Kaya Yei
Encyclopedia
Kaya Yei is a traditional term for a female porter or bearer from Ghana
, and is a person who carries objects for others.
.
Traditional Kaya have historically, and continue in contemporary times, to be used as manual labour, exploited to transport goods to and from markets, particularly agricultural goods.
today, often in poor conditions and with minimal income. Occasionally, Kaya are brought into private homes to perform domestic tasks, and the income from private homes is at a slightly higher rate. The Kaya are often transient, and often without basic sanitation. Basic hygiene & nutrition conditions are also poor.
Loads are almost always carried in a large pan which is carried on the head of the Kaya, often only with a moistened coil of cloth to act as a buffer between the pan and their head.
In larger cities such as Accra
& Kumasi
, Kaya are often migrants from remote regions who have come to the cities in search for better employment prospects.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, and is a person who carries objects for others.
Historical meaning
The term Kaya Yei (sing. Kaya Yoo) is broken down into two words, Kaya, meaning load/luggage/goods in Hausa language, and Yei, meaning women/females in Ga language, as the role is almost exclusively carried out by females in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Traditional Kaya have historically, and continue in contemporary times, to be used as manual labour, exploited to transport goods to and from markets, particularly agricultural goods.
Current meaning
Kaya Yei still toil away in markets in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
today, often in poor conditions and with minimal income. Occasionally, Kaya are brought into private homes to perform domestic tasks, and the income from private homes is at a slightly higher rate. The Kaya are often transient, and often without basic sanitation. Basic hygiene & nutrition conditions are also poor.
Loads are almost always carried in a large pan which is carried on the head of the Kaya, often only with a moistened coil of cloth to act as a buffer between the pan and their head.
In larger cities such as Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
& Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, Kaya are often migrants from remote regions who have come to the cities in search for better employment prospects.