Goroka, Papua New Guinea; September 2007
After yesterday’s post on Borough Market in London, here is a market of a wholly different kind. This is the weekly market in Goroka in the Papua New Guinea Highlands.
Papua New Guinea is a vast country with a tiny population – just 6.25 million people in an area bigger than California. Although its coastal areas were colonised by the Germans and the British in the 19th century, white people didn’t “discover” the Highlands until the 1930s when a group of Australians went prospecting for gold. The local people saw aeroplanes before they saw cars and the encounter is nicely captured in a documentary film called First Contact. I watched the film in the Goroka home of John Leahy, the son of one of the Australian explorers and a Highlands woman.
Australia administered PNG as a colony from the early 20th century until the 1970s when the country was given independence. Today, most people in the Highlands still live as traditional subsistence farmers and the biggest cash crop is coffee. The weekly market in Goroka attracts people from all around the region for fruit, vegetables, textiles and dry goods.
The political and cultural life in PNG is far from simple but although there is more to tell, I hope this gives you a taste of this fascinating country.
This post is part of Photo Friday, a weekly blogging event hosted by Debbie of Delicious Baby. Please also check out all the other entries for the week or my previous Photo Friday posts.
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Great pictures. I love taking pictures of markets. Thanks for the info.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Alfred B. Maclay Gardens – Tallahassee, Florida =-.
Oooo this looks like my kind of travel.Markets and different foods, hand conversations with locals. Are they selling taro or sweet potato? I know PNG is super hot in the lowlands was it bad when you were there?
.-= Cate´s last blog ..Chicago’s most photographed building has to be… =-.
I didn’t spend much time on the coast, though I managed to fit in half a day of snorkelling (and yes, it was hot). It’s quite cool in the Highlands though, probably no more than 20-25C (70-80F) in the day. – Caitlin.
I love the flamboyant bananas! Wonderful photos in a location I have been curious about for some time.
.-= Lorraine´s last blog ..The Price You Pay =-.
Markets offer the best opportunities for travel photography, what a great subject! PNG is high on my wish list too
.-= Kymri´s last blog ..Kids Around the World: and speaking of puppies…. =-.
I was going to ask about the sweet potatoes/yams/taro, too.
I’m loving all the colorful yarns and fabrics.
.-= Dominique´s last blog ..Photo Friday: Motown remembers Michael Jackson =-.
PNG is root vegetable central – there are many varieties of sweet potatoes/yams and as a category it’s pretty much the staple carbohydrate for Highlanders. – Caitlin.
SOOOo cool! i love it! the colors are spectacular
.-= Jessie Voigts´s last blog ..Dublin Irish Festival, July 31-August 2, 2009 =-.
going to markets are the best experiences of all travel for me. I’m such an addict and am getting my fix weekly at the local market here:)
.-= marina k. villatoro´s last blog ..Edward Scissorhands Escaped and Was Found in Zarcero, Costa Rica – Photo Friday =-.