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23-AUG-2016 Dick Keely

Kayayei Sombrero

Makola Market, Accra, Ghana

There are ~160,000 'Kayayei' (female market porters) in Accra.
Around 15,000 arrive each year from Ghana's northern regions.
They are pushed by poverty and pulled by the hope of lucrative work.
Wholesalers, traders and shoppers hire them to move heavy goods through the labyrinth of alleys and lanes in the city's bustling markets.
They hawk whatever people will buy, from cleaning products to kola nuts.
They load, unload and wash down trucks, and they run errands.
It's a tough life and many of them are exploited and badly treated.
Kaya means "burden" and yoo (plural yei) means "female".
By definition, this is women's work.
Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/nov/22/ghanas-female-porters-get-family-planning-advice

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