Saturday, January 22, 2011

Why I wear the Kufi hat


Some folks are curious as to why I and the man shown in the picture wear those odd looking hats. This is a picture of the late Umaru Yar'Adua the former President of Nigeria wearing a crown style kufi. Yes that funny looking hat is called a "kufi". Let me tell you why men like me wear the kufi.

The history and tradition of African clothing is long and intriguing. One item that comes from this lasting culture is the kufi hat. The kufi hat comes from West Africa where men have worn it for years. In West Africa you often see older men wearing a kufi hat every day. It is worn by Christians, Muslims, and African Jews. Many grandfathers and other older men wear a kufi every day to symbolize their status as wise elders, religious people or family patriarchs.

I am like many men of African decent, who remember the struggles of the African in North, Central, and South America wear my kufi as a witness to those struggles. I wear my kufi not sign of protest but rather it is sign of peace and hope for liberation of all oppressed and impoverish people in the world.

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