Batakari

Ghanaian male traditional garment

The African Fugu (Smock) also called Batakari in local Ghanaian language is a customary traditional men's garment from West Africa.^[1] It has gained acceptance in the whole of Ghana though it originates from Northern Ghana.^[2] The name Fugu is a translation from the Moshie word for cloth.^{[citation needed]} The Dagombas call the garment Bingba.^{[citation needed]}

In the 19th century, batakari was worn by Ashanti military forces as a war dress. The war dress was made out of cotton and covered with leather pouches and metal cases that contained talismans as it was believed by the Ashanti forces that this variant of the batakari was bulletproof.^[3]

References

^ "A cultural point of order: A fugu is not a batakari!". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
^ "African Men's Fugu Batakari Jacket | Ghana Batakari Smock". African Legacy Shoppe. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
^ Manu-Osafo, Manuel J. (2021). "'The Days of their Heedless Power Were Over and Done': Dynamics of Power in the Military Structures of the Precolonial Asante State, 1874–1900". The Journal of African History. 62 (2). Cambridge University Press: 254–270. doi:10.1017/S0021853721000281.

General references

"The Northern Smock". Popula. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
"Which Of The Three Northern Regions Got The Best Smock In Ghana? Check It Out - Abeiku". 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2022-06-02.