I can’t begin to describe how exciting it was to drive to Odumase and visit the markets on my first day in Ghana. None of the pictures fully express how colorful and vibrant and crowded and endless the market was. There were hundreds of people selling various things from food items (of which I could only recognize about 20%), textiles, art objects, toiletries, toys, plastic bins and bowls, you name it. Each person’s shop was no bigger than 6 feet by 6 feet wide, and there was an endless maze of tables. I went to this market because it is known for selling contemporary and “old” (treasured) glass beads.
A woman selling legumes and maize
Thousands of strands of beads for sale in every color and design. Needless to say, I couldn’t decide and I bought a ridiculous amount of beads. (My students: be ready for some jewelry making when I return.)
Musah, who took us to the market, knew I was a potter and found a pottery shop hidden in one of the many walkways that jut in different directions. I bought a small burnished handmade pot for 2 cedis (cedi is the currency) – roughly equivalent to one US dollar.
Along the route, we couldn’t travel more than a few hundred feet without seeing a roadside vendor. Here mangos are stacked in handmade ceramic footed plates.
