Piles of colourful school uniforms, rechargeable torches, second hand clothes from overseas, coils of rope and mountains of mismatched shoes are spread on dirty tarps across the dusty ground. Upon close inspection it can be seen that most 'stalls' have someone perched atop or amidst one of their mounds of goods- or else they will be seated nearby and soon be at the elbow of any prospective customers. The usual mountains of cabbages and tomatoes are also present, as well as the obligatory English Premier League jerseys which are sold just about everywhere.
The sound of bawling cattle is drowned out by a loud crackling speaker through which a storeholder is announcing again and again in Swahili the prices of his goods- that is until he notices the muzungus approaching... he quickly stops the repetitive dribble and perks up, I pick out a few Swahili words from his excited spill 'welcome... here... muzungu... buy..' The shout-out over the loudspeaker alerts many other store-holders to our presence and we are requested and welcomed by every seller in the immediate vicinity. Yes, it is market day in Kamukuywa!
The market system in this region works on a rotational basis with sellers going to a different village each day of the week with their goods to sell. For us, it is Tuesday that we have the influx into our market area. If you can be bothered to search through it can actually be a good place for 2nd hand bargains as most of the clothing is imported/donated from charities in the West and is of reasonable quality. However, it can be a bit of a headache as muzungus = money and therefore we get constantly pestered and overcharged. It is advisable to go with a local and get them to negotiate prices- otherwise face the flack from the students when returning to school. 'Madam, how much did that cost?... EH! that is muzungu price, very expensive! Next time you must take me with you!'.
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