Some postmodern continent-hopping

Last night, I watched the latest James Bond film, only it wasn’t what you think.

I watched a Chinese-produced copy – dubbed into Chinese from the original English, atrociously subtitled back into English, and sold in downtown Lusaka, Zambia, all before the film’s release date here.

Watching Britain’s beloved hero jabber away in Chinese, straining my mind to understand the hilariously nonsensical English subtitles, sitting in my Lusaka living room, I felt immersed in a wholly postmodern experience.

It isn’t the first of such experiences I’ve had in Zambia.

On Saturday, my housemate Aaron and I spent the afternoon exploring Lusaka’s expansive markets – Kamwala, COMESA, Soweto and City – perusing for new-old clothes and other nick-nacks.

The clothing market in Lusaka, as in the rest of Africa, consists largely of Chinese-produced garments bought by Western consumers, donated or abandoned to second-hand shops like Value Village and the Salvation Army, and ultimately – after even these shops give up trying to sell them – shipped as cargo to one of Africa’s ocean ports, from where they are transported to Lusaka and countless other urban markets across the continent.

It’s why you shouldn’t be surprised to come across Tim Horton’s caps or Oakville Bantam ‘AA’ Hockey jackets (for my Canadian friends) or other obscure Western novelties in the remotest corners of Africa.

For a creative and photo-filled account of the lifespan of various little girls’ dresses, click here. For a great piece of reporting that follows the actual journey of a single blouse – from Leicestershire, England to Chipata, Zambia – click here.

This process hasn’t escaped academic interest. An old professor of mine reviewed Salaula: the world of secondhand clothing and Zambia, which argues that Africans actively appropriate second-hand Western clothes in a process of identity construction.

I buy the argument, although I still regret the dwindling of traditional, locally produced garments.

This stall pictured below sold Zambian- and Congolese-produced chitenges, worn as wraparound skirts and baby slings by women (generally accompanying their Gap or Fruit Of The Loom shirts). The patterns and printing techniques are fascinating. I plan to bring many home to my mother, who is a textile artist, hopefully for the purpose of a large-scale collaborative artwork – more on that later!