50 AED = 28 cedis [GH₵] (March 2013)
With our 28 cedis in hand, we start out in Labone (the neighborhood where NYU Accra is located) to pick up some kelewele for lunch: it shouldn’t cost more than a cedi or two. Kelewele is basically just spicy fried plantain chunks served with some tomato gravy on the side.
Now that we’ve been nourished and have some energy, we take a walk over to Global Mamas in Osu, where we can pick up a couple of yards of fabric for about 15 cedis. Global Mamas is a local store that stocks all kinds of handicrafts made by Ghanaian women. They sell everything from bags to hand-made soaps to clothes to fabric. They even sell accessories for dogs!
Now that we’ve finished up at Global Mamas, it’s time to put that fabric to use. We head back to Labone, where we visit Marjorie, the neighborhood seamstress who will help us design a pair of shorts or a skirt for about 10 cedis. On the way home, we stop by Auntie Mary at the fruit stand to pick up a delicious, ripe pineapple for 1.50 cedis.
And there is our day in Accra: we’ve explored the neighborhoods, eaten some tasty local treats, picked up a surprise for our puppy back home, and gotten some “bespoke” clothing—all with a little bit of change still left in our pockets.
[Photo credit, kelewele: africanfoodie.wordpress.com; photo credit, fabric: http://s3images.coroflot.com]