STEEM WOMEN CLUB CONTEST #19 | Local Dress Promotion | by @udygold

A warm greeting to all the strong and amazing women of this great community. I felt so overwhelmed when I saw this contest and was trusting God for an opportunity to partake due to my busy schedule lately. I am glad I took up this challenge. To the @steemwomen team and organizers of this contest from the depth of my heart I love you and I love all that you do to ensure women are empowered all over the world. I pray more blessings.

I am a Nigerian and I belong to the Ibibio tribe of Akwa-Ibom State. We have a lot of traditional attire in my culture but some of them have been fused with the foreign attire style but for me, I specifically want to write about our cultural dance attire which I hold in high esteem maybe because I am a dancer and because it tells more about the Ibibio people. I am a dancer and this traditional outfit is more perculiar to us. A traditional occasion is never complete without people who are dressed with this attire (the Dancers). When visitors or other people see this attire at any event, trust me they feel more than relaxed and they could keep watching and forget about going home until they display is over. Visitors usually attain the Akwa-Ibom people event with their cameras as they are always ready to snap and take a personal shoot with us just because of the attire.

HOW TO WEAR THE ATTIRE:
First it is worthy of mention that the attire depend on the type of event. If we are to garce an official meeting of elites, we love presenting slow simple dance accompanied with a song of praise to praise the elite for their good works thus far and solicit that the do more. For this occassion, our outfit is simple, just a long piece of the African ankara wrapper design and beads for our wrist, waist and ankles. First tie the wrapper around your breast firmly, put on the waist need ensure that it is settle on your waist region, do same with the wrist and ankle beads then proceed to make your hair. You'll equally need beads to decorate your hair. after dividing the hair into parts then tie each part with a cultural bead then finally hang your long bead on your neck, trust me you're good to go.

Secondly, for the display of the "uta" dance, you will get a traditional seewed wrapping skirt and a short top (more like a crop top). After putting on a short,wrap the skirt firmly around your waist and tie the rope attached at the end of the skirt firmly so it doesn't get off during the display, put on the top..I must mention 5hat the top exposes you tummy and that what makes a lady more attractive (you know the flat, soft tummy 😊😊). Next is to tie the raffia with small bells which is called mkpat-etim on your leg, this is what produces the sound during the display and also tells people that the traditional dancers are approaching, it is usually tied on the two legs. Next the band on the hand and the local made pom-pom for the waist and then the hair which is usually the same.

Myself and a friend

Our dance crew

With visitors who beg to take shoot with us. such a crowd..

This attire is perculiar to me because it's tell of the beauty of Africa at large and keeps our culture valid.

I hearby invite @evegrace, @glotokens and @millymillions to take part in the contest.

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