GIFTS

We climbed up three floors to get to the top.

The concrete stairs were dusty and had no banisters, instead the sides of the stairs were used as narrow stalls for imported products, mainly cosmetics and hair products. At each stall, a collection of products were piled high, sometimes showcased in a glass faced cabinet.

On the stairs to the second floor, it was quiet. We only saw a stall on the landing, this I guess was placed strategically, hoping the pause in climbing would draw a few customers. The sellers turned, stared and carried on being busy. Others chatted whilst fixing their wares.

Moving up to the third floor the whole place was quieter, the noise from below was distant, we were almost at our destination. Interestingly the third floor is a car park. We found the attendant enjoying his brunch, on the job.

I walked up with T and L. L said she had seen some beautiful photographs of this market from above and wanted to experience it for herself. It was her last week in Ghana and since she had never been to this popular market, it was an opportunity for her to experience it.

“Yes, it was a sight to behold.” The colorful variety of umbrellas looked like specs of color. The roads were packed. The movement seemed slow, like an army of ants. There was color everywhere, specks of color. It felt as if we were on an aeroplane that had just taken off. I felt this was very special because as a local I would never have thought of climbing that high to experience this delight. It really is a tourist pull, one that sticks to you for a while. I thank T and L for gifting me this experience.

An experience that makes you think about your environment and fixes your mind on a part of your identity.