Change and Continuity in Black Pentecostal Dress Codes: The Case of the Apostolic Faith Mission in QwaQwa, 1975–2020

Thabang Richard Mofokeng; Mokhele Madise

doi:10.25159/2412-4265/20504

Authors

Thabang Richard Mofokeng North-West University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5114-4886
Mokhele Madise https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1583-860X

Competing Interests

None.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/20504

Keywords:

Apostolic Faith Mission, Black Pentecostalism, dress, liberalisation, oral history

Abstract

This article explores historical change and continuity in the dress code of black Pentecostal congregants within the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in QwaQwa, South Africa, from 1975 to 2020. Pentecostalism often expresses itself through local cultural idioms, including dress. Drawing on oral history interviews with 37 long-term AFM members, the study examines shifts and consistencies in dress norms amid Pentecostal evangelical revival influences that became pervasive from the 1970s. Findings show a conservative dress culture shaped by older generations with traditional African values, into which formal Western dress styles were acculturated and a limited education. Over time, a gradual relaxation of dress codes emerged, resulting in a “new conservative” dress norm upheld by younger, better-educated congregants until more significant changes arose in the late 2010s. These changes reflect stronger advocacy for personal style expression, challenging the conservative hegemony emanating from the teachings of the founding ministers. Informed by Cultural Evolutionary Theory, this research contributes to understanding the socio-cultural evolution of Pentecostal dress codes in African contexts and highlights the complex interaction between tradition, education, and religious identity in shaping Pentecostal dress practices.

Author Biographies

Thabang Richard Mofokeng, North-West University

Lecturer of Church and Dogma History in the School of Christian Ministry and Leadership, North-West University Faculty of Theology.

Mokhele Madise, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1583-860X

Professor

Department of Church History, Christian Spirituality and Missiology

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