As Liberia seeks to rebrand its culture and tradition in different ways, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bolahum Junction Business Center on Camp Johnson Road has underscored the need to promote Liberian traditional country cloth suits at government ministries and agencies during work time.
Momo K. Boima stated that the promotion of the Liberian country cloth suits, being use two times a week at government ministries and agencies as an official attire, will go a long way to enhance the appreciation of made-in-Liberia products among the citizenry.
Boima made the observation over the weekend. The making and designing Liberian traditional clothing has been passed down to him as family’s heritage.
According to him, the sewing of Liberian traditional country suits and gowns for several Liberian Presidents and government officials has been intended to promote the image of the country through culture and tradition at home and abroad—from the 1970s up to the current. He said this needs to be strengthened to empower the next generation.
Boima asserted that patronizing and promoting Liberian traditional country cloth suits as one of the official dress code in government ministries and agencies will encourage young Liberians to get involved in the clothing industry.
According to him, the country cloth industry has been in existence for several centuries, and it is the traditional way of clothing the people used before Western clothing started coming to Liberia, but this should not mean that Liberians should abandon their traditional heritage which had been passed to from one generation to another. He observed that the country cloth tradition is under threat with this generation of Liberians, who are disregarding the tradition and culture of their forefathers.
He noted that if measures are not put in place to preserve, protect and promote the wearing of Liberian country cloth suit or shirt to cause the younger people to get attracted to wearing Liberian tradition country cloth clothing, it will undermine the heritage of the cloth industry in the near future.
Boima said Liberians should be identified traditionally by a symbol which is unique to Liberia on the Continent of Africa, “and Liberia’s country cloth is unique to us, and it should be embraced by every Liberian”.
