Submitted by Drissa M Traore

This recording was captured at the market in central Bamako, Mali. Also known as the Pink Market (on account of the colour of the buildings), it’s one of the most lively and vibrant attractions in the city.

People start arriving at the market every morning at 6:00 am to set up their stalls, and they generally stay until 10:00 pm at night. Within an hour or two, the market fills up with customers, and the place gets packed. You can wander down a labyrinth of small alleyways lined with small stalls, and the sights, smells - and especially the sounds - are intense.

In this recording you can hear vendors talking through megaphones to advertise their products, often shouting out the word ‘’Promo!’’. Others clap their hands to attract attention to their wares. Some vendors play the Djembe drum and shout out the names of their products. In the backgound, you can hear the horns of motorcycles. The people walking around with plates on top of their heads or with products in their hands are mostly working for store owners, because many of the shops are located in the back alleys and can be hard to find. In this photo, you can see a man pushing a cart. We call this cart a “push-push”. On any given day you’ll find lots of push-push men offering to help stall and shop-owners transport their goods to and from delivery trucks and warehouses.