Most stores in Africa are independently owned, extremely small, have either second hand products or have identical products to their neighboring stores. Unfortunately, most store that were of any substantial size was not owned by Africans, and were instead run and owned by foreigners. While not only striking a bad chord with the people of Africa and being the source of Asian prejudice, this aspect of African life is only harshened by the reality that good jobs are very scarce and there are plenty of people lined up for jobs. For example, in an Indian owned large grocery store that was smaller by a half when compared to a normal American grocery store, there were over 80 employees out on the floor who outnumbered customers 3:1. These employees were paid a pitance at $65 a month. Outside the grocery
store, other most likely less lucritive jobs including multiple sowing machines on the sidewalk where tailors patched old clothes, a man charging people to be weighed by an ancient scale, and those street
food venders selling hard-boiled eggs. According to one tour guide, jobs (including his) are generally considered extremely unstable in Africa and no one expects a job however good to continue for very long. This fatalistic perspective is no doubt reinforced by the lack of tightly knit community ties between the non-African shop owners and their low-paid employees. My appreciation of the stability of American jobs for many was greatly enhanced and I only hope that the same will come to Africa in short order.
Here is a picture of the grocery store:
Education, education, education!
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