Gambia Photo Album


Vendors at market
Serekunda, 1993

The women in this picture are selling food items such as onions, potatoes, pepper, bags of sugar, etc. at the side of the road in an open market in the urban area. Although there are quite a few shops and super markets throughout the country, especially in the larger towns, most household items and almost all food items are bought and sold in the open markets in both the urban and rural areas. Serekunda, which is not far from the capital of Banjul, is one of the largest open markets in the country.

Open markets in Africa provide rich stimulation for all the five senses. The sights, sounds, smells, odors, and interactions with people can seem overwhelming at first, but are exciting and memorable. It is hard to catch the hustle and bustle of an open market in a photograph. In fact it's a bit risky to even take pictures in a market because you never know when someone might object to having their picture taken.

submitted by Andy Lyons


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