Yeah, it's really bad.There's a really interesting episode of Unreported World about the secondhand clothing market in Ghana.
I knew it wasn't a great idea, but it's much worse than I thought:
(A few years back, a friend of mine decided to get in on the action and shipped a container load of clothes to Ghana. Except that he didn't check it and it turned out to be mostly table cloths ....)
Good article thanks.
The charity shops cannot resell all that is donated, so they sell on to businesses that ship containers to other countries. There are also those places which buy clothes by the kilo. I went to see a sorting place in the Midlands once - they were sorting into hot/cold country stuff, but obviously if you sell by the kilo, then you will be inclined to include the crap too.Why are so many second hand clothes being sent to Ghana, is that just what's being 'donated'?
When you've got a moment, watch the Channel 4 programme I linked to. It follows one of the vendors.The thing that I wasn’t expecting in kantamanto is how it’s all (not all but a lot) sorted into categories, like one person only has white cotton clothing one has kids sandals one has a small handful of ‘designer’ gear. How that distribution happens I don’t have a clue.
I was listening to BBC World Service with a Sierra Leonean guy one time, and the big story was Mugabe banning the import of second-hand underwear to Zimbabwe. The Beeb took the line that this was the latest madness from the criminal mastermind of Harare, but my S/L contact was saying, "hang on, he's right".The charity shops cannot resell all that is donated, so they sell on to businesses that ship containers to other countries. There are also those places which buy clothes by the kilo. I went to see a sorting place in the Midlands once - they were sorting into hot/cold country stuff, but obviously if you sell by the kilo, then you will be inclined to include the crap too.
I was always uneasy about it and even had a vague plan to go and set up a little clothing factory in Ghana at one point, but I wasn't aware of how much was just dumped.
Some African countries have banned the import of secondhand clothing.
My ghanaian friends were quite worried about me going to places or buying stuff on my own but tbh this is a million times safer than most places I've lived.Feel free, but my advice is over ten years old. bimble is far more up-to-date. And reading stories of their trip reminds me of why I love the place. Slightly amused by your South African mother worried about your visit. It's 100 times safer than South Africa.
The charity shops cannot resell all that is donated, so they sell on to businesses that ship containers to other countries. There are also those places which buy clothes by the kilo. I went to see a sorting place in the Midlands once - they were sorting into hot/cold country stuff, but obviously if you sell by the kilo, then you will be inclined to include the crap too.
I was always uneasy about it and even had a vague plan to go and set up a little clothing factory in Ghana at one point, but I wasn't aware of how much was just dumped.
Some African countries have banned the import of secondhand clothing.
Would be great to see some more photos when you're backI'm on the plane going back now. I had an absolutely amazing time.