In 1902, Lozi king Lewanika of Barotseland attended the coronation of British monarch, Edward VII. He returned from his diplomatic visit with a royal coach, scarlet coats for his servants, and the uniform of a full-dress admiral. This British admiral’s uniform has since become a national symbol of Barotseland, worn on ceremonial occasions by each of the famed king’s successors. Each appearance of the midnight blue wool and gold brocade serves as a tribute to both visionary king Lewanika and his incorporative strategies. Not only did this savvy leader negotiate to establish Barotseland as a protectorate, and not a colony, he implemented corporeal fashions for kings and subjects that have remained mainstays of a Lozi image to this day. Lewanika made himself a body politic, the symbol of a nation worthy of both international consideration and local loyalty. He dressed with intent and carried himself with purpose. In turn, his loyal followers expressed their deep regard in the way that they carried themselves. Lewanika insisted that a strict code of etiquette be followed in his court. From bent knees to clapping hands, in Barotseland comportment is an art form.
This paper will look to Lozi visual strategies in which the body is both the surface upon which style is designed and the medium of expressing intricate cultural mores. Since the days of Lewanika, what is worn and the manner in which it is worn or regarded has made visible Lozi respect for the past and designs for the present and future. “More than a Man of Style” will trace the impact of Lewanika’s sense of style on the fashions of kings and aesthetics of body language as expressed during key moments for one hundred years of Lozi cultural dynamics.