No more fashion craze at SONA
The State of The Nation Address (SONA) is not a fashion contest, yes, but sometimes we cannot help but talk about what our men and women in the National Assembly wear as they gather to hear what the President of the country has to say.
As they descend on the red carpet in Parliament, we want their snapshots to make noise on social media, some becoming subjects of memes, atleast that is the lighter side of the SONA.
At a time when so much information is received visually, their choice of attire should resonate with the citizens but that was not the case during this year’s SONA. It is safe to say the standards of fashion at the SONA have declined and we cannot really blame the COVID-19 pandemic for this one. Clothes in the SONAs of yester years have long been used as tools to send a message that is incontestable.
We all remember former Gaborone City Mayor, Kagiso Thutlwe’s fashion statement during the 2017 SONA and how he broke the Internet that day. No one can forget former Minister Botlogile Tshireletso’s bold colours and taste for fashion each time she arrived for the
SONA. The two and few others used to make the SONA feel like a costume drama by using visual cues of their attire to make their voices and positions heard.
Only recently, that is to say, have the clothes worn by legislators not played such role. Suits generally have been the default uniform of legislators past and present but it is the style that is quite lacking. Navy blue suits with red ties for Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) legislators and navy blue suits with blue ties for most of the opposition members so it was not a surprise that during President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s fifth SONA, many legislators donned these colours to pronounce their political allegiance.
As much as the SONA itself has always been used as a political tool, it always has that moment of fashion spectacle on a grand scale. Most of the MPs and their other halves also wore various leteise attires with that coat of arms on it.
It was basically a uniform. Legislators have laid low for the past few years due to the pandemic but it shows that all this time away from spotlight, they have really missed their beat. The navy blue suits and ties reflecting party colours is a pretty safe style choice, yes, but legislators should not be afraid of being criticized, after all fashion is all about taking risks.