Market

I'll take a moment to describe my experience with Ghanaian Markets...

When you first walk into a Ghanaian market you usually pass through a dark area of mud and dirt. There is trash on the ground and rocks sticking through the black. The smell is pungent, it smells like rot. It’s almost nauseating but you quickly walk past it. A short walk in you’re greeted by a frenzy of activity. Tros are seemingly haphazardly placed in the middle of the roads, yet all locals know where they all go and how much they cost. Women and children walk around with baskets on their heads full of anything you have ever wanted to buy: water, bread, razors, candy, plantain chips, frozen yogurt… no joke…

The concept of tradeskills are still very much alive here. As you walk through the chaos you hear yells of "Obruni!" ( oh-BROO-nee) and a clack-clack-clack rhythmic noise. A cobbler walks by with a box and a stick. He hits the stick against his box to announce his presence clack-clack-clack as he navigates through tros, the basket saleswomen, and me. Pieces of shoes and tools hang from his box. Internet cafes with barn doors, "chop shops" which sell fast food and market vegetables are all around. A woman walks by with hard boiled eggs on a tray on her head. I pass a stand with fried fish. Literally. An entire 4"-5" thin fish that was tossed into a fryer with no batter, is sold as is. The Ghanaians eat them whole. Fish eyes, fins, tail, and all. Pleasant aromas of fresh food fly by, quickly followed by the stench of rot. Children wave and laugh, people yell and play checkers. It’s a pandemonium but it works.
Hopefully soon I’ll be a true part of it.