porto novo/kashkul/collect

when you are selling new merchandise in a market in benin,
you don´t need a sign-board or an advert in a local newspaper,
you need a gongoneur.
the gongoneur is a market crier with cowbells, a profession that is very much alive even today. two days before the intended pop-up shop we hired such a man and he turned out to be an indispensable and exhilarating part of the project, as well as a customer and friend.
on the night we met him, he was given the choice of the gold plate and the kashkul to take on his rounds in the market quarter to promote our event. unhesitantly he selected the begging bowl and proceeded to sound his bells, accompanied by an awe-inspiring voice that strikingly told of the strange bargains to come.
on the day of the sale he was in and out of the market stall, touting the wares and munching cake from his bowl. when we visited him at home for the photo shoot, he produced the pot from several layers of plastic bags, saying to himself:
"I have to guard this well!"
I am certain that his house inspired the original idea for the mockingbird lane mansion in the munsters tv series. enough said.
behind it stands an immense avocado tree.
it grows in the neighbor´s garden, but the fruit is said to taste like butter.
our friend could however not be easily found at home, stating too much domestic stress as the reason. he preferred to hold his naps in the nearby church