Ever wonder what Village des Valleurs, and other second hand stores like it, do with all their extra clothes??? They pack it up and ship it to Africa.
While exploring the Lilongwe, Malawi markets, I found stall after stall selling western clothing with the tag from Village des Valleurs (VdV) still on many of the articles. I don't know the whole value chart yet, but it starts with:
We drop off all our unwanted clothes
VdV then packs up what doesn't sell and pays for the container and shipping
In Africa, various countries receive the containers
Don't know exactly what happens in the exchange...Who receives it? How is it distributed?
Street sellers buy wrapped bundles by categories (blankets, t-shirts, pants...etc) at ~ 15 000 to 30 000 MK (~150 MK = 1$ CND) without really knowing what's in there
The sellers set up their stalls and people buy the used clothing with the VdV label still on it, but in Malawian Kwachas
How much of the goods goes to orphanages or schools? Unknown.
The Value chain has its pros and cons:
Pros: the street sellers have a business, clothes are "cheap", easy to find and you might just spot a sweet UBC hoodie
Cons: Textile industries are pretty much out of business and the market is flooded with these used clothes, which drives the prices down for all the sellers, meaning it's cheap for the buyers (pro) and all the kids run around with GAP and BARBY printed on their chests
There are obviously more complex pros/cons that I have yet to find and comprehend. And what would happen if the supply were to stop? Or if the supply were to increase?
A similar impact on a country's economy can come from FOOD AID if / when farmers from Canada/United States are SUBSIDIZED to the extent that it becomes cheaper for a Malawian to buy the imported rice or maize than to buy it locally. When the market prices drop, farmers can no longer make a profit; also farmers have trouble finding labourers, because it is not worth working to bring in a harvest if FOOD AID is coming.
**Photo by Duncan McNicholl
3 comments:
Thanks for writing about VdV clothing, it wasn't a prominent issue for where I was last summer, but I know it's a big deal in many places. Beautiful tie in with food aid, too, it's such a hard balance to strike and not many governments work well towards it.
It sounds like you're settling in just fine, which makes me both relieved and very happy/excited for you. Meetings already? you go girl!
xo, Mel
Fascinating! So perhaps there is hope of seeing you on your way back? Keep me posted.
Hi Jenna!
It's really interesting that you bring up the issue of Canadian second-hand clothes going to Africa... A few months ago I had seen a short documentary about second-hand clothes going from Quebec to Togo. The documentary was called "Abloni: l'export de la surconsommation", and there's a really short description at this link (http://www.telefilm.gc.ca/data/production/prod_3633.asp?lang=en&cat=tv&g=doc&y=2005)
I'll see if I can get my hands on a copy, because it brought up some interesting points, one being how it affects the market, especially in rural areas.
Hope all is well, I look forward to continue hearing your thoughts, and what you're up to.
Take care,
Luigi
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