Obronis Join Ghana’s ‘Kanta’ Culture: Locals React to Foreigners Buying Clothes on the Street

Obronis Join Ghana’s ‘Kanta’ Culture: Locals React to Foreigners Buying Clothes on the Street

  • A Ghanaian man spotted two white foreigners buying second-hand clothes on the street and reacted with loud surprise
  • The video showed the obronis picking out clothes beside a busy road, which was unusual as this is typically done by locals
  • Ghanaians online reacted with humour and surprise, comparing the scene to thrift store culture abroad and charity shop experiences

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Many Ghanaians were left confused and amused after a video surfaced online showing two white men buying second-hand clothes in the streets of Accra.

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A Ghanaian man shares the moment two Obroni men stood by the roadside trying to buy second-hand clothes in Ghana. Photo credit: Nii Okine. Image source: Facebook
Source: Facebook

As could be seen in the video, the obronis were standing alongside a busy Ghanaian street, selecting and fitting the clothes in the market catalogue. The sight was so unusual to him that he called them out several times.

"Oh, hey! Really? The Obronis are buying second-hand clothes. What has happened? Look, look at the Obroni buying clothes," the Ghanaian man yelled loudly.

The video captured a lighthearted moment where the local man appeared fascinated to see foreigners participating in a type of informal trade typically associated with Ghanaians and Africans at large.

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Watch the surprising video below:

UK market seller speaks Twi

In a similar story, a Ghanaian living in the UK shared an encounter with a white food vendor who could speak Twi fluently.

In the video, the vendor conversed with his Ghanaian customers, marketing his goods, which ranged from chicken, meat, and yams. He busily traded using the Ghanaian dialect.

Twi, spoken by over nine million Ghanaians, is Ghana's most popular language. It is used in daily communication, business, and cultural traditions.

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A UK-based Obroni speaks flawless Twi while selling to his Ghanaian customers. Photo credit: Vidash5509. Image source: TikTok
Source: TikTok

He could be heard calling yams 'Pona,' a variety of yam native to Africa and highly valued for its taste and texture among Ghanaians.

He also used terms like "apuskeleke," an original Ghanaian term initially referring to the counterculture of young women who engage in relationships with older men for financial gain.

The video published by Vidash5509 on TikTok gathered over a million views.

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Watch the video below:

Reactions to obronis buying second-hand clothes

YEN.com.gh collected reactions from Ghanaians who watched the video on Facebook. Some of the comments are below.

Famous Lion wrote:

"I think they're looking for their missing clothes."

Afia Nkosoohemaa commented:

"All of you don't know that they call it thrifting over there. Plenty people go to thrift stores and buy Gucci for $10 if you are lucky. 😅"

Agyeiwaa Mensah said:

"We have charity shops and what I call 'kanta' (car boot sales) all over the UK, and we literally compete with them folks. 🤣"

Azelina Moyo commented:

"Here in Zambia, you find a lot of them in these thrift shops. 😄"

Obroni women board trotro, share experience

YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that a group of white tourists shared their first-time experience riding a trotro in Ghana.

In a trending TikTok video, the excited travellers documented their late-night ride, from boarding the bus to bonding with local passengers.

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The tourists admitted to feeling nervous but were thrilled by the unique adventure. They were surprised to learn fare payments were made to the mate, not the driver, and ended the trip with smiles and the caption, “We survived a trotro!”

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Oluwadara Adebisi avatar

Oluwadara Adebisi (Human Interest Editor) Adebisi Oluwadara is a Human Interest Editor who joined YEN.com.gh in May 2025. He has over six years of experience in press release writing and journalism. He graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology. However, he was mentored in journalism and became a certified journalist after completing the Google News Initiative courses in Advanced Digital Reporting and Fighting Misinformation. He can be reached at oluwadara.adebisi@yen.com.gh