Kantamanto Market

Kantamanto Market is a market area situated in the central business district of Accra, in Ghana. The market consists mostly of the typical Akan tribes of Kwahu's and Ashanti's. It is a well known market in Accra with a specialization in clothing resale. The site was important part of the informal economy of the city.[1] At its peak it was the largest market used clothes market in West Africa.[2]

The site received increasing international attention after sustainable fashion activists and journalists identified the market as one of the main receivers of imported unusable used clothing in the fast fashion industry.[3] Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% of the garments that enter the market and are sorted by traders get discarded into landfills.[4][5] The market and its informal economy play and important role in the city's economy, and COVID-19 restrictions greatly harmed the trade in the city.[5]

A December 2020 fire, which some reports suggest were set by real estate developers, decimated the market.[6][7] Though some vendors tried to return to the site,[1] developers announced in March 2021 are building a new shopping center at the site.

Market structure

There are over 30,000 traders in the market selling all kinds of wares from used clothing to food to car spare parts.[3]

Fires

Due to the congested nature of the market, when ever there is a fire outbreak the damage is always extensive. With the destruction of good and structures running into several thousands of cedis. There are no fire hydrants in the market making it almost impossible to refill fire tenders which run out of water during fires. This story is similar to other markets in the country such as Kotokoraba market, Market Circle and the Kejetia market. There was fire outbreak in the market occurred on Tuesday, 19 April 2011.[8] Another fire erupted in the market in May 2013.[9]

As the market gets increasing congested, many traders have aired concerns ranging from expansion works to be done, improved fire safety to prevention of ejection.[10]

The OR Foundation found that a fire was deliberately set by real estate development firm set fire to part of the market in December 2020.[11] The fire was part of a long series of fires at markets in Accra.[12] And the site had experienced a fire 10 months before.[13]

Redevelopment

In March 2021, the real estate developer Golden Coast Developers announced a partnership with Kantamanto Traders Association and the Ministry of Railway as well as the Railway Development.[14]

In culture

Artist Sel Kofiga documents the cloth trade in the market through upcycling and mixed media art projects.[5] Samuel Oteng organizes a similar upcycling company.[15]

The OR Foundation and artist/activist Liz Ricketts organized an anti-fashion waste art project called "Dead White Man's Clothes" to examine the waste created by the textile import trade.[16][17]

References
  1. Okoye, Victoria. "After Market Fire: Opportunity for Participatory Planning | Smart Cities Dive". www.smartcitiesdive.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  2. Heidger, Tara. "Fast fashion? No thanks. I care about our planet Earth". news-decoder.com/. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  3. "The Horrifying True Cost Of Fashion Fashion". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  4. "Used clothes choke both markets and environment in Ghana". Hindustan Times. 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  5. "Ghana's Used Clothing Market Falters as COVID Bans, Poverty Intersect". VOA. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  6. Fire guts parts of Kantamanto Market | Citi Newsroom, retrieved 2022-04-22
  7. "Kantamanto fire outbreak: We're not surprised, our market was set ablaze - Traders claim". GhanaWeb. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  8. "Fire destroys shops, wares at Kantamanto market". Joy Online. April 20, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. Oteng-Ababio, Martin; Sarfo, Kwadwo Ohene; Owusu-Sekyere, Ebenezer (June 2015). "Exploring the realities of resilience: Case study of Kantamanto Market fire in Accra, Ghana". International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 12: 311–318. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.02.005.
  10. "Kantamanto traders appeal for suspension of ejection by the GRDA". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  11. "How one community in Ghana is bearing the burden of the UK's clothing waste crisis -". gal-dem. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  12. "Timeline of market fires for Ghana in 2020". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  13. "Fire destroys Kantamanto market". The Ghana Report. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  14. Ayamga, Emmanuel (2020-12-20). "Kantamanto market to be redeveloped into modern shopping centre". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  15. "This Is What Actually Happens To Your Donated Clothes". Highsnobiety. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  16. "This Is Not Your Goldmine. This Is Our Mess". Highsnobiety. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  17. "A conversation with Liz Ricketts". Denier. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
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