Batakari

The African fugu (smock) also called batakari in the Asante Twi language, is a traditional garment from West Africa.[1] Though it originates from Northern Ghana, it has gained acceptance throughout the country.[2] The name fugu is a translation from the Moshie word for cloth.[3]The Dagombas call the garment bingmaa.[4]

In the 19th century, the batakari was worn by Ashanti military forces as a war dress. It was made out of cotton and covered with leather pouches and metal cases that contained talismans as it was believed by the Ashanti forces that this variant of the batakari was bulletproof.[5]

References

  1. ^ "A cultural point of order: A fugu is not a batakari!". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  2. ^ "African Men's Fugu Batakari Jacket | Ghana Batakari Smock". African Legacy Shoppe. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  3. ^ Baafi, Elizabeth Anoah. "FUGU: Fabric or Garment? A Scholarly Clarification for Contemporary Discourse". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  4. ^ "AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Dagomba people". www.101lasttribes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  5. ^ Manu-Osafo, Manuel J. (2021). "'The Days of their Heedless Power Were Over and Done': Dynamics of Power in the Military Structures of the Precolonial Asante State, 1874–1900". The Journal of African History. 62 (2). Cambridge University Press: 254–270. doi:10.1017/S0021853721000281.
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