{"id":152738,"date":"2019-12-13T10:47:38","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T08:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/politics-and-fashion-the-rise-of-the-red-beret-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T10:47:38","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T08:47:38","slug":"politics-and-fashion-the-rise-of-the-red-beret-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/politics-and-fashion-the-rise-of-the-red-beret-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Politics and fashion: the rise of the red beret | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Politics and fashion: the rise of the red beret<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Ugandan opposition politician Bobi Wine takes a selfie with Zimbabwe's opposition leader Nelson Chamisa <\/span> Aaron Ufumeli\/EPA-EFE<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bobi Wine has come a long way in two years. The self-styled \u201cGhetto President\u201d of Uganda used to be a music star, playing politically charged reggae beats to packed houses. In 2017, the politics took over. <\/p>\n

Donning a red beret, he formed the People Power movement, running a successful grassroots campaign to be elected as a parliamentary representative. Now, he\u2019s challenging Yoweri Museveni for the presidency in 2021.<\/p>\n

In two years, Wine\u2019s red beret has become synonymous with a fiery spirit of Ugandan resistance, long since thought to be extinguished after 33 years of ironclad rule by Museveni.<\/p>\n

In the beret, Wine cannily put the \u201cbrand\u201d in \u201cfirebrand\u201d across his multiple social media platforms. In response, the regime is turning to unconventional suppression tactics. On September 18, 2019, a government gazette listed the red beret as official military attire, effectively banning it from public life.<\/p>\n

Symbolism<\/h2>\n

Perhaps fittingly for a time of stark global inequality, red headgear is currently marking global populist movements of all political persuasions. The French Revolution brought us the \u201cbonnet rouge\u201d and red is historically synonymous with leftist politics. But red baseball caps famously heralded the 2016 US election of Trump in a rustbelt resurgence.<\/p>\n

South Africa has its own version of working-class red: the Economic Freedom Fighters. The opposition party\u2019s trademark red beret forms part of a trio of headgear including the wrap and hard hat. Within weeks of the party debuting their look, sales skyrocketed. Similarly, Make America Great Again hat sales have soared to one million in 2019. <\/p>\n

A beret may not make a worker\u2019s revolutionary, but it certainly makes a statement. Its history is equal part bohemian artist and militant revolutionary; it\u2019s been worn by everyone from Rembrandt to Robert Mugabe, the Beatniks to the Black Panther movement.<\/p>\n

Fittingly, Wine styles himself as both artist and activist, his career as a musician merging seamlessly into his political manifesto. \u201cWhen we sing \u2018Tulivimba mu Uganda empya\u2019 (We shall move with swag in a new Uganda), we summarise what our struggle is about – DIGNITY,\u201d proclaimed Wine in a tweet.<\/p>\n

\"\"
An EFF supporter carries a painting of party leader Julius Malema during an election rally.<\/span> STR\/EPA-EFE<\/span><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Social media<\/h2>\n

Indeed, Wine\u2019s social media presence is key to his success, spreading message and image interchangeably. Using his prolific Twitter, Facebook and Instagram presence, he is relentlessly visual: nearly every update is accompanied by an image of beret-clad supporters. His near daily updates centre less on local rallies than on his increasingly high profile, Western travel and media coverage. It\u2019s a canny move in a country where 78% of the population is under 35.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bobi Wine and his red beret made it onto the Next 100 list.<\/span> Time magazine<\/span><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ugandan regime is nothing if not wise to this: on July 1, 2018, the government instigated what was dubbed a \u201csocial media tax\u201d, charging Ugandans 200 shillings (roughly five US cents) a day to use a bouquet of 60 internet applications, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. While the price may not seem prohibitive, it still presents a big structural barrier in a country where 41.7% of people were living on less than $ 2 a day in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media use is definitely a luxury item,\u201d announced Museveni, ironically on his personal blog. He continued: <\/p>\n

\n

Internet use can sometimes be used for education purposes and research. This should not be taxed. However, using internet to access social media for chatting, recreation, malice, subversion, inciting murder, is definitely a luxury.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The social media tax has added a new twist to Museveni\u2019s suppression tactics. While virtual private networks allow more savvy Ugandan users a way around the problem, others take the hit and pay the price.<\/p>\n

Familiar tactics<\/h2>\n

Wine\u2019s tactical use of music and fashion follows Museveni\u2019s own playbook. The Ugandan president released his own popular song in November 2010. <\/p>\n

Unlike Wine\u2019s populist reggae, Museveni\u2019s \u201cU Want Another Rap\u201d is mostly sung in Runyankore, a language predominantly spoken in rural areas of the country. Its heavy-handed lyrics emphasise individual resilience, like \u201charvesters \u2026 gave me millet, that I gave to a hen, which gave me an egg, that I gave to children, who gave me a monkey, that I gave to the king, who gave me a cow, that I used to marry my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Museveni wears trademark wide-brimmed hat.<\/span> Mike Hutchins\/EPA-EFE<\/span><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In line with this folksy approach, Museveni famously favours a wide-brimmed conservative sunhat with leather string. Like Wine\u2019s, the hat is a feature of most leadership portraits. The contrast couldn\u2019t be starker: an old man with a broad-brimmed gardening hat and his young, hip rival in revolutionary red branded beret. <\/p>\n

Practicality<\/h2>\n

Against the backdrop of a Ugandan dictatorship that controls media narrative, then, viable opposition needs a boost. Wine\u2019s choice of symbol fits well. Berets are convenient: cheap to produce and impossible to ignore. The splash of red next to the face makes its way into every photograph. Unlike a T-shirt, headgear is easily stashed or discarded during confrontation without immediately signalling a clothing item has been removed.<\/p>\n

Dr Rosie Findlay, digital fashion media specialist and author of Personal Style Blogs: Appearances that Fascinate, says the fact that the beret is being deployed on social media should not be overlooked. <\/p>\n

\n

The colour pops on the small screen and is immediately recognisable, a literal fashion statement in how its symbolism immediately marks Wine\u2019s image with his politics.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the face of the banning of the red beret by Museveni, Wine seems unfazed:<\/p>\n

\n

He thinks it is about the beret – it\u2019s not. This is a symbolisation of the desire for change. People Power is more than a red beret, we are bigger than our symbol.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

With 18 months before the next Ugandan election and two hats in the ring, let us see if revolutionary spectacle can translate into substantial governance.<\/p>\n

\"\"
US President Donald Trump holds his famous red cap, a symbol of the rising right.<\/span> Michael Reynolds\/EPA-EFE<\/span><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Carla Lever does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> The Conversation \u2013 Articles (AFRICA)<\/a><\/small>
\n<\/p>\n

Read more on The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Join the fun:<\/strong> Add Your event<\/a> | Submit a Press Release<\/a> | Add your listing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Politics and fashion: the rise of the red beret: Ugandan opposition politician Bobi Wine takes a selfie with Zimbabwe's opposition leader Nelson Chamisa Aaron Ufumeli\/EPA-EFE Bobi Wine has come a long way in two years. The self-styled \u201cGhetto President\u201d of Uganda used to be a music star, playing politically charged reggae beats to packed houses. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[36919,8890,4428,829,4981],"class_list":{"0":"post-152738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-africa-news-2","7":"tag-beret","8":"tag-conversation","9":"tag-fashion","10":"tag-politics","11":"tag-rise","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}