Faraday Citichat 8 March 2002

CITICHAT 9/2002 - 8 March 2002


Faraday


Gave an Australian visitor a whistle-stop tour of the city this week. Something that intrigued him particularly as a first time visitor to Africa was the muti (traditional medicines) shop in Diagonal Street with its degutted monkeys and baboons, snake and bird skins hanging from the ceilings and its brightly coloured glass jars of ground herbs. We didn’t have time to take in the muti market on the southern boundary of the city but I had occasion to visit it a few days later. There are probably as many as a hundred specialist informal traders who have made the area under the M2 elevated highway their trading home. The informal market that they have created stretches down Faraday Street and is truly a reflection of the city’s African character.

Here there are the dispensers of traditional medicines, the traditional healers, the inyangas and sangomas. The dispensers, or informal pharmacists, either travel extensively in order to maintain a stock of relevant traditional medicines or have contacts spread throughout the country and neighbouring countries. What constitutes traditional medicines? Animal products such as skins, heads and bones which are used mainly for warding off evil spirits after being ground and burnt and then herbs which are generally ingested to combat impurities in the body. But there is also counselling and herbs for those who need help to improve their financial situation, for their confidence when being interviewed for a new job and for their sexual ability. There is a large market for natural remedies and I understand that most of the traders in the area make a pretty reasonable living.

The Faraday Station Special Facility Project is being planned to recognise (I think that better encapsulates the objective than ‘formalise’!) the activities of the area by providing good facilities such as waiting and consulting rooms for the traditional healers and dispensers and also for the display and selling of their products. But it will also acknowledge and provide facilities for and consolidate the other formal and informal activities in the area related to taxis, buses and rail. The ‘Special Facilities’ therefore include:

1.Facilities for commuters, taxi operators and drivers

2. The market for traditional medicines and consulting and treatment rooms for traditional healers.

3. A general informal trading market.

4. A precinct or neighbourhood centre including offices for precinct management, meeting and training rooms for health workers and for environment and conservation, a visitor’s and security centre.

5. Public open space with a small retail component

6. Environmental upgrade of existing pavements and provision of new pedestrian spaces, safety measures and amenities.

7. A taxi industry service and retail centre with formal retail space for spares and parts, services and food.

8 Residential accommodation.

There have been extensive consultations with all concerned and this promises to be an exciting recognition of one of the city’s unique attributes.

Referring back to the ‘whistle stop’ tour, what really invigorated me again was the sheer energy that has started to pulsate through the city with numerous projects underway. Newtown, in particular, is quite a beehive of activity. With ever more projects being planned, more inquiries being received, the city is becoming an area of real economic opportunity and growth

Regards, neil.