Kampala a Used Culture?

“There’ll always be demand for secondhand clothing. The world is becoming a poorer and poorer place. Used clothing is the only affordable means for these people to put quality clothing on their body.”
-Edward Stubin


Before reading the rest of “How Susie Bayer’s T-Shirt Ended Up on Yusuf Mama’s Back” I was astounded at the unimaginable poverty that quote above suggests Ugandans are living in. However, once I reached the end of it the quote seems mildly pathetic. Premium, Africa A, Africa B. How about Premium Uganda? “Years ago, used clothes were sold in limited and fairly expensive supply.” Now, bales of used clothing are imported into Africa weekly, containing shirts that roughly amount to “19 cents”. The used-clothing trade has skyrocketed in Africa leading some Africans to question whether their culture is still being represented through the Western influence of style and brand name clothes. It is true that culture is more than exterior clothing, but it’s interesting that traditional clothing is rarely seen and Ugandans themselves claim that “Ugandan culture is dying, dead and buried” because of the secondhand clothes. Packer argues that Uganda is able to produce its own clothes, a trade that would greatly benefit Ugandan in the long run, but Ugandans can’t “break into the market” due to the excessive “dumping of foreign clothes.” Lessening the traffic of used clothes into Uganda will greatly benefit businesses within the country and will help Uganda stand on its own, instead of relying on western industries for economic support.