Together one is less alone

The Herero are a minority in their home countries and thus the dress also serves as a sign of Herero identity and group solidarity.

Wearing the dress creates heterogeneity within the group and serves as a uniform of culture.[Durham 1999, 392] It helps them recognize their fellow Herero, and thus it is the women’s role to represent their whole ethnic group. This itself creates a Herero consciousness among Herero women, which means that their membership in the Herero ethnic group is an omnipresent fact.[Hendrickson 1994, p 34]

Herero women enjoy wearing the dress because it underlines the importance of women in the Herero society as bearers of tradition and cultural meaning. According to Jim Naughten, photographer of the Herero photo series used for this project, “Herero Women are extremely proud of their dresses and love showing them off.” Herero men, in contrast, mostly wear ‘normal’ European-style clothing [Ibid] . By being the ones representing the Herero and their values through obvious clothing, the women are thus the basis for solidarity and continuity among the Herero.

Wearing the ‘Long Dress’ empowers Herero women by giving them an important role: to represent and keep together their fellow Herero. It also symbolizes strength and cultural meaning and plays a specific role in their lives and appearance.