Capulanas

Capulanas are essential to life in Mozambique.  They are basically just large pieces of colorful cloth that Mozambicans use for absolutely everything.  They come in a plethora of patterns and colors and their potential uses are just as numerous.  They can be tailored into shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, bags or simply wrapped around the waist as an easy skirt.  Need to carry your baby but need your hands free?  Make a baby backpack with a capulana!  Want to decorate your house?  Hang some capulanas on the walls!  Need to cover the stain on your table? Throw a capulana on it as a tablecloth! Are you cold? Here's a capulana for a shawl.  Are you going to church and don't want your white clothes to get dirty? (The traditional church attire for women is a completely white outfit in a world of red dirt.)  Tie a capulana around your waist to keep clean. Carrying something heavy on your head and need a cushion?  Roll up a capulana.  Bad hair day? Just cover it up with a capulana headscarf! Capulanas can also be rags, napkins, pot holders, curtains, shower curtains, blankets, sheets, towels, and much, much more.  Right now my favorite use for a capulana is to soak it in water and use it as a cool sheet when I am trying to sleep in my hot room at night.

Culturally, capulanas are a symbol of modesty for women.  A woman wearing a capulana is socially acceptable.  Since bare knees are considered immodest, a capulana skirt is the easiest way to keep them covered.  Wrapping a capulana around the waist, even if it is covering pants or another skirt, is required for attendance at most funerals and other important events.  To dress up a capulana skirt, many women use matching capulana headscarves.  Capulanas patterns can also represent certain political parties, important events such as Dia da Paz, or serve an educational purpose.  I personally have capulanas with the map of Mozambique and the countries of Africa and I have seen designs with the alphabet and numbers as part of the pattern.

The first time I carried my baby sister in Namaacha with a capulana, I had a hard time tying it correctly.  My 8-year old sister couldn’t understand why I didn’t know how to tie it and I explained that we don’t have capulanas in the United States.  Her eyes got wide and she stared at me in disbelief.  “You don’t have capulanas?” she asked. It was the same disbelief I received when I put butter on my rice or told her that we don’t have xima in the states. (Xima, pronounced ‘she-ma’ is a traditional dish made from corn flour and looks a lot like mashed potatoes.  It is a staple of the Mozambican diet and is present at almost every lunch and dinner.) “No, we don’t have capulanas,” I said, “But I’ll definitely be bringing some home with me.  They are very useful.”

Emma (not my roommate Emma, the other one) and I modeling some capulana fashion.

Michaela, Maria and I with a capulana ground cloth and tailored pants. For the homestay celebration in Namaacha the host moms picked out this capulana pattern for all of us.

Baby carrier capulana.

Me wearing my favorite capulana skirt as we point out our towns on this road sign.  Heather and Tania live in Angonia and (of course) Emma and I live in Zobue.