Is leteisi the most beautiful feminine traditional garment?
Spira Tlhankane | Friday February 24, 2017 17:22
Wearing traditional attire is one of the best ways to embrace culture and heritage and most importantly celebrate the beauty of one’s country.
In countries like India, they have the sari and it is one of the world’s most beautiful traditional garments. It can be adorned in many different ways. The sari rules all of the Indian society, from simple cotton versions that are woven in the street throughout the villages of India.
The debate as to whether leteisi is our traditional dress is never ending but the roots of German print dates back to the 1800s when German immigrants introduced the locals to the fabric when they visited Southern Africa. The latter adopted the fabric to make dresses and skirts until today.
In Southern African countries like Lesotho, they have a printed dyed fabric similar to leteisi and they call it Seshweshwe. Batswana’s leteisi has become more synonymous with every cultural gathering and it is easy to know why.
From weddings to fashion shows, leteisi also known, as jeremane has become the most stylish and alluring among traditional garment choices that exist today in Botswana. The trend has been changed now and many designers in Botswana are adopting different styles and designs of Leteisi. They are enlivening the traditions of the old jeremane that was worn by elderly women at kgotla meetings and funerals.
By exposing few regions, the traditional jeremane is able to express both the sensuality of a woman’s body as well as respect because it properly covers most parts of the woman’s body.
While young women don’t like long dresses that cover the legs all the way down, designers have found a way to keep everyone happy with shorts and mini skirts made from the German print. Events like SOTS attract mostly the youth and we can’t deny that leteisi is the ultimate garb that heightens the beauty of women more than any other traditional outfit.
We are growing tired of seeing women in shorts and high heels everyday but these cultural events provide an opportunity for young women to express their sensuality at the same time honor their culture by incorporating customs and traditions. Tailors these days don’t just make jeremane for elderly women but the youth are also benefiting because designers are creative enough to create stunning contemporary styles that rules the catwalk at fashion shows.
As much as every aspect of culture like language plays a vital part in any cultural event, clothing has a very specific purpose or meaning. While Indians have their sarees, jeremane is now a symbol of status, originality and commitment to Botswana’s tribal roots.
Women love this traditional apparel but men don’t want to be left behind. As seen in traditional attires during weddings, designers are coating men’s shirts, shoes and pants with leteisi fabric and it is now engraved in our culture. The sight of a perfectly designed leteisi outfit holds an unfathomable visual enchantment on any on-looker.
With this fabric now available in different styles we can now wear something that we are proud of. Besides the style, the different colours that come with leteisi represent our beliefs and way of life.
In any case, choosing what to wear to an outing can be stressful but for those who have a collection of the German print, the task is easier because whatever choice will always flatter you. Wearing jeremane to a wedding or any other social event gives any woman fulfillment because it is a graceful dress.
Whereas the sight of jeremane worn by Bakwena’s Matsosangwao women during Dithubaruba festival will demand immediate respect and humility, leteisi garments worn by the youth at SOTS speaks versatility and style. Combined by the power of leteisi, these different generations are able to unwrap a lot of character hidden within its many folds. With this old garment, Batswana have now chosen a fabric that has significant meaning to their culture.