After dinner the other night, I owe a small amount of money to the local restaurant as they didn’t have enough change to give back from a large bill I got from the money exchange. The exchange rate from euro to West African franc is 1 € = 650 CFA meaning that my wallet is thick with 10 000 and 5 000 CFA bills which, ironically, puts a cap on my spending. The prices of the local vendors are low and so is their income. Due to this, they rarely have enough money to give back for small purchases. 

Today, I have been successful and managed to obtain a few coins from Café Karo to take back to the restaurant and pay my dues. The restaurant is at the center of the Grand Popo, with an average meal costing from 1500 to 3000 CFA (2.3 € - 4.6 €). To compare, a small plastic bag filled with my favorite oily buns from the street vendor costs 500 CFA (0.8 €) and accounts for two (very unhealthy) meals. Food in Grand Popo is cheap by Finnish standards but the prices are hefty for some of the locals, especially those with lower incomes. Over the past years, the food prices have soared here as well, resulting in some of the locals cutting down to one meal a day. Usually, it is dinner, which is culturally the most significant meal of the day, as the whole family gathers together in the evening to share.

I find it difficult to grasp what it means to not have enough food, and so do many of the other tourists. The differences in life experiences between the locals and the tourists create misunderstandings and hurt feelings. As the locals are thinking about getting their basic-level needs met such as medical care and having enough food on the table to feed a family, we are worrying about obtaining exotic experiences and entertainment. It’s a fertile ground for exploitation. Sometimes it occurs unintentionally, as the lack of personal experiences makes it difficult to understand the real motives and needs of people, it becomes easy to make the mistake of assuming the needs of others similar to our own. 

Letters from West Africa

Day 9. Money

On my walk to the restaurant, a pre-teenaged boy joins me. First, he would like to know if I’m already married or have children, and then he asks if he could have my number. Cheers, Anna