Purchasing Food and Fabrics
3 May 2012
This is a difficult part of the preparation and I always easily get depressed as we have to purchase food from five or seven different places locally: Pak Foods, Sharif and Sons, Costco, Farmfoods, Sainsbury's, B&Q and LIDL and finally the London markets, the only place in the UK where we get fabrics and a good quality of frozen traditional African food - Hard Chicken, Cat Fish, Red Fish, smoked chicken from France, salt fish and fresh vegetable from Africa also fresh cassava bread made of cassava roots.
I should like to point out that I am doing this work with the contribution from Peter Walker, Community Relations officer, who makes all of this possible through his hard work and commitment to the community.
Peter said: "I know my place in these tasks. It is at these times, Betty comes into her own: she knows exactly what she is about -and drives a hard bargain wherever she trades, paying only a reasonable price for the best food and fabrics. When we finally get to the market place in London, you can believe I am totally ignored as a white man amongst women who know what they want and how much they are going to pay - it is especially interesting to watch the African women talk about their fabrics and come to agreement on price. I have much to learn about negotiating".
"I visited the markets in Dakar, when I attended a conference in Africa in March 2011, and when buying fabric there, told the traders that I had five Congolese wives, and that if they miss-sold me any of the fabrics, I would be in trouble. They all thought this was so funny, and it enabled me to feel a part of them, which was unbelievable. When bargaining in Africa, there are no fixed prices as so much depends on how you are perceived, and in how you present yourself. I found below their passion to negotiate and 'do a deal' they were all warm and embracing".
For more information about this Community News story, contact Betty Phoba, Chair of the Voice of Congolese Women, on 07428 679333.
