UG@60: Uganda gave the world ‘gomesi’

The gomesi, also known as busuuti, is a traditional dress of the Baganda, a tribe in central Uganda. Some call it boodingi, a name which has to do with its origin in a boarding school in the early 19th century.

 History of ‘gomesi’ 

The gomesi in the shape and form that it appears today has its beginning in Gayaza High School in the present-day Wakiso district. 

When the girls' school opened in 1905, the students who were mainly daughters of Buganda chiefs wore suuka as a uniform. 

 Pictures from the early days of Gayaza High School have girls in the ankle-length piece of material that covered the body from slightly above the bust, leaving the shoulders bare.

 The material was fastened at the waist by a strip of cloth. The attire had evolved from a version of it made from barkcloth that had been replaced with the more lasting fabric introduced by the Arabs and missionaries in the mid to late 19th century.

 A problem soon arose at Gayaza, when it was observed that the suukas would loosen around the bust whenever the girls engaged in strenuous activity, such as chores, exposing their bosoms to the consternation of the missionaries.

 "A story is told that Miss Alfreda Allen, the first headteacher asked a Goan tailor to make the school's first school uniform," says Felista Mukasa, a retired teacher. 

 The headteacher wanted the suuka modified to preserve the modesty of the girls so, to it, Caetano Milagres Gomes added a yoke and high rectangular sleeves in 1905. This gave birth to what we know today as the gomesi (named after its creator). 

Because Gayaza High School was a boarding school, the school uniform soon earned the tag bboodingi and the attire made its way into popular culture.

 Gomes simply improved the suuka by drawing ideas from Goa, a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. The modified suuka became the new decent girls’ school uniform. It is from it that the design spread and became popular in Buganda and later Uganda. 

 According to 86-year-old Maria Goretti Nakatudde, Baganda women back in the 19th century wore barkcloth and then graduated to what was called the suuka with the coming of the Arabs and then the missionaries.

With the advent of the cotton era, the suuka was modified to give birth to the gomesi. This regal outfit has been adopted by almost all regions of the country and is widely worn by women in Uganda.

Once fully claimed as a kiganda traditional dress, the gomesi has morphed into a Ugandan trademark and women from north to south, east to west, have made permanent room for it in their wardrobes.

The gomesi has also acted as a national costume of Uganda at international events, such as the Commonwealth Games.

 Apart from uniting women of different shapes and shades, it has become a dress for all seasons. From official functions to social, religious, cultural and casual daily chores. It is worn for happy or sad events, mourning and celebration, as well as by the young and the old.

 Transition

The outfit was incorporated into society and worn widely. This amazing ensemble became more than just an outfit. It was used in cultural practices.

 “Traditionally, a father is supposed to buy his daughter one when she starts her menstruation periods, to symbolise the passing into womanhood. It is to be delivered along with a wide sheet-like undergarment (kikoyi) and a sash (kitambala) and the girl is expected to conduct herself with dignity henceforth,” 86-year-old Maria Goretti Nakatudde explains.

During the marriage introduction ceremony, the suitor is supposed to bring this entire package, along with a set of matching jewellery and a clutch bag in a suitcase for his beloved.

 “These are what she will wear when she leaves her father’s home.

The mother of the bride also receives a gomesi from the suitor as an appreciation for raising the bride. 

Married women were supposed to wear the gomesi because it is decent, and even during pregnancy, it was worn because it is wide enough to cover the bump,” she says.

When one is nursing a patient, they are advised to wear it to keep warm from the cold nights because they can pull the flap at the back over the shoulders.

 Fifty-nine-year-old Rose Namale, a gomesi tailor, says it is not bought ready-made, but rather tailored. 

“It is composed of a fabric of six yards, a matching trimming (mudalizo) and two buttons. Regardless of the wearer’s size or height, these measurements fit adequately. We only measure the bust and sleeves then stitch the rest,” she assures.

Getting dressed in this prestigious outfit correctly requires skill because it is styled according to the ceremony.

 At home, when one is going about their daily chores or attending a funeral, last funeral rites and other sombre functions, the fabric is wrapped around the body and the flap is thrown over the sash at the back (kukubila) for ease to manoeuvre.

 At a special occasion like a wedding, introduction ceremony or baptism, the fabric is folded neatly to form pleats at the side, a skill called kuteleza or kuwogola and then fastened with a sash. As such, one cannot walk carelessly in it without tripping. “That is why you have to gather the pleats at the side at the side as you walk,” Namale says.

 The gomesi, also tells the story of Uganda’s hard times. Back in the 1970s, the era of scarcities, it played a double role. In some families, it also acted as a bedsheet at night. A woman would use it during days as a dress and at night use it to cover her children because the family could not afford it or bedsheets were not available. 

 Semakula Katamba, a dealer in fabrics, says light fabrics like satin, nylon or chiffon are popular for the outfit and are usually bought for daily use.

The more expensive ones like velvet or silk are for more classy functions.

 “However, any material can be used to make a gomesi. It can be made in kitenge or even cotton because the style is permanent.

Bridal gomesis and sashes are currently more dramatic with heavy embroidery, beads, stones, glass, sequins, pearls and other embellishments,” he says.

 Nowadays, the style has slightly changed from the short sashes worn in the 1960s and 70s to the long floor-sweeping ones.

 Namale says the sleeves came from rectangular to pointy and are now oversized.

“The big sleeves were popularized by Her Royal Highness the Nabagereka of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda when she was newlywed and appeared in public donning a gomesi with elbow-length sleeves.

 The trend caught on and has been widespread ever since,” Namale says.

Regardless of the change in fashion, style and trends, the gomesi stands supreme for its uniqueness and class. Designers of contemporary attire are also getting inspiration from it.