“African, my hometown friendliness” ring to it and you are immediately transported back in

time and space to your own backyard as it were – reminiscent of your own very hometown;

this is the case with this marketplace of rich history located in the heart of Accra, Ghana.

This is even more true for a first-time Nigerian visitor to the popular commodity market at

the heart of Accra because the familiarity is not just in physical architecture, human

mannerism, or the hustle and bustle typical of markets across West Africa, but rather from

the very mention of the name, Makola.

KNOWING MAKOLA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Makola, located in the Central Business District in Accra, the capital, is a market bordered

on the South-East by old Accra; James town and Ussher town – former colonial

administrative seat and home to Ussher fort and the lighthouse. About 200 meters away from

the market, you will find the final resting place of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr.

Kwame Nkrumah. Opposite the Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum are the judicial courts and

parallel to the market, about 100 meters away is the Ghana Law School. The Makola

market also stands next to the fairly-used clothes market, Kantamanto which is another

bustling commercial centre. Also about 50 meters away to the south is Opera square, the

marketing hub of the creative industry – the filmmakers. Moving further south for another

100 meters one would burst onto a major and arguably the second most popular commercial

street in Accra (second only to Osu-Oxford street) which is lined on both sides by banks

and insurance companies headquarters.

The market is strategically located for workers because it is also close to a major bus station,

Tema Station, which means that most workers can always shop during lunch time or after

work. In addition to the name Makola, another likely cause for nostalgia is the buzzing of the

Yoruba language all over the market. The name Makola certainly has a Yoruba ring to it and

thus seems to have a Nigerian identity, but the origin of the name is contrary to the

expectation of many. Looking around the market, one is bound to notice old structures that

bare names like Alawiye house and Braimah or Perigrino-Braimah house and that, in a way

answers the question on the choice of name for the market, a market with a long history of

ancestral importance based on a migration that began in the 19th century, in the days of the

old Gold Coast. About 50 meters away from Makola market is the popular street, Cow lane

where the actual history is of the market can be said to be rooted.

BACKGROUND HISTORY

The real story around Makola market can be traced back to late 19th century; it is a

cumulative tale of the resettlement and migration of two different ancestral lineages borne out

of varying intentions but crossed purposes. The first of them being Chief Braimah, an astute

politician and successful businessman who was forced to relocate from his ancestral

hometown, where he had his business empire and lived his entire life when politics took the

wrong turn for him. History has it that during a chieftaincy dispute in his hometown of Ilorin in

Nigeria, he had supported a family that lost the Kingship and as a result, he was banished

from the kingdom and sent on exile. He then set on a journey in search of a new abode and

as tradition demanded, he would not stop until he located another town very far away that

vividly matched the description given to him by the gods he worshipped. He travelled for

several months and didn’t stop until he arrived in Accra – a place that matched the

description of his gods in the 1870s; he stopped to settle here and was warmly welcomed by

King Tackie Tawiah.

Upon arrival in Accra, King Tackie Tawiah recognised the opulence of Chief Braimah which

was judged partly by the size of his family, the cattle he brought with him, the number of

servants he had and mostly by his lavish attire and general comfortable appearance. As a

result of his substance, King Tawiah absorbed Chief Braimah into the society in a part of

Accra called British Accra. Chief Braimah and his family settled on a piece of land on Horse

road, which is today home to the General Post Office in Accra – this land was later

purchased from him by the British administration to put up a post office which is now the

General Post Office in Accra today. He took a third wife, a returnee slave named Fatima

Opebi, a descendant of the Perigrinos; this gave rise to the name Perigrino-Braimah which

the Fatima Opebi lineage uses today.

The establishment of the Makola market itself can be nailed down to two major activities that

the Braimah family was engaged in. Firstly – having taken proper root in Accra, Chief

Braimah, established a flourishing meat selling business due to his large herd of cattle for

which he became known as ‘Braimah the butcher’. It is said that his activities as a cattle

rearer informed the name of the popular street “Cow Lane” in Accra. Secondly – Chief

Braimah was a man of many parts as he was also a Kola merchant; his two Yoruba wives

however engaged in petty trading, a tradition amongst Yoruba women. So some years later,

other Yoruba families arrived from Ilorin, Ogbomosho, Ejigbo, etc and typically, the women

joined in petty trading.

A market naturally and gradually developed from these two major businesses or trading

activities which over the years has grown into what it is today.

While there are several contradictory reports of the origin of the name of the market, one

version stands out above all others and the account has it that after the British had acquired

the initial settlement of Chief Braimah to make way for a post office, he and other Yorubas

around him had to resettle on another piece of land, which meant further expansion into

hitherto undeveloped areas. They all resettled in an area close to what is today known as

Zongo lane which at that time was more or less “Virgin Jungle” and rather “Swampy”; a

place where the residents had to deal with the menace of snakes and other wild animals. The

story goes further to say that at that material time, the colonial administration was having

problems with the Ashanti Kingdom for which Captain Glover; a British Officer enlisted

about 600 natives made up of Hausas, Baribaris and Yorubas into a police regiment for an

assignment. After the completion of their assignment, Captain Glover’s disbanded the

regiment and the disengaged officers were given accommodation in the same vicinity as the

new piece of land acquired by Chief Braimah where they contributed to the safety of the

area by hunting down these animals. It is said that at night these officers would visit the

resident Yorubas and Hausas and say to them “Ma Kola”, which means Kindly give me fire

(charcoal fire) and over time the area became known as Makola.

Another account of how the name came about says that the name is derived from the Ewe

expression, “Makpola” which means “your eyes only” or “come and see” or “seeing is

believing” in Ewe tongue. This is however arguable based on the limited contributions of the

Ewe tribe to the Ga community of British Accra in the nineteenth century.

METAMOPHOSIS OF THE MARKET

What is known today as Makola market started as a small market close to the sea, and was

at that time called London market. Accra was a smaller city back then and had not extended

to its present location. Trading was carried out by both the Yorubas and indigenes – the Gas.

As the city expanded, the market also expanded. From London market, it became Selwyn

market, then Salaga market and later Makola. The migration of the market was part of a

developmental plan by the then British authority which would put up new markets as the city

expanded and at times to appeal to the indigenous beliefs.

The Selwyn Market Phase of the Metamorphosis – At a point in history, superstitious beliefs

were attached to maternal deaths in some Ghanaian villages and towns. In Larteh for

example women who died during labour were thrown away with their surviving babies

because it was believed that keeping such a baby would bring a curse on the society. These

practices also existed in Accra where such mothers were thrown into the bush and swamp –

a practice which Dr. Sir Selwyn Clarke, a Physician representative of the then King of

England found very repulsive, inhuman and unacceptable.

Sir Selwyn consequently instituted an executive order for the immediate cessation of such

ghoulish and primitive practices as well as ordered for complete obliteration of the area by

filling the swamp. A market was finally built at the spot in honour of the dead mothers, but

for superstitious reasons as would have been expected, “Makola market” was unappreciated

by the Ga inhabitants who boycotted the market stalls in its entirety. The market stalls were

as a result taken over by other tribes from other parts of the country. Sir Selwyn then went

further to build another market to appease the Ga tribal groups at the former Slave Market

spot, Salaga -Salaha market.

The earliest demolition in history that Makola market faced was as a result of a natural

disaster – an earthquake in 1939 which meant that some parts of the market (if not all) had

to be rebuilt.

Up until early 90s when the market was engulfed by fire, Makola was divided into two parts,

Makola number one and Makola number two. The incineration of Makola number one was

touted by a section of the public as a strategic move by the then government to claim

ownership of the market as it was a major trading centre. Incidentally, traders were relocated

to make way for a renovation; the market was rebuilt and named the Makola Market

Company. During the reconstruction process, the traders were relocated to what is today

known as Agbogloshie market. Majority of the previous tenants could not reoccupy their

stalls at Makola as bigger and more expensive structures had been put up.

On 8th of September 1997, Makola Number Two market was finally demolished to make

way for the completion of the new Makola shopping mall. This came after weeks of protest

by the market women; first was resistance to relocate and later lamentation on the cost of

acquiring stalls at Agbogloshie. Space allocation at the market ranged between GH¢48 (N4,

800) and GH¢400 (N40, 000), not minding these hiccups, the Agbogloshie is another

thriving market today.

Sometime in August 1979 Makola market (Selwyn market) had faced a similar demolition

following the June 4th uprising, which brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings to

power. Selwyn market (possibly named after Dr. Sir Selwyn Clarke), was identified as a hub

for Kalubuley (another name for trade malpractices) which typically was plagued with looting

which however did not stop the traders from carrying out their daily activities. This only

pointed to the fact that an expansion or extension was required so most of the traders moved

to another part of the market, “Makola number one” which is now known as Rawlings park.

MAKOLA MARKET, REMINISCENT OF THE PAST

This might be the fourth generation of traders in Makola and surrounding markets, some of

whom are Yorubas and Hausas from Nigeria and their descendants. But one tradition runs

through, these women still sell herbal products, cooking ingredients, fresh meat, iru, beads,

clothes etc. They celebrate occasions the same way it’s done back in Nigeria; roof top head

gear and Aso Ebi during weddings, Iya Loja and the typical buzzing in the market.

I have a word of advice for any Nigerian visitor to the market: “Be careful of what you say

no matter how badly provoked;, you just might be insulting a distant relation of yours who

could be the descendant of a great-grand aunt or uncle of yours who left the shores of the

country on exile some hundreds of years ago.