By Uche Nworah Ph.D
I like visiting our community markets. It’s usually an exhilarating and humbling experience for me each time I visit. Such a visit allows one to interact with the locals, aged men and women who are genuine.
The “God bless you” from them after you gift them some cash or leave your ‘change’ with them is soul-lifting. You leave the market feeling as if the blessings from them will last you a lifetime.
I have my favourite local markets that I like visiting. Nkwo market Enugwu-Ukwu is my number one choice as it is my home market. There are Nwagu Agulu, Afor Nnobi, Umuokpu-Awka market, and Nise market. Recently I added the new Afor Nimkpa located at Umuakwu village Enugwu-Ukwu to the mix. In these various markets, you can buy fresh organic foods including fruits. I particularly enjoy the banter with the market men and women.
There has been a recent move by the Anambra state government to modernize these local markets. ‘Solution Markets’ as they are called are gradually springing up in Anambra communities. Painted in yellow and black colours of Brand Anambra, these Solution markets are gradually replacing the traditional community markets.
It is okay for the state government to modernize markets. However, I think that such new market developments should be located at new sites. This is to avoid erasing the heritage of the community markets. The community markets should be allowed and encouraged to retain their history, brand name, and identity. The newly named Solution markets are stripping the community markets of their age-old identity.
In my view, these traditional community markets should be preserved as heritage sites, an idea the United Nations through UNESCO promotes. The United Kingdom also accords certain buildings and sites such heritage site status. The sites serve as bridges between the ancient and the modern. With all its sophisticated retail development including hypermarkets, shopping malls, and online sales platforms, the United Kingdom consciously allows and promotes the activities of small store owners. The government and the people understand that these stores are integral parts of the local communities where they operate. People visit such stalls for banter and such interactions help to foster a sense of community.
If you visit Woolwich in London, the Woolwich local market is located right in the center of the busy shopping district. The district is surrounded by big supermarket chains and other retail stores. However, in the middle and thick of the hustle and bustle of the shopping district are the small market men and women who mount their shops daily on collapsible tables and canopies and sell all kinds of wares. It’s a live-and-let-live ideology at play. There are also national campaigns in the United Kingdom to protect corner shops and small businesses. This is championed by the Federation of Small Businesses which has been the leading voice of over 5.5 million small businesses and the self-employed in the UK.
The state government may wish to look into allegations of disenfranchisement by existing local traders in the new solution markets. Not many people trading in the old community markets are accommodated in the new shop allocations due to limited shop spaces. In some cases, the rental cost of the new Solution markets is way above what old women selling Ogiri and Ukpaka can afford.
(Nworah writes from Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State)
