While not legally mandated, Muslim women often choose to don head-to-toe robes and adhere to traditional clothes as a means of expressing modesty in alignment with their religious beliefs. Nevertheless, it is essential for international travelers to bear this in mind. In the southern area of Chad, where the Muslim population is not predominant, women adorn themselves with garments known as rabott or pagne, which are wrapped around their top and lower body. Married women, on the other hand, often choose for an apron as part of their attire. In addition, they will don a short-sleeved shirt with an elegantly crafted neckline. In many cultural contexts, women use a garment known as lafais, which is a scarf of around 5 meters in length. This versatile accessory offers several methods of draping it around the body, allowing for diverse styling options. Women commonly utilize lafais while attending marketplaces or engaging in special occasions, often complementing their attire with jewelry.
In Chad and central Africa, a significant proportion of males continue to adhere to their ethnic background when it comes to their attire, but those residing in urban centers may choose for Western clothing as a means of assimilating with the local population. It is common for males in Chad to attire themselves in customary Chadian Arab attire, which includes the donning of elongated robes known as jalabiyas and the use of white head coverings referred to as tagiyas. Muslim guys often attire themselves in traditional garments like as boubous, which are characterized by their elongated robes accompanied by corresponding trousers. Additionally, complets, which are tunic-style garments favored by several southern tribes, are also frequently worn by Muslim males.
References
Klee, M., Zach, B., & Stika, H. P. (2004). Four thousand years of plant exploitation in the Lake Chad Basin (Nigeria), part III: plant impressions in potsherds from the Final Stone Age Gajiganna Culture. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 13, 131-142.
Haine, J. Y. (2013). The failure of a European strategic culture—EUFOR CHAD: The last of its kind?. In European Security Policy and Strategic Culture (pp. 99-120). Routledge.
Gronenborn, D. (1998). Archaeological and ethnohistorical investigations along the southern fringes of Lake Chad, 1993–1996. African archaeological review, 15, 225-259.