Folk dresses of West Africa|Traditional dresses of West Africa

Folk Dress of West Africa:

Some of the Famous Folk dresses are listed below according to its Native places.,

Liberia:

 In urban areas Liberians are more likely to dress in typical Western style dress (jeans and t-shirts), while in more rural areas Liberians wear more traditional West African attire. Traditionally men wear short or long pants with a loose round-neck shirt. Women traditionally will wear a long wrap skirt called “lappa” and loose top called “bubba”. They may also wear a head wrap. West African clothes are famous for their brightly colored and patterned fabrics.

Mali:

The rich culture of the country and the temperament of the people are reflected through Mali clothing. There is a distinct feature of these clothes. All the people of Mali, belonging to the different tribal community and ethnic groups wear colorful and vibrant clothes. The lively people of the country like to dress up in different types of colorful costumes and jewelries. According to them dressing properly is an art, which also reflects the attitude of every individual.  

Mali clothing has some unique features. For example, in spite of being a Muslim country, the women of Mali do not wear veil. On the contrary, shorts are not considered as decent clothing and are avoided by adults. Silk is a very common material for making clothes. Mali women wear different types of turban to match their dresses. Skirts, tops, long dresses and all are the common women wears. Whereas men prefer wearing loose pants and shirts.

Nigeria:

The ethnic diversity of Nigeria is reflected well in its clothing culture. Learn about the various types of Nigerian clothing for men and women.   
Nigerian dresses for women include buba, kaba, iro, gele and iborun or ipele. Here is what they are used for:
 Buba is a loose blouse that reaches down a little below the waist. Kaba is basically a single-piece dress, which can have different styles.

Iro is the bottom part of clothing, which is a rectangular piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist Gele is a headgear. It is a rectangular piece of cloth that be tied in different ways to give different looks.

Iborun or ipele is a scarf that is either tied around the neck or just can be put diagonally across the body.

Nigerian dresses for men include buba, fila, sokoto, abeti-aja and agbada. Their details are as follows:

Buba is a loose shirt that goes down till halfway down the thighs.

Fila is a traditional cap.

Sokoto is the pant or trouser, which covers the lower part of the body.

Abeti-aja is another type of cap, which has longer sides.

Agbada is a festive clothing comprising buba and sokoto.