‘Kafa ulaya’ or The clothes of dead white people- That is the translation for a local Nigerian word for the secondhand clothing that finds its way in to the country. It is a commentary of the amount of used clothing entering Nigeria and other parts of Africa and Asia from the United States and Europe. The clothing took the journey after the former American or European owner dropped into a collection bin. (If you live in the U.S., you have likely seen one at a gas station or parking lot.) The owner, making the decision not to throw the item way, likely thought it would be donated to a loving home. Instead, it could, if lucky, end up sold on the secondhand market or in a dump. Basically, the exact end the person tried to avoid.
The president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has moved to stop the flow of such clothes into his country. With a ban effective September 1, 2023, there will no longer be any imports of secondhand clothing. The thought is the secondhand market has stifled the country’s own textile industry. However, locals are saying the ban would cause financial strain. Those who make a living from selling secondhand clothes fear they would be unable to make living. Others complain they would be unable to afford new clothing with the current state of the economy.
When I looked in the secondhand market in Nigeria, I noticed similar concerns as those shared by the president and the local people. From a far, I can see both sides of those issues and the commentary on my clothing consumption.
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