By Monica Hobbs

After week two of our internships, we took a trip to Kumasi. I’d been highly anticipating the Kejetia Market—the largest single market in West Africa with over 10,000 stores and stalls. We’d visited many art markets in the first two weeks, so I was excited to see a standard market. I can now acknowledge that Kejetia was beyond my expectations.

The bus drove us to downtown—the heart of the central market. Due to extreme traffic, we all hopped off and started walking. Clement, the bus driver, would meet us on the other end of the market. We were instructed to stay alert and walk in a single file. It was very easy to get lost in the crowd. Walking through, people were selling everything imaginable: clothes, shoes, jewelry, food, household items, technology, car parts, etc. Sellers were eager to get our attention by grabbing my hand/arm or following us throughout the crowd. The walk itself through the streets was already overwhelming. An ocean of people, shoulder to shoulder.

We then reached the center. It looked like a massive, multi-level parking structure, with indoor and outdoor sections. We climbed the stairs to the second level and split off into small groups. McKenzie and I were on a mission to conquer the inside of the market. Once indoors, we realized there were three levels, each filled with hundreds of stalls. There was no clear sections of items, which made shopping tedious. The top floor had a general theme of dresses and fabric; the middle ranged from clothes to miscellaneous items; and the bottom floor sold lots of shoes. I found the shoe stands to be very interesting. Many sellers had massive piles of shoes, with one sneaker separated from its pair. We walked through little pathways, with items towering on either side. Almost like a tunnel. Through the journey, a long, yellow dress caught my eye. If you didn’t know this about me, I LOVE to wear yellow. I bargained it for 80 cedis, which is around eight US dollars. A great snag I must say. 

We had trouble leaving the market, hopping floor to floor to find a way out. It was quite the complicated maze. However, we eventually made it out and met up with the rest of the group. Once again, we pushed through the waves of people and returned to the bus. I will be transparent in saying Kejetia was a lot more chaotic than I was expecting. Aside from the pressures of bargaining, the amount of sellers and goods was stunning. In a way, I feel like shopping in Ghana is much more rewarding than in the US. When I find something after extended searching, it’s as if I found a treasure. And if I’m able to get it for lower than the original set price, it feels twice as rewarding.