Swenkas

The Swenkas are a small group of Zulu working men which formed in South Africa.

These well-dressed men are proud and considered to serve as an inspiration to others. Frequently, on Saturday nights they meet up to compete in a fashion show of sorts. The Swenkas are judged both on what they are wearing (typically, expensive designer suits with well known European names on their labels) and their choreographed movements (their 'swank'). There is an entrance fee to compete in these swank-offs and the winner of the night goes home with a portion of the money collected from the competitors.

The men follow certain set values of Swanking, such as physical cleanliness, sobriety and above all self-respect.

In 2004, Danish filmmaker Jeppe Rønde created The Swenkas, a documentary about the group.

References

• Dlamini, Ndaba. Swanky swenkas to strut their style, City of Johannesburg website, 21 September 2006. Accessed 19 December 2006.
• The Swenkas at IMDb