The One Glove Trend

The One Glove Trend

July 5, 2011

            Walk into almost any Namibian classroom and you will notice many boys and even girls wearing one glove on their hands.  Cheap cotton grey or pink gloves cover either their left or right, while the other hand is exposed, making an uneven and odd look (maybe Michael Jackson didn’t start this peculiar fashion statement).  I’ve asked many times,  “Why only one glove?” Most students cannot give me a good response, for reasons ranging from lack of English to embarrassment.  So I quit asking, I didn’t want to make anyone feel awkward.  Anyways, I had my assumptions, which I felt were pretty accurate.  I have seen some Namibian television (which is rough; Spanish soap-operas dubbed to English become quite tiresome) and music videos dominate the screens.  Kwaito artists, a hip-hop, pop, house, genre makes up 75% of the Namibian music scene.  During these artist’s videos, many wear one ragged looking glove instead of the pair on both hands.  I assumed that most learners were mimicking their favorite musicians and ro-models, making their own outward material statement during school.  However, these were just assumptions and my curiosity drove me to find out the best answer I could.

  At our mid-service gathering this past weekend, I asked my field director about the fad.  She laughed and agreed that many learners do wear the one glove and that yes, partly because many Namibian celebrities show this symbol off.  But, it goes much deeper than that.  During the winter, weather can get below freezing in Namibia.  For someone who experiences 111F at times during the summer, 32F seems frigid.  Even many of my colleagues and Namibian teachers burrow into their winter jackets all day, whereas I still manage a slight sweat during the 75F day.

            The glove trend helps to illustrate how deep the idea of sharing is embedded within Namibia.  Learners pass their gloves to friends who don’t have any, because one glove is better than none.  I now notice it is so rare to find a learner with a pair of gloves. Yet, if I look at the learner sitting next to them, I realize that they are wearing the nice pink matching partner.  This isn’t to say that everyone does this because of their complete willingness to share, but I believe that deep down, this statement does represent much of what Namibian life seems to be about, the community.

            No matter where you go in Namibia, there seems to be the understanding that life is larger than the individual.  Friends, family, the nation, they all matter more than just you.  When it comes time for lunch, an orange will be split into as many ways as possible and handed around.  Take a few bites of an apple and toss it to a colleague or learner.  They will accept willingly.  One teacher went a picked up a box of juice for me the other day, just because he was at the grocery store and I had mentioned I had ran out.  A two seated truck, becomes a comfortable three or four person bench.  Tired? A Namibian will not mind if you rest your head on their shoulder (this has happened to me within the taxis and kombis).

            I think these artists take the one glove to the next level of making a fashion statement.  At the same time, I think it also recognized that this is a sign of sharing and unity.  It’s something that I deeply respect about this culture and hope to bring back within my own life upon returning home.