Public nudity here does not have anything to do with morality or sexuality.

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We asked Dani Arnold-McKenny, our “African correspondent” to comment on nudity and breastfeeding where she is, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She sent us the following report.

We’ve all seen the pictures in National Geographic of bygone eras, of tribal peoples going about their daily lives—women topfree in sarongs, men in loin cloths, naked children running everywhere. Due to extensive changes to the Congo in the past 50 to 100 years—war, genocide, cultural revolution, influx of people from other areas of Africa, and of course the introduction of Christianity—nudity is no longer a “social” thing, at least not in the busy city centres.

Where I am, in the southern tip of the Congo in Lubumbashi, a thriving city of 1.5 million or so, social nudity is clearly no longer part of everyday life. But while the average person on the street is fully clothed, and adopting the fashions of the West is becoming more prevalent, this isn’t an indication of being infected with the Western sickness of body taboos.

As a Canadian woman and staunch breastfeeding advocate, coming here has shown me what the norm should be. Women of the Congo do not hide in embarrassment when their babies need to be fed. They do not cover their bare breast with some ridiculous tent-like poncho thing or smother their baby with a blanket. There is no big scene. There are no nervous glances right and left to see if anyone is watching or, even worse, will tap them on the shoulder to tell them “You can’t do that here!”

No; if a baby needs to be fed, the mother simply pulls her top up or down and feeds, regardless of where she is or who is there to “see.” Women nurse their babies wherever they are, while doing whatever they are doing. Seeing a breast is as common as seeing a bare leg or foot!

Although older school-aged children are rarely seen in public less than fully clothed, there are toddling naked bums running everywhere! The African/Congolese tradition of using elimination communication with babies instead of diapers is still a strong part of the culture. Sadly, however, the Western model is having more and more influence: having your baby in diapers shows a certain affluence and “modern thinking” in the younger generation of parents.

Still, babies and toddlers with bare bums are so common that they’re not even noticed. No one points a finger and yells, “Cover that child! Don’t you know a pedophile might be looking at them?!”

Even in a decidedly Christian society, Congolese have not fallen into the trap of Western body taboos and uptight puritanical thinking. Public nudity here does not have anything to do with morality or sexuality. Nudity is natural and is just a part of life.

Clothing is worn for fashion and protection from the elements, not as a way to hide shame—something most North Americans could use a lesson in.

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