How a ‘Busuuti’ Became Uganda’s Sartorial Symbol of Identity

We spend so much time lauding the fashionable attributes of other cultures, we so often forget our own. Fashion and dressing are a distinct hallmark of any civilization, a way of saying “oh I know those people-they wear this.” You see a checkered skirt or kilt and your brain instantly says, “Scotland”. You see a silk kimono with delicate embroidery and your mind runs to the east. You see a Gomesi, and without fail every pore of your being is reminded of Ugandan traditional revelry.

Uganda is a melting pot of tribal diversity, and with that automatically comes various traditional attires. Between me and you though, no garment or traditional design has weaseled its way in the hearts of Ugandans like the Gomesi has. And I’m going to tell you why.

The gomesi is a floor-length dress with pointy shoulders and a loosely tied waist sash worn by women, traditionally of the Buganda and Busoga tribe. (Everyone wears it today though. Everyone.)The gomesi also goes by the name busuuti but you already knew that, right? (glares) It’s colorful. It’s elegant. It’s vibrant. It’s timeless. The gomesi is more or less the national uniform for Ugandan women. This is a really good pun once you understand the origin of the country’s favorite go to ceremonial outfit.

Let’s take a trip through time back a few decades. It’s 1905. A Goan (person from Goa) named Anton Gloria Gomes decided to pack his things and move to Uganda for some reason. He set up his little tailoring shack which attracted the attention of a one Miss Alfreda Allen. Short of being the then headmistress of Gayaza High School, she wasn’t that important.

She reached to Anton. “Hey, Anton, do you mind whipping up a school uniform for my girls?” and Anton replied ‘Sure m’aam, do you have anything in mind?’

Allen offered, “Yep. Yep. I’d like them to wear their standard traditional cloth; the Suuka, but make it out of cotton instead of bark-cloth.”

Anton replied, “I gatchue fam.”

Okay so it didn’t play out word for word like that, but you get the gist. The very first draft for our modern day gomesi was drawn. Except there was one problem. The cloth kept unravelling whenever the girls had to do manual labor. Being the genius fashion designer that Anton was, he decided to design a yoke to drape across the Suuka. It retained its traditional and cultural quintessence, and adopted an additional creative and useful element. Aton’s younger brother Caetano Milagres Gomes used this as the basis to craft the final ultimate dress. It borrowed from Buganda, Edwardian, Victorian and even Goan/ Indian cultures (The sari).The Gomesi was born.

So how did a school uniform gain such popularity across Uganda that even your mom wears one you ask? The short version is a queen wore it and humans are suckers for royalty.

The long version is that a King of Buganda, Kabaka Daudi Chwa II to be more specific was looking for a wife. He went looking at Gayaza High school and chanced upon Lady Irene Druscilla Namaganda in her dazzlingly stylish school uniform and the two were soon to be wed. I think. Caetano Milagres Gomes designed for her a dress to attend the king’s coronation basing on his older brother’s designs as well as Irene’s input. People saw it, people loved it. (Although I have a stinking suspicion that people would have loved anything she wore regardless.)

That’s the story. No points for guessing why the dress is called a Gomesi. Seriously. If you’re still wondering I worry deeply for you.

So the outfit went through a couple of tweaks here and there but the core is still the same. The gomesi will forever remain a fashionable statement, an indelible mark left on our cultural scene by the Gomes brothers.

If you want one for a special occasion, it’s as easy as finding a shop in Kampala’s city centers and arcades. I recommend choosing your own fabric and trusted tailor though.

The only rule of thumb when wearing a gomesi is to be as graceful as possible. There is sentimental value imbued in the design and it should be treated as such.

The gomesi has its male counterpart – the Kanzu. Hang around long enough and I’ll tell you what that’s all about as well!

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