Just a Normal Day at the Mall – in Africa

There’s this mall here in Ghana, most people call it ‘Shoprite’ after the big WalMart-esque store that dominates one side of it. A lot international kids see it as a bizarre space, a little piece of America falsely transplanted on African soil, either an oasis of luxury or a sad symbol of globalization. But it’s here. A real space in a real part of Ghana where real Ghanaians work, walk through, and shop.

The presence of this mall begs the question: which is more authentic – the mall that sells Puma bathing suits, cell phones and Nutella, or the stalls that sell the traditional drums, koras and tantabens that most Ghanaians don’t know how to play?

Bet you can guess what I'd say.