21 October 2011

First impressions of Africa: The market area of Accra.

The market is in the middle of Accra. We got there just as it was closing for the day, at around 6 p.m., when it gets dark. Street lights in Ghana are dim and often interior lights are non-existent, so when it gets dark, it's time to close up shop. Later in the trip we found that there are nicer areas in Accra, with large, boxy, landscaped homes behind walls, and supermarkets, but our first impression was of the chaos of this particular part of Accra.
Accra market
Looking down on a parking area adjacent to part of the market. The market continued inside the building right in front. Note the barely finished buildings in the back on the right.

Accra market
Just to the right of the last photo. Note the trash laying on the ground, and the overly-loaded vehicles.

The market was in and around a two or three story building. People set up booths haphazardly under awnings or next to cars or in the building. It's all dirty and jumbled together, and it's mostly for the locals. Almost any sort of item is for sale - if you can locate it - from fabric to clothing to food. I didn't see anything I wanted to buy, there were no interesting touristy African or handcrafted items, except maybe some gorgeous fabrics.

Accra is pronounced ack-CRAW, not ACK-ra or a-car, just for your information. It is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with a population of probably 2 million. Here's the Wikipedia entry.

Next post: walking the streets of Accra.


Comments

No comments yet

Add Comment

This item is closed, it's not possible to add new comments to it or to vote on it