Abacost

Mobutu Sese Seko in the abacost

Abacost (from French à bas le costume - “ down with the costume ”) - clothing that was recommended to be worn (instead of the European costume that was banned) by the male indigenous people of Zaire during the “zirizatsiya” campaign carried out by President Mobutu Sese Seco in 1972 - 1990 years . Abacost, from the point of view of Mobutu and his supporters, was seen as a symbol of overcoming the colonial past (as well as events such as the demolition of monuments of the era of colonialism, the replacement of "colonial", that is, Christian, traditional African names, the introduction of traditional customs and cuisine) ^{[1 ]} . It is believed that the design of the abacosta was developed by Mobutu himself ^[2] .

The “classic” abacost is a tight-fitting two-tone jacket like a jacket , made of dark materials, worn with a neck scarf instead of a tie ^[3] . A number of researchers see the resemblance of the abacost to French Mao ^{[4] [5]} .

Wearing an abacosta, at least for civil servants, was nominally mandatory ^[3] .

From the late 1980s, European costume began to return to the everyday life of the apolitical part of Zaire society; young people prefer to dress in the French or Italian style during the same period ^[5] . In April 1990, Mobutu proclaims the liberalization of public life, in connection with which the compulsory wearing of abacosts is canceled, but supporters of Mobuto and his course continue to wear abacosts after this time ^[3] .

A peculiar attempt to “resurrect” the abacost was made already in the 2000s. in Kenya , where a version of the national costume was developed for “fighting the Western-style costume” ^[6] .