Market for home-made goods

Market for home-made goods

A VISIT to Ghana may be incomplete without a visit to the Arts Centre, the country’s market for home-made stuffs.

The flaunting of the best of locally made goods at the centre, makes it a reference point for Ghana’s rich heritage. For those who want to buy the best that Ghana can offer, a visit to the centre is a must.

The centre, which is located in the heart of Accra, Ghana’s capital,  close to Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, is the best place to find traditional handcraft. As a customer enters the expansive premises made of mostly open but well barricaded stalls, he may be easily attracted by the conspicuous display of items.

These are textiles of various designs and colours, woodcarvings, drums, local leather bags, beads, ivory and imported items from surrounding countries. Radiant in their multicolours, kente, the country’s major traditional attire dominates the market. Others are batik, traditional smock, cotton, kente strips and other African wax prints.

Interestingly, kente is used to design many of the products. It is made by the Asante and Ewe peoples of Ghana. It comes from the word kenten, which means basket. The Asante people also refer to it as nwentoma or woven cloth. Known around the world for its textual quality, kente is identified by its dazzling, multicoloured patterns of bright colours, geometric shapes and bold designs. It is characterised by weft designs woven into every available block of plain weave called adweneasa. This means ‘my skill is exhausted’ or ‘my ideas have come to an end’.

Be it bag, shoes, drums, sandals, slippers, arts and crafts; there is an element of the kente. Even the bags popularly called ‘Ghana must go’ are beautifully designed in the kente colours, which is also the country’s national colours. Leather is also a feature of the items sold in this market.

Here, you can get pure leather goods such as slippers, drum set, shoes, hand band and necklaces. In many cases, they are combined with kente to mould beautiful designs. Another thing noteworthy is inclination of the natives to show favouritism towards their people, while they make huge gain on foreigners. Indeed, as a foreigner, you have to bargain really hard, as starting prices are inflated.

However, the sellers, most of who produce the items do a lot to lure shoppers to patronise them. You will not see the clothes and jewelleries displayed on mannequins. They are rather worn by those selling them as they beckon on you to buy with promises of ‘get one free’, depending on what you are buying.

Miss Pat Sissah is one of such dealers. She produces and sells clothes and jewellery made from different local designs. Looking beautiful in a colourful evening gown and beaded jewellery, she beckoned on The Nation Shopping, she said: “I am sure you would like what I’m wearing. I make them myself. Here are precious things from Ghana. Buy and get one free”. Thus, she lured a lot of shoppers, especially ladies to her store.

She noted how the centre developed from a family business to a huge commercial centre saying: “There were two persons hawking their goods and so many people loved what they were selling and patronised them so much. Later, they were given a place at the Kwameh Nkrumah high street. They finally came here during President Rawlings time. They were one family. You know, the Europeans admire African goods a lot and they always come here to buy”.

She also stated that many families made their living by trading at the centre. For instance, two of her siblings also had their various stores there. Miss Monica Amuzu makes and sells children’s designs.

“We like to teach our children the value of our culture and we use these local attires to show them. They are gorgeous,” aren’t they? She asked.  Mr Steeve Williams is from London. “I come to Ghana often and whenever I do, I must visit this place. There are great artifacts here for one to go back home with. I love Africa. They know how to make use of their rich heritage. I use some of these designs to decorate my house. I also buy for friends.”

It is hard to find a foreigner selling but they form the crop of the shoppers. The inference is that you should drop your money in the hands of the Ghanaians and not take from them. It is part of the country’s measures to develop its economy and improve the living standard of its people.