Judge me by my works, not my wardrobe – Samira Bawumia
Wife of Ghana's Vice-President, Samira Bawumia says she is least perturbed about social media critics on her choice of clothing.
Rather, she says people should be more concerned about how she is using her position to impact the lives of others.
Advertisement
Mrs Bawumia since the inauguration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on January 7, 2016, has been an attraction at many public events with her fashion.
She has been criticised by some people who feel her choice of clothing do not reflect her religious leanings as a Muslim and her position as wife of the Vice President.
But in an interview on Accra-based Citi FM Wednesday, Mrs Bawumia noted that instead of paying attention to her wardrobe; she wished that people would rather focus on her work.
“I wish it wouldn’t be the preoccupation…because I’m doing a lot of work that I will rather highlight. I mean if a woman is dressing well there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that. I think we should own our beauty and also make a difference,” she said.
She also noted that her choice of wardrobe is also promoting the business for those who make them and that is something that excites her.
“Sometimes I wear clothes and those who made it for me, their business booms and I’m happy for them because I’m also promoting their industry.”
Nonetheless, she says, such comments only become a bother when they tend to spite her.
“I worry slightly about how sometimes the discourse goes because this politics turns to be sometimes a little vicious. I don’t mind for my own personal saying because if someone I don’t know has an opinion about me [that’s] tough; but I worry about the people I know and how they feel about my interaction with them and for the most time I get a positive response,” she said.
Mrs Bawumia last week launched a project aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in deprived communities across the country, especially in northern Ghana.
The initiative, dubbed ‘Safe Delivery Project’, is being implemented by the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Project (SEHP), a non-profit organisation.
Touching on the project, she noted that “I just hope people come around to realise that yes, this is a young woman who tries to do the best she can, who feels that her privilege should be a responsible, who is making it count, who is making the gifts that she has…for everything that goes wrong sometimes I’m grateful to be here. I think history will judge that this woman cared about people who were around her, cared about making a positive impact and that will be the story.”