M.A.G. blog, signed by Lydia

Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: Dressing for the Departed, Shein is only produced by men, To shave or not to shave, and Korean Restaurant Arirang

Dressing for the Departed: A Deep Dive into Funeral Fashion in Ghana. In Ghana, funerals are more than solemn ceremonies—they are grand social events, rich with culture, emotion, and expressive fashion. Unlike the understated black attire common in Western mourning, Ghanaian funeral fashion speaks volumes. It tells stories of lineage, status, age, and the legacy of the departed. In this blog, we explore how Ghanaians use fashion to honor their loved ones—and how style at funerals continues to evolve. The Cultural Weight of Mourning In many Ghanaian communities, especially among the Akan, Ewe, and Ga, funerals are momentous occasions. They often span several days, drawing large crowds and elaborate ceremonies. Fashion becomes a visual language through which grief, celebration, respect, and unity are expressed. The Colours of Mourning: Red, Black, and White Red & Black: Traditionally, red and black are worn to mourn someone who died under tragic or unexpected circumstances or someone of relatively younger age. These colours signify pain and loss. Women typically wear kaba and slit (a matching blouse and wrap skirt), while men wear rich ntama (cloth wraps), often with traditional sandals or slippers. All-Black: When the mood is more subdued, especially during the wake or church service, all-black outfits dominate. These are sleek and somber, often tailored in elegant fabrics like lace, cotton, or satin. White & Black/Full White: When the deceased lived a full, prosperous life—often in their 70s or older—white is worn to celebrate their transition. It’s not just mourning, but a recognition of a life well lived. White lace dresses, white agbadas, and even contemporary all-white suits make appearances. Some fashion houses in Ghana now specialize in funeral attire, offering clients curated looks that blend fabric, cultural appropriateness, and personal style. Families even issue dress codes with colour themes (e.g., “black and touch of red”) for different days of the funeral rites. And some go in for their own printings, but the minimum is 100 pieces of 6 yards, leftovers are going for a discounted price and are used by upcoming designers.

Shein is only produced by men. Well, that is if you look at the pay roll of the sub contractors of Shein. The husband and wife work, the husband gets paid for both. For the husband the labour laws are somehow followed. And for the women? As she does not officially work there anything goes, including sexual discrimination and abuse. And it saves on administrative expenses. You want cheap dresses, e no be so?

To shave or not to shave. Many feel it is aesthetic to remove hair from arms, legs and around nipples, and hygienic to remove hair from the armpits and the pubic area. How to do? Most often, razor blades are used, and there are special ones for ladies. At a special price. Male razors and female razors are exactly the same, so don’t be fooled. And many razors come with the mention “special blade” and “flexible”, again at a special price. Single or double blade is sufficient. But how to cut? Imagine you are cutting meat, your knife would not press down into the meat but you would slide the knife whilst putting some pressure. Same for shaving, keep the blade at a 45-degree angle and cut the hairs, rather than trying to scrape them off. Scraping will easily damage the skin and allow infections to develop, especially annoying and painful under your armpits and painful and embarrassing at your pubic area. One can also use dehairing cream, but follow the instructions very very carefully, which will include testing on arm skin for allergies. Dehairing with cream is in fact dissolving the hair in acid, so better not make mistakes. And don’t go near your face or nipples with it. For the next 24 hours, don’t put any creams, perfumes or deodorants on your skin and don't go swimming for 24 hours. And don’t use it more than once a week And facial hair? Not with razor blades, not with dehairing cream. Waxing seems the best.

Korean Restaurant Arirang (Fourth Circular Road, Cantonments, Accra). This restaurant opened just recently, but on the menu it says they were already in Tema from 2020. Not surprising, early 80's there were lots of Korean fishing boats operating from Tema, and some of their men stayed behind. So the military today has a golf course called after it's donor Mr. Bok Nam Kim, there is a taekwondo school here and about 41 taekwondo clubs and our latest Ghanaian ambassador to Korea is Mr. Kojo Choi, born and bred here but 100 % Korean blood. So a Korean restaurant is not out of place, and I think there are about 10 in Accra, though some are under the guise of Asian. But careful with the Arirang prices on the menu, their menu prices are excluding Vat and other taxes (20.25 %). And already the menu is a bit heavy. Lunch dishes come at 160-180Ghc (193-218 GHS incl taxes), other dishes range from 270 to 1000GHS, (325-1203GHS incl taxes). Their drinks menu is limited, but they have an assortment of Korean drinks for those who understand those things from 120 to 230 GHS (145-277 GHS incl taxes). We had vegetable, egg and chicken dishes with unpronounceable names which were all good, and the service is prompt. Unfortunately they only have these kitty kitty paper napkins, especially with noodles an all covering napkin comes in handy. Recommended it you can afford it.

# Lydia...

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