Melania Trump's 'Colonial Hat' Sparks Criticism

In Kenya, she is on the third leg of her solo visit to Africa which has seen her touched down in Ghana and Malawi, but her rather quiet visit seems to have finally attracted the headlines - and it isn't for the best reasons.

She visited a Slave fort in Ghana, spent time interacting with school children of rural schools in Malawi and visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, famed for its work rescuing orphaned elephants from the wild; where she was filmed giving a baby elephant bottled formula. She then took to the Nairobi National Park where she spotted packs of Rhino, Giraffe, Hippo, Buffalo, Zebra, and other wildlife.

It was why on the visit to the Nairobi National Park that she perhaps made the biggest 'outfit blunder' in her history of wardrobe malfunctions - of which this isn't the first. In June, Melania ruffled feathers once more when she visited McAllen, Texas, to visit migrant children who were separated from their parents as they were held at detention centers on the Mexico-U.S. border.

For the trip, FLOTUS wore a green Zara jacket featuring the words “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?”

After many slammed the First Lady for being insensitive, her communications director, Stephanie Grisham came to her defense.

“It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message,” Grisham said in a statement. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe (Much like her high heels last year).”

But this is different, this is Africa and we do not care about your outfit - as far as it doesn't insult the very essence of our African heritage or invoke images of Slavery and colonialism - two very sensitive aspects of Africa's history.

Well, Melenia shook those tables and Africans took no time to call her to order with a series of backlash and attacks on Twitter. Her husband, being a Twitter 'addict' himself would no doubt have seen the tweets which were trending on the social media platform.

During her visit to the Safari in Kenya, FLOTUS was photographed wearing a white pith helmet, a hat most commonly associated with colonialists.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, European military personnel often wore pith helmets as they sought out colonies in Africa and Asia. The hats remained popular with those who moved to colonized countries and are seen by many as symbolic of the oppression of colonization.

Shortly after the sighting, several people called Melania out on Twitter. One of such tweets came from Kim Yi Dionne, a political-science professor who specializes in African politics at the University of California, Riverside who wrote:

Melania Trump wearing a pith helmet on her trip to ‘Africa’ is more than a silly sartorial choice.

It’s a reflection of her outdated understanding of Africa.

When people think of Africa, they have these standard narratives.

Her attire is a signal of her understanding of what Africa is in 2018. It’s tired and it’s old and it’s inaccurate.

Another Twitter user wrote:

That pith helmet you have carried was used by colonialists during the dark days. Doesn’t sit well with us Africans.

After Kenya, FLOTUS will travel to Egypt before returning to Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

Ms. Trump's visit to Africa is seen by some observers as an effort to mend fences after her husband's reported comment that the continent contained "shithole" countries.

Her office has described the trip as a "showcase" for the work of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), even at a time when her husband's government is looking to slash US aid across the world.

Welcome to Africa FLOTUS, as you can see, this is not a 'shit hole' continent! Do remember to pass the message on to Donald.