It's Not Easy O'

I beg anyone to disagree that a fitting motto for life in Ghana is simply "It's not easy." This is stated by both native, foreign and repatriated folks all the same. Ghana may be a "peace country," as its proudly referred to by all those born here, but at times life in this land of peace can certainly make a sista want to go to war with some of these cats!

However, instead of griping about the hardship that I may face as a new comer in the home of the Black Star, I find it more appropriate to offer some insight to those who have not yet arrived to Ghana about one group of citizens who have created not just a way, but an industry, to manage for themselves all the while chanting their national motto; It's not easy- O'.

Accra is known for having the longest market in the world and all major roads leading to the city Center are brimming with hardworking Ghanaian men and women who I respectfully call the "Never-Knew-I-Needed-It-Til-You-Showed-It-To-Me-As-I-Waited-In-Traffic-For-3-Hours-Merchants."

Where can these merchants be spotted?: Wherever there is a hint of traffic, on the corners of busy intersections, here, there, everywhere in and around Accra

What do they sell?: Anything you can think of, want, dont want, and need!
Such as;
Razor blades & super glue (for some reason they are commonly sold together),
Meat pies & Fan Ice (commonly eaten together and a whole other blog post!)
Baked loaves of bread,
side tables,
wall clocks,
Educational posters for children,
Maps,
Mirrors
Lanterns,
Paw-paw (peeled & sliced papaya),
Plantain chips (sweet or salty- both fried),
Mentos mints,
T-Roll (toilet paper),
Chocolate
Phone credit
Dog collars and chains,
and of course- Pure Water (plastic sachets of purified and chilled water)

What are their hours of operation?: All day and until late at night (I'll admit that I've purchased T-Roll after midnight and a few Club Beers :)

How do they carry their goods?: Mostly on top of their head in a baskets, bowls or boxes

How much does it all cost?: Not much. Between 10 Pesuas (6 cents) and 10 Cedi ($7.00) (give or take)

Why is this form of selling so prominent and effective?
Accra is undergoing an amazing social system transformation (at least on the roads). The government is constructing new highways, overpasses and round-abouts in several different areas, such as Malam Junction, Medina and La Paz, to name the three areas I am most affected by. As a result of all of this construction at one time, there are huge bottle necks of traffic during all parts of the day, especially the peak hours. One could wonder about the credentials of the city planner.

Inspired by of all of these frustrated, bored, annoyed, hungry, and captive individuals seated in countless cars, trucks, buses, tro-tros, or walking in the sun on foot, Ghana's mostly young, unemployed & under educated population, has gone into super-hustle mode and the world of street hawking has exploded to become one of Accra's most visable career fields.

I would estimate that more than 75% of all pedestrians, drivers & passengers purchase at least one item from a street vender between their point of departure and final destination during the course of a single day. Whether it be a 10 Pesua sachet of water, a stick of gum, or a handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat that have accumulated as a result of sitting in the sun, unintended money is spent frivolously everyday by the collective thousands of Cedi.

Last week, I calculated how much I contributed to the thousands of Cedi spent mindlessly in traffic that week and it amounted to more than 20 Cedi!

What did I buy?
1. 2 plantain chips (50 pesuas ea)
2. MTN phone credit (5 Cedi)
3. Paw- Paw (50 pesuas)
4. A dog collar and leash (5 cedi)
5. 12 pure waters (10 pesua ea)
6. Boiled peanuts (50 pesuas)
7. 4 oranges ( cut in a way that the juice can be sucked out) (20 pesuas ea)
8. Brown Rice ( 5 cedi)
9. Super Glue (50 pesuas)
10. 2 "meat pies" (filled with onion & fish) (50 pesuas ea)
Totalling: 20.50 ($12.63)

What do I have to show for it today?: Not much. Some brown rice, left-over super glue and a "bootleg" dog collar that I purchased in a hurry because the cars stated moving during the transaction!

Sigh...for better or for worse, the "Never-Knew-I-needed-It-Til-You-Showed-It-To-Me-As-I-Waited-In-Traffic-For-3-Hours-Merchants" of Accra are working hard for what they earn- and at the end of the day, I'm wonder if this field of work is more "smarter than harder" or simply just "harder than smarter." In this space, at this time, I think its a fine combination of both.

Akwaaba Back to Africa- Let's Make it A Movement Fam!