{"id":15454,"date":"2026-02-06T13:45:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/?p=15454"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:45:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:45:05","slug":"zambian-president-says-he-will-order-more-fugu-after-viral-social-media-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/?p=15454","title":{"rendered":"Zambian President says he will order more fugu after viral social media debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mobile-menu\">\n<div class=\"mobile-header\"><i class=\"fa fa-search\"><\/i><br \/>\n<button class=\"icon icon--transparent navbar-toggler navbar-toggler-icon\" type=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-target=\"#navbarNavDropdown\" aria-controls=\"navbarNavDropdown\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"Toggle navigation\"><\/button>Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has expressed admiration for Ghanaian traditional attire and announced that he will be ordering more fugu, the iconic Ghanaian smock, for himself after seeing Ghana\u2019s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, don the outfit. The remarks came amid a lively social media conversation about the attire sparked during President John Dramani Mahama\u2019s recent state visit to Zambia.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sbwrap\">\n<div class=\"mjo-body\">\n<div class=\"container-fluid nopadding position-relative\">\n<div class=\"container article-body\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-8 col-xl-8\">\n<div id=\"article-text\" class=\"mt-3 article-text\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very happy that a foreign minister, you dressed like that. I asked my team to post on various platforms that were associated with that. The President of Zambia will be ordering more of that stuff for himself,\u201d President Hichilema said during the Ghana\u2013Zambia Business Dialogue on February 6 in Lusaka.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange follows days of online discussion that began when President Mahama arrived in Zambia wearing a fugu\u2014also referred to as a smock or batakari, a traditional garment from northern Ghana with deep cultural roots. Some social media users in Zambia mockingly described the attire as a \u201cblouse\u201d, a comment that quickly went viral and drew a spirited response from Ghanaians defending the garment\u2019s heritage and significance.<\/p>\n<p>In Ghana, the fugu is more than fashion\u2014it carries historical and cultural meaning, worn for ceremonial occasions, celebrations and by leaders as a symbol of identity and pride. It has been worn by Ghana\u2019s founding fathers, including at independence, and features prominently in national dress traditions.<\/p>\n<p>Reacting to the social media buzz, Ghana\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the cultural conversation sparked by the attire has deeper implications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my President\u2019s favourite attire, the fugu. We are all excited about the buzz that the President\u2019s deliberate choice of apparel has created. It has triggered a renaissance in what Kwame Nkrumah described as the African personality,\u201d Mr Ablakwa said, referring to the broader symbolic message of reclaiming African identity and dignity.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the attire\u2019s prominence on social platforms has opened up discussion about African cultural heritage and identity, and urged leaders and business communities to support this cultural renaissance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the young ones on social media who want to know more about the attire\u2026this is the attire that the founder of Ghana, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, wore when he declared independence on the 6th of March 1957 in Ghana,\u201d Mr Ablakwa said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has expressed admiration for Ghanaian traditional attire and announced that he will be ordering more fugu, the iconic Ghanaian smock, for himself after seeing Ghana\u2019s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, don the outfit. The remarks came amid a lively social media conversation about the attire sparked during President John Dramani Mahama\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123457,"featured_media":15455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,3717,41,4742],"tags":[4872,1055,4871],"class_list":["post-15454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-culture","category-general-news","category-media","tag-hakainde-hichilema","tag-samuel-okudzeto-ablakwa","tag-smock-or-batakari"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/123457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15456,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15454\/revisions\/15456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishfmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}