A rose by any other name…

Here’s a sampling of what second-hand clothing is called in some of the countries where it is received:

Togo – dead yovo clothing – dead white person clothing.

Ghana – obroni wa wo – a white man has died.

Nigeria – kafa ulaya  – the clothes of the dead whites.

Mozambique – roupa da calamidade  – clothing of the calamity.

Why all the references to death?  Because only death could separate a white person from such wonderful clothing – stonewashed jeans, Burberry dresses, Nike T-shirts, and lace bras.

Sierra Leone – “junks”.

Haiti – pepe.

Tanzania – Mitumba – bundles used to refer to plastic-wrapped packages of used clothing donated by people in wealthy countries. The term is also applied to the clothing that arrives in these bundles.

Zambia – Salaula, meaning “to select from a pile in the manner of rummaging” or for short, “to pick”.

Central America – Ropa Americana.