كيف تلبس العمامة السودانية (العِمَّة)؟ د. راشد دياب Dr. Rashid Diab on How to wear the Sudanese turban ('imma)

كيف تلبس العمامة السودانية - العِمَّة
د. راشد دياب، من مساهمات تيد إكس خرطوم 2013
Dr. Rashid Diab on How to wear the Sudanese turban ('imma) (For TEDxKhartoum 2013: Knowledge Into Action)
Video production: Ibrahim Mursal and Mujtaba

Correspondent: 3 - 2 - 1, Go!

The Sudanese turban ('imma)
is a variety of ancient Arab clothing

From a historical perspective, kings of the ancient
Sudanese civiliztions such as Meroe and others

used to wear caps and turbans as crowns,
designed in such a way to denote the king's status,

and it had some artistic symbols such as
the snake and the cat and many others.

In the Funj Sultanate, however, their turban had
two side prominences called "the two-horned turban"

which denotes prestigious affiliation.

On the African side, the Baggara tribes
designed their turbans after animal figures,

mainly as a symbol of courage, gallantry and valor.

There was a fusion that brought together
the African and the Arabic culture.

When the Arabs first came to Sudan,
they wore turbans and the traditional Arabic robe.

Sudanese people living in pastoral areas,
wore materials that were available to them.

They dressed in such a way that
most of their bodies were covered,

they mostly used fabrics
imported from rural Egypt.

At a later stage, they used locally woven cottons
to create the simplest known traditional garb, the "Arragi".

Then came the Mahdist revolution and brought along
the cloak, commonly known as "Jibba",

and they would wear it with turbans of different colors
depending on the status of the prince and so on.

In essence, the turban is an attempt to create
an aesthetically pleasing look and to denote status.

Aditionally, it aids in providing protection
against the burning heat of the sun,

akin to the cowboy's hat in western culture!

But it didn't carry a lot of importance
for the average Sudanese,

that is until the advent of
urbanization and capitalism,

when a person's status became increasingly
proportional to the size of his turban!

It was regarded as a symbol of
wealth and prosperity.

More often than not, the turban
was regarded as a sign of distinction;

many celebrities wore their turbans in such unique styles,
that it became a source of recognition and a hallmark.

Generally speaking, to tie a turban
you'll first need a cap.

It should cover the head like so,
and this will help anchor the turban.

Back in the day the cap alone
would suffice for most,

and a fancy turban was the thing of
wealthy merchants and aristocrats.

First, take one end of the fabric
and tuck it in at the back like so.

By the way, this is my own personal method
which I've adopted lately after returning from Europe.

You'll need a visual estimate to get
the right balance for your turban.

Now you wrap it all the way around like so,

at this point, you flip it over like this,

warp it all the way around
and back again and so on.

This is my way, but there are many different ways,
some of which are quite distinctive such as

those adopted by the Mahdists,
the Ansar sect and the Khatmiyya sect.

This is how I do it. And finally,
just tuck it in like this.

Now if the turban is exceptionally large,
it needs to be executed in a different manner.

It needs to be meticulously aligned,

that's why artists and musicians who wear
enormous turbans with 7 or 10 meters of fabric,

need about 15-30 minutes to tie their turbans!

It's been speculated that they might even have it
wrapped and ready by the door to strap on and go.

For these plus-size turbans to uphold their shape,
one will need to employ special durable fabrics.

There are various types of turbans worldwide, the Sikh
for instance, wear a turban that looks firm and steady.

It is curiously worth noting that the British
colonists during their occupation of Sudan,

they improvised a headgear that looked eerily similar to the Sudanese turban in an attempt to assimilate into the culture.

At the end of the day, the turban really is
a symbol of poise, affluence and power.

Some will even tell you that only a poor fellow will
allow himself to be seen in a shabby looking turban.

While a sparkling white turban, on the other hand,
speaks to the person's status.

Correspondent: Did you wear it while in Europe?

Actually I did on occasions,
special events and the like.

And in New york as well, I wore it
to one of my exhibitions there.

I truly take pride in our Sudanese costume,
and in particular the ones I design.

Ever since the times of the Funj, Sudanese
costumes didn't undergo much change.

I introduced some of the first modern
interpretations of the traditional male costume,

while women's costumes underwent continuous changes over the years in keeping with the latest trends.

As for men, this was a first.

When I was a little child, all I wanted was to
grab a crayon and draw on people's clothes!

They had these huge white robes that
looked like a blank canvas and I couldn't resist.

And when I make an attempt, they get really
mad and tell me off for ruining their garments.

But you see, this white color becomes
a nuisance to me when it's in abundance

especially for an artist like myself
with a knack for coloring!

- Dr. Rashid: is that it?
- Correspondent: that's it!