THEMED parties, for the fairer sex of an outgoing nature, have been around for as long as one can remember.
JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA
Ladies who know how to rock the night away know these bashes of yesteryear.
Not so long ago, women used to throng what were known as stokvel parties (mukando), baby shower, kitchen party/tea and china chemadzimai, an inter-denominational gathering.
So, you boys really thought you were the only ones who know how to have a good time alone? Nah! Sorry, chaps!
Apparently, what we dudes can do, lassies can do it too. Oh well, perhaps even better!
Yvonne Chaka Chaka once told us in a song that Every Woman Needs A Man. Tell one of our beautiful ladies today, she will tell you that she needs their own space and time.
Nowadays, women have found a new pastime – doek and slay.
The doek and slay is in fact a dress code for attendees and what changes from one edition to the other are the colour codes.
So every Sunday after attending church, whichever church they go to, women will pack their picnic baskets, load their cooler boxes, dress up in colours of the day, wear their doeks and hit the ground running.
The doek and slay craze has not only hit the capital city Harare, but organisers are taking it around Zimbabwe to ensure that women from across all walks of life get to experience it.
There have been doek and slay editions successfully held in Bulawayo, Gweru, Kadoma and Mutare.
There is a planned edition set for Kadoma on 3 December and another one for Harare on 17 December.
The allure of the concept is not only the braai and booze that you see at every other outdoor event such as Fiesta Fiesta, Cookout or BraaiOut.
So far, the appeal of the dress code and the key factor: “women only”, are the draw cards for the doek and slay.
You only find men perhaps at the gates or working as service providers. Other than that, men are not allowed in.
And so far this concept has proved to be popular with women of all ages, sizes and shapes.
Make no mistake, the doek and slay concept has also helped the downstream sectors like those in clothing shops.
Because organisers are strict on dress code prior to the event, most women throng different clothing shops and malls to buy the best outfits for the day.
Organisers say their unique selling point (USP) is that doek and slay is a “safe space for girls, where ladies slay, flourish in doeks, unite and celebrate.”
Contacted for comment, one of the organisers, Anesu Rwanga, said he wanted to confirm whether or not to speak to The NewsHawks.
He promised to call back and respond to questions, but he never did!
