Kabla ya nyeusi, kulikuwa na rangi. Angalau ndivyo mtaalam wa utamaduni Faridi Hamid anasema kuhusu buibui. 

Skafu za rangi zinazoitwa kitambi, katika nyenzo nene, zilizofumwa kwa ustadi, zilivaliwa na wanawake wa Uswahilini (na wanaume) muda mrefu kabla ya Wareno kufika katika ufuo wa Zanzibar mwaka wa 1503”, mwanahistoria wa Kizanzibari Faridi Hamid anasema.

Writing about traditional dresses, no matter in which culture, from Christian to Greek orthodox, from Roman togas to folk costumes like Scottish kilts, one is entering a minefield – so many rules to follow, details to adhere to, each and every one with a distinct meaning. For those who wear the attire it is much more than just a dress: a testimony of faith, a way of life. 

Na bado, hata buibui, vazi la jadi la Waswahili weusi, limetoka mbali sana na siku ambazo Bibi Sayyida Matuka bint Hamud, mke wa sultani wa muda mrefu Sayyid Khalifa II bin Harub alivaa kwa fahari kumpokea mkuu wake wa kifalme, Binti Margaret. kutoka Uingereza, katika ziara yake ya kwanza kabisa Zanzibar mwaka 1956.

Ingawa wanawake wamevaa buibui zao na wanaume kanzu zao za hewa, za shati refu kanzu (ona kisanduku kwenye ukurasa huu) kando ya pwani ya Afrika Mashariki kwa vizazi, haimaanishi kuwa wana kinga dhidi ya mitindo. Siku hizi, miale ya rangi, ruwaza, udarizi na hata athari za mapambo ya vito(bling-bling) na sequins huongezwa kwa uchezaji kwa mitindo ya buibui Na kuna tofauti ya maneno: Abaya, kama wenzao wa Uarabuni wanavyoitwa, ni nguo ndefu zinazofanana na kaftan. Ya kisasa buibui are like open coats with a matching headpiece or scarf and always worn on top of other dresses – not rarely a flashing mini, or tight jeans and tops.

Mwezi mtukufu wa Ramadhani "ni wakati mzuri kwa wanawake kuonyesha hisia zako za mavazi kwa kuwa tuna mikusanyiko mingi", anasema Aida Busaidy, meneja wa utalii kutoka Dubai.

Kurudi kwa mitindo ya zamani?

Mtindo maalum wa kukata buibui umebadilika kwa miaka mingi. "Ningependa kuunda mitindo ya asili buibui styles again” says contemporary fashion designer Amina Bilal Pira, who runs a popular boutique in the middle of Stone Town on Gizenga Street. It’s not an easy cut for dressmakers though, with the skirt-like lower part and the veil sewn together. The veil can be put back over the head or let down over the face. But as one can see from historic photos, the traditional buibui was not a complete “cover up” but often exposed the dress worn underneath and the décolleté as in Bibi bint Hamud’s photos (see far right – black and white photo).

Yote yalianzaje? "Pamoja na mawimbi mengi ya wafanyabiashara kutoka Yemen, Uarabuni, India na Ureno kuja Zanzibar, wahamiaji hao wapya walileta mavazi na mitindo ya sitara, wakifurika kisiwa kwa upole", Faridi Himid anasema.

Wareno walileta nyenzo baadaye zilizoitwa lesos kwa Kiswahili ambapo kanga ya rangi la kuvutia , kitambaa kinachofanana na pareo kila mara kinauzwa katika jozi na mara nyingi huvaliwa na wanawake wa vijijini wa Waswahili badala ya buibui"Skafu au pazia lenyewe, hata hivyo," Himid anasisitiza, "si uvumbuzi wa Waislamu. Hata katika Ukristo, kwenye michoro ya kihistoria au katika picha za kizazi kimoja au viwili vilivyopita, mtu anaweza kuona wanawake wakiwa wamevaa vitambaa kichwani, mara nyingi katika lazi au kitambaa cheupe.” Kwa hakika, wanawake wengi wa Magharibi wanakumbuka bibi zao wakiwa wamevaa vitambaa kanisani.

Buibui, buibui

Waswahili huwa hawakosi mguso wa ucheshi wanapozungumzia mavazi yao ya kitamaduni. Kuanza, neno buibui linamaanisha "buibui" kwa Kiswahili, "lakini halikusudiwi kuelezea mwonekano wa wanawake", Amina Pira anaamini, "inatokea kuwa istilahi sawa kwa vitu viwili tofauti." Wakati wa kufunika mdomo na pua kwa pazia, sura hiyo inaitwa ninja kama tu kasa wa katuni aliye na barakoa ya uso ya chapa yake ya biashara. Kizoro, aliyepewa jina la shujaa wa filamu Zoro, anaelezea mtindo ambapo mwanamke hufunika uso wake kwa wakati wote lakini mara nyingi tu "huchora pazia"

Jalada kamili linajulikana kama gubigubi (iliyotafsiriwa: kujifunika mwili mzima kutoka kichwa hadi vidole vya mguu) - na kulingana na Faridi Himid inaashiria zaidi ya wazo la kusitiri sifa za kike mbele ya umma. Akichunguza kwa uhuru falsafa ya kitamaduni iliyo nyuma yake, anasema: “Mwanamke ndiye anayemchagua mwanamume, si mwanamume anayemchagua. Si lazima mwanamke aanike urembo wake au kuonyesha umbo lake.” 

Wazo lenyewe la unyenyekevu

Siku ya kisasa buibui na abaya are often made of flowing soft fabrics, silk, cotton, linen or chiffon. Some have heavy drapes and folds, others are simply elegant or casual depending on the occasion. While respecting tradition and preserving culture, they are pushing fashion boundaries. But don’t the new elaborate designs contradict the very idea of modesty in a Muslim dress code? “Somehow they do”, says Zakia Agverdenbos, a Zanzibar lady married to a Dutch businessman, “but the essence remains. You show you are respecting society.” – “Isn’t it very hot under a black veil?” western visitors often ask. “Yes and no”, says Sarah Mustapha, a 21-year-old beautician, “we all wear them since a young age, I suppose you get used to it. I still like my buibui kuwa nyeusi, lakini wengine wanapendelea rangi ya krimu, bluu au yenye mistari ya waridi siku hizi.”