Uganda's President Aims to Ban Used Clothing from the West
2023-10-24
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1People, rich and poor, crowd into Owino Market.
2Owino is a huge open market in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.
3People here are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, clothes that have been worn by someone else.
4The clothes are usually low-cost but still are well made.
5Such clothes usually come from Europeans and Americans who no longer want or need them.
6Businesses purchase the used clothing, and other businesses export them to sell in Africa.
7The business is valued at millions of dollars.
8Some people say the demand for such clothes demonstrates that Africans believe Western fashion is better than clothes made in Africa.
9In 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development aimed to find out about the clothes East Africans buy.
10Its study found that about two-thirds of people in seven East African countries have "purchased at least a portion of their clothes from the secondhand clothing market."
11Although they are popular, secondhand clothes are facing increasing resistance.
12Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has held power in Uganda since 1986.
13He declared in August that he was banning imports of used clothing.
14He said the clothes are "from dead people."
15"When a white person dies, they gather their clothes and send them to Africa," Museveni said.
16Trade officials have not yet enforced the president's declaration, which requires a legal measure, such as an executive order.
17Other African governments are trying to stop used clothing imports, saying the business is like sending waste to Africa and harms local cloth industries.
18The East African Community trade bloc includes Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
19It has advised banning imports of secondhand clothing since 2016.
20However, member states have not put bans into effect.
21In Uganda, the president's statement has spread concern among traders.
22A ban would put them out of business. Traders sell used clothes across the country of 45 million people.
23They do business in large open-air markets, roadside stands and even in stores in malls.
24A group of traders in Kampala, known as KACITA, opposes a ban on secondhand clothing.
25The group suggests slowly reducing the imports so that local clothing producers can develop the ability to meet demand.
26Some Ugandan clothing makers, like Winfred Arinaitwe, admit that the quality of locally made cloth is often poor.
27Many people choose to buy used clothing, she said.
28"Because it lasts longer," she said, "it can easily be seen."
29In Owino Market, a ban on used clothes is unbelievable to many.
30Some say they do not believe the president's threat.
31Abdulrashid Ssuuna's job is to get people in the market to visit his brother's used clothing business.
32He said a ban would deny him a way to make a living.
33"It's like they want to chase us out of the country," he said of the president's order.
34He said he cannot afford to sell new clothes.
35The market is competitive, with sellers sitting behind heaps of clothes and shouting words of welcome to possible buyers.
36If he helps his brother sell clothing, "I get something," said Ssuuna, who started this work after dropping out of high school in 2020.
37The market is always full of buyers, but business is unpredictable.
38Traders must try to imagine what people want before other sellers do.
39Tadeo Walusimbi has been a used clothing trader for six years.
40He said some days are better than others, but he warned a government ban would not be supported.
41It "will not work for me and for so many people," Walusimbi said.
42I'm Gena Bennett.
1People, rich and poor, crowd into Owino Market. Owino is a huge open market in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. People here are mostly looking for secondhand clothing, clothes that have been worn by someone else. The clothes are usually low-cost but still are well made. 2Such clothes usually come from Europeans and Americans who no longer want or need them. Businesses purchase the used clothing, and other businesses export them to sell in Africa. The business is valued at millions of dollars. 3Some people say the demand for such clothes demonstrates that Africans believe Western fashion is better than clothes made in Africa. 4In 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development aimed to find out about the clothes East Africans buy. Its study found that about two-thirds of people in seven East African countries have "purchased at least a portion of their clothes from the secondhand clothing market." 5Although they are popular, secondhand clothes are facing increasing resistance. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has held power in Uganda since 1986. He declared in August that he was banning imports of used clothing. He said the clothes are "from dead people." 6"When a white person dies, they gather their clothes and send them to Africa," Museveni said. 7Trade officials have not yet enforced the president's declaration, which requires a legal measure, such as an executive order. 8Other African governments are trying to stop used clothing imports, saying the business is like sending waste to Africa and harms local cloth industries. 9The East African Community trade bloc includes Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. It has advised banning imports of secondhand clothing since 2016. However, member states have not put bans into effect. 10In Uganda, the president's statement has spread concern among traders. A ban would put them out of business. Traders sell used clothes across the country of 45 million people. They do business in large open-air markets, roadside stands and even in stores in malls. 11A group of traders in Kampala, known as KACITA, opposes a ban on secondhand clothing. The group suggests slowly reducing the imports so that local clothing producers can develop the ability to meet demand. 12Some Ugandan clothing makers, like Winfred Arinaitwe, admit that the quality of locally made cloth is often poor. Many people choose to buy used clothing, she said. 13"Because it lasts longer," she said, "it can easily be seen." 14In Owino Market, a ban on used clothes is unbelievable to many. Some say they do not believe the president's threat. 15Abdulrashid Ssuuna's job is to get people in the market to visit his brother's used clothing business. He said a ban would deny him a way to make a living. 16"It's like they want to chase us out of the country," he said of the president's order. He said he cannot afford to sell new clothes. 17The market is competitive, with sellers sitting behind heaps of clothes and shouting words of welcome to possible buyers. 18If he helps his brother sell clothing, "I get something," said Ssuuna, who started this work after dropping out of high school in 2020. 19The market is always full of buyers, but business is unpredictable. Traders must try to imagine what people want before other sellers do. 20Tadeo Walusimbi has been a used clothing trader for six years. He said some days are better than others, but he warned a government ban would not be supported. 21It "will not work for me and for so many people," Walusimbi said. 22I'm Gena Bennett. 23Rodney Muhumuza reported this story for Associated Press. Gena Bennett adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24_______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26fashion-n. a kind of clothing that is popular at a given time 27portion-n. a part of a whole amount 28mall-n. a large building that has many stores inside it 29afford-v. to have enough money to pay for something 30heap -n. a large, disordered group of things