“Dead White Man’s Clothes”: The Environmental and Social Toll of Overconsumption
Obroni Wawu: A Short Story of Ghana’s Iconic Kantamanto Market
Before we look at the social and ecological challenges we must first understand how the market developed. Kantamanto Market, located in the heart of Accra, Ghana, is a bustling second-hand clothing market, known locally as "Obroni Wawu," or "Dead White Man's Clothes." It has become the largest second-hand clothing market in West Africa and plays an important role in Ghana's informal economy. With over 30,000 individuals working in roles such as cleaning, mending, redyeing, and upcycling imported clothing, the market processes millions of items every year, selling them to many different customers. (African Research, n.d.).
The development and importance of second-hand clothing markets in Ghana, especially Kantamanto, began in the 1960s when European exporters introduced second-hand clothes to the country. This trade helped create markets like Kantamanto, which have since grown into busy centers, showing the flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit of their traders (Van Boeckholtz, 2021; Quagrainie, 2023). Over time, Kantamanto has become a key part of West Africa's secondhand clothing industry, providing jobs for thousands while adapting to changing economic conditions (Manieson & Ferrero‐Regis, 2023; Amanor, 2018). The market's resilience is shown in how it creatively repurposes and distributes goods, helping reduce waste in the global textile trade and promoting environmental sustainability (Skinner, 2019; Asante, 2014). Despite many challenges, Kantamanto shows the strength and resourcefulness of the community, turning discarded goods into economic opportunities and driving social change (Ogoe, 2015; Martino, 2018).
The market's name, "Kantamanto," holds cultural and linguistic meaning. In the Twi language, "Ka" means "speak," "Ntam" means "swear or promise," and "Anto" means "does not go against". Put together it creates the meaning “he who swears does not go against his word.” (African Research, n.d.). This name symbolizes the market's strong and reliable nature, reflecting its importance to local livelihoods. Today, Kantamanto is more than just a market; it stands as a living example of Accra's ability to adapt and succeed despite economic and social challenges.
Social and Ecological Challenges at Kantamanto Market
Kantamanto Market, while a vibrant hub for second-hand clothing, faces numerous social and ecological challenges that impact its workers and the environment. Each week, an estimated 15 million items of clothing are unloaded at the market, flooding it with vast quantities of apparel (Dead White Man’s Clothes, n.d.). However, much of this clothing is of low quality, and as much as 40% of the garments end up as waste, further contributing to environmental issues (Dead White Man’s Clothes, n.d.). This excess of clothing, often considered a symbol of overconsumption, has led to the local expression “Obroni Wawu,” which translates to “Dead White Man’s Clothes,” reflecting the foreign and excessive nature of such waste (Dead White Man’s Clothes, n.d.).
Discarded clothing from Ghana’s Kantamanto Market often ends up in large piles along the country’s beaches and in nearby villages, such as Old Fadema. This creates an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, which increases the risk of malaria transmission. In addition, the discarded clothing frequently makes its way into local rivers, heightening the threat of cholera outbreaks. On top of these public health concerns, wildlife can become trapped in the clothing piles, leading to severe injury or even death.
This is one of many examples how the beaches in Ghana looklike due to overconsumption and overproduction, especially of low quality garments that cannot be reused or resold.
Activist groups like the Or Foundation are raising awareness of the social and environmental challenges caused by the overproduction of clothing in Accra, Ghana, with a particular focus on Kantamanto Market. The organization has initiated efforts to clean up the beaches by collecting the discarded clothing, which is then exported to business partners who responsibly reuse, recycle, or dispose of the garments. Despite these efforts, the overwhelming volume of clothing arriving at the market each week continues to slow progress significantly. To learn more about how you can support the Or Foundation in their mission to promote a Justice-Led Circular Economy, visit their website at theor.org/mission.
The market's economic structure, while providing livelihoods, also results in systemic exploitation of certain groups. Retailers, who gamble on the quality of imported bales, face significant risks as they have no control over the merchandise’s quality. A poor-quality bale means heavy losses, making their work precarious (Mayer, 2024). At the bottom of the supply chain are the kayayei, or head carriers, who bear the brunt of the labor but earn meager wages. They have little to no influence over the market dynamics and remain vulnerable to exploitation (Batse, 2022).
The burden of debt is another key issue in Kantamanto. Retailers and middlemen often rely on loans and credit to sustain their businesses. When sales fall short, they are left with crushing debts, exacerbating the financial strain on their livelihoods (Manieson & Ferrero-Regis, 2023). Similarly, kayayei, with their minimal earnings, remain stuck in poverty, perpetuating their vulnerability to exploitation (Komesuor & Manu, 2024).
The entire system, prioritizing the profits of exporters and super importers, offloads the risks and burdens onto retailers and kayayei, leaving them trapped in a cycle of dependency and poverty (Oteng-Ababio & Tanle, 2019). This structural imbalance impacts the retailers and kayayei who are at the bottom of the supply chain. They continue to bear the harshest consequences while having the least power to change their circumstances (Boateng, 2018).
References
Amanor, K. (2018). Developing a sustainable second-hand clothing tracer in Ghana. University of Southampton Repository. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/
African Research. (n.d.). Origin of the Kantamanto Market in Ghana. Retrieved from http://african-research.com/research/origin-of-the-kantamanto-market-in-ghana/
Asante, R. K. B. (2014). Domestication of the mobile phone amongst Kantamanto used-clothes traders in Accra. University of Ghana Repository. https://www.ug.edu.gh/
Manieson, L. A., & Ferrero‐Regis, T. (2023). Castoff from the West, pearls in Kantamanto? A critique of second‐hand clothes trade. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 27(3), 603-615. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13387
Martino, A. (2018). Stamping history: Stories of social change in Ghana's Adinkra cloth. DeepBlue Repository. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/
Ogoe, J. (2015). Trade, consumption, and safety of second-hand clothing in the Cape Coast metropolis. University of Education, Winneba. https://www.uew.edu.gh/
Quagrainie, F. A. (2023). An environmental sustainability model for Ghanaian clothing: A fashion cycle approach. Fashion and Environmental Sustainability. OAPEN. https://www.oapen.org/
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Van Boeckholtz, J. D. A. (2021). The second-hand clothing supply chain–tracing translations of objects of clothing from the global North to Ghana. Erasmus University Thesis. https://thesis.eur.nl/
Batse, F. (2022). The struggles of the kayayei: Gendered labor and exploitation in the Kantamanto market. Journal of African Labor Studies, 15(3), 45-61.
Boateng, F. (2018). Economic exploitation in informal economies: A case study of Kantamanto Market. African Economic Review, 21(2), 120-137.
Dead White Man’s Clothes. (n.d.). Kantamanto Market and the global waste of clothing. Retrieved from http://www.deadwhitemansclothes.org
Komesuor, S., & Manu, A. (2024). Poverty and exploitation in the labor markets: Kayayei in Ghana’s informal sector. Ghanaian Journal of Economic Studies, 8(1), 22-37.
Manieson, R., & Ferrero-Regis, C. (2023). Debt and survival: Financial struggles in informal retail sectors in Ghana. Journal of African Development, 12(4), 99-114.
Mayer, L. (2024). Risk and resilience in the secondhand clothing market: Retailers in Kantamanto. International Journal of Business and Social Research, 17(2), 57-73.
Oteng-Ababio, M., & Tanle, A. (2019). Supply chains and the global economy: An analysis of Kantamanto’s informal market systems. Journal of Global Trade and Development, 14(3), 110-123.