I wonder how they are able to avoid that
1 Like
The fresh vegetables market;
Today is the biggest market of the capital town of the Upper East Region Bolgatanga. It comes on every three day in a week.
As usual the donkeys loaded with the sacks of fresh vegetables from the communities are on their way to off load at the market place.
The donkeys passes by my house to the market .I can see about six donkeys the one leading look like the oldest one .There no doubt in my mind that they know the way so well that when they even get to main busy vehicular street they stop at the edge to the road and waited for the vehicles to pass before the cross.
Nobody follows them and nobody dare mess with them because the all the communities along the road are aware of their delivery system . The donkeys have the support of all the road users on the market day .
Vegetables are mainly cultivated by women in our rural communities and the only and cheaper transport for their produce to the market are the donkeys
At b least the vegetables producers are always sure of market because the fresh vegetables are the main staples of every meal in the region.
Apart from onions, tomatoes and pepper the leafy vegetables are always in demand and no competition from the men .The men farmers produce more tomatoes, onions and pepper for commercial purposes but the women focus on the daily food in the house.
At vegetables market buyers are always there before the donkeys arrive by 6am to 7am and by 11am all produce are bought and they will be loaded with other items to return to the communities before its dark.
I hope and pray that this year the water at the big dam with not dry up soon to allow the women to continue the farming.
1 Like
Since no one follows these donkeys, how are is the buying and selling done when they get to the market?
Hi @GuruneFm
Wow, wonderful delivery system. I bet it took a lot to train those donkeys to do their job properly so they can be trusted on their own to deliver the vegetables. It also seems that the community can be trusted that no one can think of stealing from the donkeys.
So, have you been able to talk to any people at the market and ask a few questions?
Every Wednesday evening my husband and I coach a spinning class (indoor biking on stationary bikes) for people that train for triathlons. A triathlon is an event that combines swimming, biking and running, in that order. In the winter time when it is cold, dark and icy or snowy outside people prefer to get exercise by riding on bikes inside. We coach the same group of people from January until end of August. To help motivate people to get a good workout we play music with a fast beat.
This week I asked people in the class why they choose to come each week to this particular place for their exercise and why not somewhere else. I got a range of answers. Some people like the location since it is close to their work or where they live. Other people like the class because it is fun. Several people said that they liked coming because of the feeling of community. A couple of people said that they come each week because it helps them train for races they do in the summer.
I have attached a photo I took of the class.
2 Likes
Hello Guys, we say it’s better late than never. My name is Abdul-Nayaru Froko for real, but known on this platform as Radio Upper West. This is because I represent Radio Upper West. I produce and present many valuable radio programmes and amongst them is the Farmers’ Forum programme which is my flagship.
However, the only place in my municipality that is so busy is the new Melcom shop that has just been opened in Wa, capital of the municipal, Upper West Region, Ghana. Many people, in an interview, tell me they were there simply because they needed to buy from a new shop and get the experience. Some were also there to buy items at reduce prices since the old shops items are pricy. Everybody was happy to part of the experience.
WEEK ONE: Ice Breaker
Everyday my job makes me to drive or walk through this very popular and notorious spot in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria. The place is called RUMUOLA Junction, an extremely busy and hot spot in what use to be known as “Garden City”. At RUMUOLA Junction, there are everyday of the week and every time of the day various commercial activities going on at same time: women selling fruits, groundnuts in bottles, shops selling various articles and items ranging from shoes, GSM telephones and accessories, first-hand and second –hand clothes, business centers, etc. One will also notice regular presence of security personnel stopping and searching vehicles, controlling traffics and in most cases helping themselves with whatever they can from motorists. RUMUOLA Junction is a place where you can easily lose any of your belongings to some clever and vibrant hoodlums and pick-pockets. At about mid-day, RUMUOLA Junction is almost a nightmare for any motorist because there is constant road traffic hiccup and jam at RUMUOLA. One of the busiest trunks ‘A’ road traversed RUMUOLA Junction into adjourning commercial city of Aba in Abia State. The motor bridge across the RUMUOLA Junction constructed by the government to ease traffic jam at RUMUOLA Junction has made very little impact to ease the traffic that people could only imagine what it used to be without the bridge. Most evenings, I sit at a very vantage angle from the shop of a woman who sells beer and goat meat pepper soup (a very hot delicacy and soup served in most Nigerian beer joints) to watch activities at Rumuola Junction. There are days we have had to run away abandoning our half drank bottles of beer when the bad boys come shooting guns as if it was a was situation. One constant thing about RUMUOLA Junction is the noise of vehicles’ engines and hooting of horns. I cannot forget to say that RUMUOLA Junctions features constantly ear-jarring sound and blaring noise of sirens from security vehicles snaking their ways through the traffic jams. In fact I have come to realize that there are many security vehicles with smart gun throttling police escorts passing RUMUOLA Junction daily more than any other hot spot in Port Harcourt. Despite the seemingly hotness of RUMUOLA Junction, spaces to display any kind of wares for sale is so scarce that the unemployed RUMUOLA Community Youth sell land spaces to women and men who just need few inches of land space to display their wares.
So why do most people prefer the “hot” RUMUOLA Junction to display their wares than any other place in Port Harcourt. The responses varied but all target RUMUOLA Junction because of its “hotness” with patrons of all goods and services. I did not say that even Prostitutes find RUMUOLA Junction attractive to market their wares and I did not interview them. I remember speaking with the Mama Ejiro, the woman who sells roasted plantain and roasted-oiled and peppered fish. Responding in Pidgin English, the common language of every RUMUOLA Junction inhabitant, she said: “Market dey here na! Can’t you see? People plenty here well well. Naim make I dey sell my things for here. (Translated thus: “This is where the market is. Can’t you see it? There are plenty and surplus customers here to buy my goods”)
1 Like
Great!, these bikes are wonderful I wish at least one or two of those your bikes could be magically dropped at the Bolgatanga hospital physiotherapy unit. Where I go twice a week to ride some old stationary one. in fact they are supposed to be four but 3 are broken and the only one left the paddles are so loosed. when I sit on it the effect is very limited.
Right now , I am using a second hand bike to ride, sometimes early morning but mostly weekends. That have encouraged some of my friends to start with cycling again after so many years of using either motorbikes or cars.
Thank you for sharing.
Lydia
this is one of the farmers program on my radio station and we even had some student Journalist from Canada who is working on a documentary video. But I may have to personally do some interviews these days specifically on the donkey transportation and the delivery. post that as running ice breaker on this platform .Saturday March 5 is market day I will check and let you know the latest of the donkey transport.
Lydia
Hi Obolo,
good to meeting you here after missing out for sometime.
The donkeys deliver the vegetables and the women will get the by tricycle motorbikes to off load the goods and sell them the question about stealing hmm! the thieves in the town will not want to steal fresh vegetables they don’t see big money in it and more how it will be hard for them to get an immediate buyer. The thieves will rather steal a goat, sheep,cow,or motorbike.or bicycle. Even stealing the donkeys they will have to kill them or transport them to a far town but I can assure you they will always go back to their original place. so here people who deal with donkeys as transportation knows whose donkeys are carrying the vegetables for the women. Maybe it may happen one day but if they Radio Gurune and the community members will together expose them. so join us to support our communities to live trusting each other and passing on the good values to the young ones
Happy weekend.
Lydia
1 Like
Hey people,
At last I have joined you after a long struggle, Madam Busi knows it but I am finally with you. Thank God.
My name is Rehema Ndagire from Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Kampala and I am very glad to be part of this discussion to share about interactive radio and how it can be of use to our people (The Farmers).
AT A STREET MARKET
I went to a busy street market in our city. This is usually there every Sunday were two streets were specifically given to traders and farmers to sell their merchandise ranging from clothes, furniture, household goods, as well as farm products - tomatoes, onions, potatoes…you name it!
'Ever since Jennifer gave us this opportunity to sell our goods on Sundays, I attend to my studies at the university during the week days without any worries, because I know that on Sunday I will be able to sell and earn money", said a vendor of second hand shoes but who happened to be a university student. The “Jennifer” being referred to happens to be the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority, in charge of city operations who some years back stopped vendors and hawkers from selling goods on Kampala streets during week days but allowed them to do so on Sundays.
A woman who had heaped tomatoes, onions and green pepper for sale at 1000/= and 2000/= per heap said she does not mind the dues she pays for trading on the street on Sundays because she earns more than she used to when she was selling things in a market known as Owino.
A male youth said that he opted for the street business after his “bodaboda” (Motorbike) was stolen by thugs who clobbered him and almost killed him. So he said it was a safer way to earn money, selling goods on the street than transporting people on motor bikes.
Please note: Motorcycles are the easiest, cheapest, popular and most convenient means of transport in Uganda today.
Hi Blythe,
Nice to meet you again. Those are nice bicycles you got there; Oh! how I wish I were near there to enjoy a ride on them!
Cheers!!
1 Like
Yes I went to a market in the rural area where I mostly work with the farmers. This day was a market day, usually they have market where they sell their produce and other things everyday but they also have one day in a week. This day they sell many different things starting from small livestock, clothes and other food stuffs.
Yesterday i went to Mitundu Market, a distance of about 34km from the capital city of Malawi, Lilongwe. Guess what! yesterday being Friday, it is a market day at Mitundu. For starters, a market day is a day that is earmarked for intensive marketing activities every week. During this day, a lot of traders, farmers and not forgetting people from the capital city flock to the market place. Mitundu market specializes in Vegetable/ farm produces. I am talking about every local vegetables you can think of, Meat, and cereals. I interacted with two people; a woman and an old Man. The woman is a regular customer at Mitundu but comes all the way from the nearby City. She likes shopping at Mitundu market because prices there are very cheap, and also the abundance of fresh vegetables. The old man is a trader who sells Maize and pigeon Peas. He had been a trader at Mitundu for almost his entire life. He used to come with his Mother to the Market when he was a Kid.
Hello @krizo
Wow I love this illustration, even before looking at the pictures you posted I could visualize the place. Thank you, this place seems like a place for everything…it is happening!
Lovely!
Hello @rehema
Welcome! I am glad you finally managed to join us. We are looking forward to more shared stories. I think your Sunday market is more like a flea market we have on Saturdays where I stay. During the week it is so quiet but come Saturday you see a lot of different stalls, from food items, household items, electronics etc. For anything you need, there will be someone selling it.
Cheers
About a busy place,
I traveled on Thursday 2nd March to Bududa for a burial, but little did I remember that it was a great market day in Bukigai until I started meeting trucks loaded with bunches of bananas (Kamatoore) being transported to Kampala including neighboring Kenya.
It was an interesting observation for me because the road runs through the market on both sides and it took us 30 minutes to navigate through the narrow rural road lined with huge trucks bearing both Kenyan and Ugandan registration numbers loading food merchandise which the farmers displayed along the way, while small taxis were ferrying in and out the market goers.
Although the drivers kept throwing insults at each other as they scramble for space, I was happy that my home area irrespective of the much talked about famine being experienced all over, they have what to sell out.
The cool temperatures in this part of the world and stead supply of water from the mountains has maintained a stead supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, huge bunches of bananas (Kamatoore) all year round. At home I find mother had boiled my favorite bitter green veges (isuufa) served with smashed steamed bananas which I had yearned for in a long time.
May I invite all of you to this great place Bududa?