President Mahama at the United Nations
President John Dramani Mahama has waded into the recent online uproar between Ghana and Zambia concerning the outfit he wore during his three-day state visit to Zambia, where he is engaging in high-level diplomatic meetings and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
According to him, he is amazed by Zambian nationals calling his Fugu “blouse”, saying, “I took the smock to the United Nations, the highest platform in the world. I’m surprised that Zambians didn’t notice it until I visited Zambia.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Joy News, President Mahama indicated that Fugu is part of the Ghanaian culture, and is worn by kings, royalty, and warriors.
“The smock represents a lot of things in our culture. Significantly, on the day Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence, declared independence, our President, Kwame Nkrumah, wore a smock. He and all the freedom fighters wore smock. So, smock has become an integral part of our cultural identity.”
President Mahama indicated that the smock weavers in Ghana are happy because, through social media, he has given them branding and marketing they couldn’t have dreamed of, adding, “I’m sure that by the time I leave here, the number of searches for Fugu (not FUBU), butter, curry, and smock will be quite high.”
President Mahama reiterated his keen interest in promoting the local garment industry, stating that, “And so all my clothes are made in Ghana; they are designed by Ghanaian designers. All these Safari suits and things I wear are sewn by local designers, and that’s what I wear every day, you know, to work, to official functions.”
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke