Ackim - who runs the bar at the Marula lodge where i stay - started doing this job a couple of months ago. He is in his early twenties and has been born and brought up in this area of Eastern Zambia. He has therefore not been in close contact with Europeans (Mzungu) before. So he was not well prepared for the shock of seeing women in bikinis lying around the pool. In Zambia, noone exposes skin between waist and knee, and for a woman to do so in particular is an invitation to a man. He found it therefore a bit unsettling seeing bare thighs - but luckily not too bad - because after all, as he put it - ‘white flesh is rather unattractive isn’t it!’ So no matter how hot the weather - legs remain covered.
On the other hand - there is absolutely no shyness about exposing breasts, and hearing that white women would hesitate to feed babies in public amazes Zambians. So different cultures have very similar concepts of dignity and modesty but completely different ways of
expressing them.
One of the most important symbols which women here use to demonstrate style and status is by using elaborate hair styles, often involving wigs or hair extensions. The majority of women who have a job wear these. They usually need doing every couple of weeks or so and involve a lot of time (4 hours or so) and expense - from about 10 US$ per month upwards. And then we are in a seriously hot country!
But then they do not spend a lot on make up and handbags!
In Uganda they have passed a law banning women exposing their buttocks breasts or thighs. There have been protests. Not sure what will happen in swimming pools and tourist areas. Though as you say in Zambia, there is no embarrassment over public breast feeding. Confusing!
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