Prostitutes are known for their skimpy attire, but Kenya's coastal port of Mombasa is witnessing a controversial fashion makeover.
The twilight ladies, as the city's residents refer to the sex workers, have traded their revealing outfits for the more austere buibui - a loose, floor-length gown and head covering favoured by Muslim women.
Walking along the city's main red-light streets at night, one comes across many of the buibui-clad prostitutes.
Although most shy away from speaking to the press, a few are willing to talk.
"I'm better off wearing the buibui so I look respectable. I can avoid arrest. I am just trying to get some money to live on," one says.
Another claims she wears her buibui to hide her identity.
"I know I am sinning, but I'm forced to because I am looking for my livelihood. So to me, it's acceptable," she says.
Most of her customers are local men, not tourists. She says wearing a buibui helped them to more easily pick out women from the region.
One might think that this effort to clean up the town's image would garner approval from conservative citizens. The local respectable Muslim ladies are not happy, however.
"I feel so embarrassed that sometimes I contemplate removing my buibui and throwing it away. The buibui has lost its respect," Mariam Salma says.
Says the organising secretary of the Council of Imams of Kenya, Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa:
"We are saddened because the government is ignoring the problem."
If the trend continues, police are likely to mistake respectable women for prostitutes, he says.
"For God's sake, if one has decided to join this profession, the uniform of prostitutes is well known.
"They should stick to their disgraceful attire."
Well, it does make for more interesting scenery.
No comments:
Post a Comment