Dominican Order Archives - Guzangs

African Fashion, Art, Design & Culture

The Cloth That Carries the Church

Members of the Nazareth Holy Family group, a Catholic women’s organisation, carry offerings toward the altar during Mass at Chelstone Catholic Church, Lusaka, December 2025. The uniform reads top to bottom: white head covering, white blouse, the group’s printed wrapper at the waist.

In Zambia’s Catholic congregations, the chitenge carries an authority the church never put in writing.