Mercato Market in Addis Ababa
The largest market in Africa
In the centre of Addis Ababa lies one of the world’s largest open air markets; Mercato,
the largest market in all of Africa. This market has been in existence from the early
1900s, however, during those times, it was much smaller. When the Italians came to
Ethiopia in the 1930s, they named this market Mercato, which means market in Italian,
because it was the market they used at that time. Ever since then, Mercato has been
expanding, making it known that any- and everything is found within its compound.
Before going to the market, I was warned that two hours would not be enough to see
anything and that I needed to spend the entire day there to really get a true taste of
Mercato. And they were right, the two hours I spent there felt like ten short minutes. This
market consists of an almost infinite number of sections devoted to all kinds of items. It
has anything you desire from exotic fruits and spices to all kinds of cheap electronics.
You can get everything from grains, spices, clothes, ironware, pots and pans and baskets
to name just a few. I was overwhelmed with what I was seeing; Mercato is an amazing,
crowded place with never-ending hidden pockets to discover. You can find all kinds of
jewelry and carved crafts, different kinds of western and traditional clothing and shoes as
well as all kinds of household facilities. Everything has its own section and the only way
to get yourself around this place is by letting the products be your landmark. This is what
I did as I made my way from the spice section to the traditional clothing and jewelry
section. I was quite impressed to see and learn that it is very safe in this neighbourhood.
Unlike other markets in some parts of urban Africa, where jewelry stores are usually
locked until a customer wants to come in, in Mercato, the jewelry stores stand open. Once
I saw this, I knew that it was safe.
In the past, Mercato was filled with sellers, who set up their shops on the ground or in
stalls, most of which were open air. It is not that case anymore as more and more
buildings are mushrooming. I was told that the Ethiopian government is trying to develop
the market and organize it better, which means that the traditional stalls and open air
sections are slowly being demolished. I visited a spice section, where business is still
conducted the traditional way in the stalls and open air only to find out that within weeks,
this place will also be demolished. There are two sides to this development movement.
Buildings and better organization will facilitate movement in and out of the market and it
will enable everyone to find their way easier. At the same time, this means life changes
for all the people, especially the sellers, who have to conform to the new developments if
they want to continue running their business there. When I was walking through the
narrow and filled alleyways of a very small section of the market, I thought about how
with all this change taking place, Mercato has retained much of that busy, African market
feel. People are everywhere, some are bargaining and others are organizing and
reorganizing their stores, while trying to get customers to visit their stalls.
Nowhere in the world can you bargain as much as in Mercato, where the prices are
already cheap as it is. With $45 CND in my purse, I was impressed with what I had at the
end of my two hours. I must have gone to 5 different sellers in total to get what I bought.
Here is my bargain; a pair of authentic Ethiopian leather sandals for $5, a tradition
Ethiopian shirt for $7, an Ethiopian T-shirt for $4, a traditional Ethiopian dress for $15
and lastly, a bunch of beaded jewelry for $14. It’s a good thing that this market does not
accept debit and credit cards because it is a very addictive place. It can actually make you
empty your bank account because everywhere you turn and everything you see is so
attractive that you want to buy it, even if you may not need it. I was mostly impressed by
the art work that I saw, all kinds of decorations that were in the form of carvings and
paintings. As I walked from stall to stall, I looked around and observed just how women
were running a lot of the market. They set up their shops really well and they know where
to find everything in no time. These stalls are typically packed and I was surprised to see
how they just knew where everything was. Another interesting observation is that if one
seller does not have the size or colour that a customer needs, she can ask her neighbour to
see if she has it. Although these are individual businesses, there are a lot of crossovers
and interaction between the sellers.
Although more buildings are being erected in this busy market, this market is still
traditional in all its senses, especially in the sense of bargaining. Most of these stores do
not have fixed prices and this allows endless bargaining to take place, where the customer
usually wins. It was good to see two worlds coexist in one world, if I may say so; where
more and more people have set up their shops in buildings, yet in some parts of the
market and on streets, you are bound to find single sellers trying to make ends meet. I
saw quite a few sellers on the streets who were selling everything from fruits to socks and
belts. I can certainly attest to one thing about Mercato; it does have everything you can
possibly want from all parts of the world. I don’t think one could ever get tired of
Mercato because not only is it constantly changing, but more and more things are poured
into this market. It is upon you to find exactly what you want; the only condition is that
you need to have the time to go from alley to alley. This market truly does cater to
everyone irregardless of social class; you can find the richest people here and those that
are struggling to make a living. It is the most happening place in Addis Ababa, especially
during the weekend when people take advantage of Market Day. My short visit to
Mercato taught me that when it comes to bargaining, you have to do your best to lower
the price, even if it all seems an unnecessary effort for a few birrs (Ethiopian currency).
Many people say that in Mercato, “you can bargain for anything – even a new soul!”
Link
Business Curriculum
MultiMedia
-Video
 Overview of Mercato Market
-Pictures
 Mercato1: The open air spice section in the market
 Mercato2: An alley filled with stalls selling everything from jewelry to crafts
 Mercato3: Women running their business
 Mercato4: Clothing store on the street in the market
 Mercato5: An alleyway filled with all kinds of commodities