African women urged to portray culture through dressing

Madam Louisa Atta Akpoto, the Chief Executive Officer of Divine Torch Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has called on African women to prioritise showcasing their culture through good African dressing ethics, rather than emulating social media lifestyles.

Madam Akpoto said most social media lifestyles were fake and could not be replicated in real-life activities.

She said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Ada at the commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD), emphasising that women should not copy what they see on social media, to avoid putting pressure on young girls to live extravagant lifestyles.

She stated that wearing shorter, transparent outfits that exposed intimate parts of the body was not an African culture, saying, “the beauty of a woman must always be hidden in the dress for one’s lover to unveil, instead of always being on display for the public to see.

She warned that living fake lives often led young girls into stealing, prostitution, and other socially unacceptable behaviours, which was detrimental to the development of human resources in African society.

Madam Akpoto said African dresses were meant for Africans and must be cherished and worn by the indigenous people and passed on to future generations.

She appealed to the Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ministry to support chiefs to come out with traditional laws for their communities to promote proper dressing ethics.

She also advocated for regulations to protect children from staying out late at funeral programmes and other entertainment events, observing that some girls were often seen at such late-night events, which could lead to teenage pregnancies or the contraction of Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV.

Madam Akpoto expressed optimism that by promoting proper dressing ethics, girls would be nurtured in the African way of living, thereby protecting their cultural practices for generations to come.

She also cautioned young girls to be discerning when selecting role models, emphasising the need for positive and lasting influences, because some of them often blindly followed people whose lifestyles unfortunately, impacted them negatively, leading to dire consequences for their future.

Madam Akpoto stressed that using marital status and fame of women as qualifications for role models were not enough, citing examples of some popular personalities whose lifestyles, including their dressing, language, and social behaviours, had

“They prioritise their appearance and dressing style over attitude,” she indicated, explaining that some married individuals led lifestyles that discouraged singles from getting married, while others failed to

However, there were unmarried women who could also be looked up to as role models due to their virtues and lifestyle, she said and encouraged the youth to be circumspect in creating human idols for themselves

Divine Torch Foundation is a women and menstrual hygiene advocacy organization

Source: GNA