is the confluence of Namib and Kalahari Desert, not to forget that it has some of world’s largest conservation sites including Etosha National Park and Fish River Canyon Park. It is also home of the indigenous Herero tribe. Well, women of this tribe wear a long and vibrant traditional dress called Ohorokova. The top part is A-lined, with colourful patterns, while the bottom part looks like a wide and structured skirt. The attire becomes complete only when a cow’s horn-shaped hat is worn. Interesting, isn’t it? 

Now, all attire tells a story. But Ohorokova does more than that. It symbolises a century-old tale of genocide, oppression, resilience, revolution and finally redemption of the Herero tribe.  
Herero women were originally bare-breasted 
Yes, that’s right. Until the 1900s, when the wives of German missionaries and colonialists introduced a Victorian style of dress in Namibia, the women of the Herero tribe chose to remain bare-breasted. Occasionally, they dressed up in front and back leather aprons made from the skins of sheep and goat they hunted for food. These aprons were best known for their ostrich shell-embellished overskirts and metallic beadwork. They were further accessorised by carved-horn cuffs made of brass and copper and worn on the wrists and ankles.  

Subverting the Victorian style of dressing  
Influenced by the German wives and realising the need to cover themselves up, the Herero women started wearing loosely-fitted Victorian gowns as a daily wear around 1904. They even welcomed the German women as their sisters and were trying to co-exist in harmony. However, the German dictators were on a warpath and wanted to exterminate the entire tribe of Herero. Their evil intention was to acquire all their lands and wealth. 

Thus began the Herero-German war and within a brief period, more than 80 per cent of Herero people were killed. This made the remaining Herero women both angry and upset and they started rejecting the German way of dressing. In fact, as a sign of protest, they only retained the essence of the European dress but entirely subverted it, making it their own.  

Guess what they did? They replaced the loosely-fitted one-piece gown and converted into a two-piece attire, body-hugging bodice paired with a full, floor-length petticoat minus any adornments. Moreover, the sleeves were made extra puffed to offend the Europeans. They also Victorian hats with horn-shaped hats that resembled the shape of cattle horns (thus honouring their cattle breeding roots), thus completing their look. They started calling it Ohorokova, an African term for resilience.  

 
Ohorokova and its cultural significance 
Till date, Ohorokova exists as a cultural reminder of German colonial brutality and represents the proud and unique identity of Herero women. It also symbolises the memory of tribal and national rebuilding in the post-colonial times. The attire continues to be a sign of revolt and a traditional fashion staple of the Herero women. But nowadays, it is customised to the taste of the wearer and is mainly worn during weddings and funerals or other occasions that honour their ancestors.