Zulu Fashion Show Rocks

Fashion hit Mountain High Hospital like a torrential rain that drenched the patients, staff and community with showers of blessings. Like all experiences in uncharted waters, the fashion show had moments of uncertainty and worry but the purpose was to provide entertainment for patients for an hour or so, take their minds off their illnesses and highlight the Zulu beading teacher that had been our guest for the last two weeks. Even a bad, poorly attended fashion show would be better than none! The Zulu fashion show took a life of its own-a better description would be that the Community Grabbed the Diversion and turned it into a Big Event utilizing their ingenuity, expression and creativity. To kick off the Fashion Week, advertisements were posted around the valley and the hospital inviting everyone to come to the Mountain View Fashion Show and promised Zulu Fashions, Music and Refreshments.

All fashion shows must have a rehearsal so the day before the volunteer models gathered to learn how to walk, turn, and display their outfits. The rehearsal was a lot of fun as the Step, Step, Step, Turn, Smile, Turn were demonstrated. The AIDS Counselor was recruited as the announcer and she jumped into the roll with ease and grace. The list of models and outfits was prepared with a jaunty description of where the model might be heading in their special outfit. “Here is Sipho in his orange and green hand painted shirt headed for a night on the town in Newcastle. What a gorgeous guy.” The models included 6 patients, 3 nursing staff and one office worker. They giggled as they practiced their steps, turns and hand motions. The models were instructed to make sure they were gorgeous for the big show.

The morning of the fashion show tables were set up to display the handwork done by the patients and staff and post banners with turquoise birds announcing the show. No event in Zululand is complete without blasting rock music so by 1030am the hospital was rocking. Slowly the patients, residents of the valley and nursing staff began trickling into the chapel rocking in time to the music, many in traditional Zulu dress or other African garb. The trickle turned into a torrent as the chapel filled with people looking to have a good time. I quietly suggested to the announcer that she should turn down the music and signal the models to move to the rear for the show. Instead the rhythm of the event escalated and more people arrived boogying down the aisle (including officials from the church sponsoring the hospital.) After 30 minutes of this entry the announcer called the models to congregate to the rear where I expected the fashion show to begin. Instead the models lined up, the volume of the music cranked up and they each did their dance as they came down the aisle and paraded behind the pulpit in their fabulous Zulu outfits and blue hospital issues. The ten models each had their 15 seconds of fame; then, instead of quietly sitting down, they repeated the parade. The audience began cheering as the dance routines became more and more intricate and expressive. The announcer just smiled and enjoyed the spontaneous expression of art and creativity. After the models finally finished the hospital domestic employees in their pink uniforms went to the rear, made signals to each other and began prancing down the aisle dancing Zulu style with perfect foot rhyme, bumps, jerks and a big smile. The shy nursing students decided it was their turn and they gathered in the rear to practice their gig and come down the aisle in partners jiving to the music. Soon it was time for the head nurse, director’s wife and church official to do their stuff which was pretty good for management but did not match the domestics for enthusiasm and art. Individuals in Zulu dress began to steal the show but the highlight of the parade was the domestic in pink uniform coupled with a nurse in Zulu attire bumping as they swayed down the aisle.

After an hour of this amazing spontaneous expression of the joy for living, the music went down and Monki, the Zulu beading teacher, danced to the front and told her life story, speaking boldly about beauty and faith conquering despair and withdrawal. After her talk the floor opened up to individual artistic contributions as a chaplain trainee performed a dance about the great race of faith, two staff members sang solos (one was rendition of Rock of Ages using only the three words), a boys choir appeared from the school next door and sang Zulu melodies, church officials gave a blessing on the gathering and Monki was thanked for her extraordinary contribution.

The fashion show was held on a very warm day in KwaZuluNatal and after two hours of dancing and cheering the performers, the crowd was thirsty. As many things in Africa, the water supply dried up that morning and cups were nowhere to be found to make tea for that huge crowd. As spontaneous as the gathering occurred, money for purchasing canned soft drinks also appeared and the crowd finished their day of fashion with homemade biscuits, tarts, nobake cookies and drinks. It may have not met the standards of Strowbridge Junior High School, circa 1961, but the small attempt to entertain the patient population turned into a wonderful outpouring of local culture and articulated the need for celebrations and joy in this place. The residents know how to put on a show. They only need a forum. Big learning day for Peace Corps Volunteers!