Enacy Mapakame : Correspondent
APART from the language barrier and the sun which seems to rise from the wrong direction, there really is something always similar about African cities, that make them African. There is always a “Mbare” in developing countries. That very old place in downtown where you can literally get anything. From auto spares, clothing, vegetables, local herbs, money changers, healthcare products, hair dressing services, braaing, maize cob roasting and many other services one can think of, all done on road sides.
Such places are typically overcrowded and this is one of the first things to capture one’s attention. And of course with so many people around, you have to guard your pockets jealously.
In Lome, the Togolese capital, there is a version of Mbare. It is called the Cathedrale, named after a Methodist Cathedral which towers in the centre of the sprawling market as though it were a brutal reminder to the traders not to temper with their scales.
Here, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, carts and vehicles of all models compete for space on the same narrow road, the one that houses the numerous stalls for vendors.
Vehicles and motor cycles hoot all the time while whistle blowing adds to the noise at the market.
The touts seem to have come out of the same womb across the continent. In Lome they are also witty, rude, scruffy, intoxicated, they love to cut corners at all costs and are manipulative.
There is a vibrant “mushikashika” too.
However, theirs is a step ahead with motorcycles added to the public transport – something I found fascinating.
Despite the danger they pose, the motorcycles are more popular because their fares are cheaper.
As for the food, we call our indigenous chicken the road runner, in Lome and the whole of Togo it is called the bicyclist chicken because it is hard to catch, it runs faster than bicycle. But it is easy to have a bicyclist meal at the Cathedrale market.
One of the vendors at the market, Andre Koumeavi, who offered to be a tour guide said the market has been there since time immemorial and has been a source of livelihood for many families.
For the 53-year old who has been operating at the market for more than two decades selling home made sandals, the market is his “Jerusalem”.
On a good day, foreign tourists – whites from overseas – come to the market with good deals.
Another common phenomenon in African cities is that tourists have to be European white people – those from Zimbabwe or Zambia visiting Lome are just fellow brothers and sisters from the continent.
“I make a leaving out of this market, if local authority closes it for some reason, then I am finished together with my family and many others you see here today,” he said.
Patricia Udega (19) who sells fast foods to fellow vendors and visitors said she ekes a living out of the market together with her siblings.
Initially, a double storey building housed the vendors before it was razed by fire caused by an electrical fault.
Local authorities resuscitated the market to accommodate more vendors due to its popularity and being a source of livelihood for many in Lome.
It is common to see some well to do people on this market scouting for various products or services.
Folley Alex, who runs an accounting consultancy firm, said although the market place is a cumbersome experience due to overcrowding, it has everything, it is a one-stop shop.
“If you have good negotiating skills then all is well; it is easy to get duped also this side of town,” he said.
The Cathedrale market, popularly known as just the “ big market” because it is the largest in Lome and Togo as a whole, is a fascinating place to visit with all the hustling.
But when all is said and done, it is what it is, it is what makes it Africa, the beauty of the continent we call home.