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A pharmacy

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jerome,

Bravo for tgecshot!

This is a colorful true portrait of the wonderful lady and her trade.

If these were original medicines I wouldn't like them either. When a physician prescribes, he has a 5% chance of not doing the best for his/her patient. When you choose drugs yourself, it goes to at least 40% risk of harm.

But here who knows what's in the pill anyway? The "pharmacist" has no knowledge and neither do the patients in hope of getting a treatment!

Could be a useful drug or just mixtures of outdated vitamins or hair restorer or carpet cleaner from from China or India!

Sad!


Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So far I have not recognized the location. The drugs have English labels. Nigeria has clinics and so does Ghana.

I would not be surprised to see this in a township in South Africa as prosperity is limited. But I really don't have a clue as to the location.

Asher
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
I would venture somewhere in Africa with Continental European influence.
Not India. Not China. Look at the numeral ' 7 '.

China and India, after the debacle of Teva pharmaceuticals, are some of the best generic drug manufacturers. At a much lower cost.

As to the illustrated medications...strange that they have more English/American sounding names.
And the script?

Maybe after the French/Belgians left, the British/American influence superseded the previous ' owners '.
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Maybe I‘ll let you play the detectives for a few days, although Asher could cheat and check the forum logs to see from which i.p. I am posting.

The country has official pharmacies, one is about 100m to the right. Presumably, this one is cheaper. I think that people go to their doctors and, when given a list of medecines to buy try to get a cheaper version here. All medecines bore the name of the main ingredient prominently. I would not think that the seller is completely ignorant either, she tried to sell me one of the packs with the lion head (sildenafil citrate).

I think these medecines can be bought on alibaba in bulk, but I have no idea whether they actually contain the active ingredients they advertise.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I wouldn't cheat, but try to rack my brains. I try to think of a place that has a culture that makes those drums and could have such an urban market.

This could be Johannesburg or nearby townships as there is a lot of poverty and there would be a need for inexpensive pharmacy sources.

If the drummers are from the same location, it would make sense that they do not boast the more beautiful regalia of Zulus celebrating some event.

Feathers in the drums like this is highly unusual for hundreds of drum designs I have seen. Not one had such feathers. However, if a township lacked connection with tribal tradition, then it would be easy to imagine local creativity filling that cultural void and the drums being decorated.

Of course, this could be common in a place like Reunion Island that I have never visited!

Then we could be totally off and this could be somewhere like Fiji!

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
I was a bit busy lately, but it is time I give the answer. The countries were Togo and Bénin, a tour organised for people who were members of the association called "Plan international" and wanted to visit the child they sponsored.

Plan is trying to focus on women and young girls, to compensate the disadvantages they have in these countries. This is a female football team:

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This team was quite a success.

As to pharmacies (the subject of the thread), US citizen might want to read this article.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
At last! My detective work, of course got me to "Plan", a wonderful organization that your pictures have introduced me too!

Benin is an amazing place with an incredible history! The kingdom of Benin was very advanced in commerce and culture. The lostcwax bronzes are world famous and recognized for their beauty and craftsmanship.

I have not previously seen Benin with an e-acute!

Or are there two Benins? The one I know is in Nigeria!

Ahah!! "officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa."

At least Dahomey has historical reasoning! These were the peoples that raided, beheaded and sold into slavery their coastal neighbors! Reminds me of the term "Palestinians" which popped up under Arafat in the 1960s and was applied to folk living in Jordan's West Bank, given up by the Jordanians, after their ill-advised attack on Israel in the 6 day war failed. Paradoxically, all my Palestinian friends from the area were Jews! If someone said they were Palestinian, likely they were Jews. But the Jews favored the nomenclature, "Israel" for the new Zionist state in the portion of the "Palestine British Mandate" territory and so the word "Palestine" was like a choice .com name was orphaned, up for grabs for free and Arafat took it! But now there is no ambiguity in the name "Palestinian"

However, Benin, a Nigerian state, was itself a separate rich kingdom with a long history, culture and a major state and trade center and it still exists! So why on earth create another one? Perhaps they want to distance themselves from the cruel slave trade for which they have apologized. There is no doubt, that without the raiding of African tribes by Africans, the evil slave trade to South America, the USA and the Caribbean would have been most difficult, if not impossible to carry out.

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
The kingdom of Dahomey is markedly smaller than present day "République du Bénin". The Kingdom of Benin was indeed in modern Nigeria and gave its name to the bight of Benin (basically the part of the Atlantic ocean next to the coastline). In 1975 Dahomey was renamed to the People's Republic of Benin, a marxist state. The name "Bénin" was chosen for its neutrality, after the name of the bight of Benin. The marxist state transitioned to a multi-party republic in 1989.

Dahomey was a French colony. It took quite some effort for France to fight the Dahomey Amazons, an army of women. Togo was first a German colony and then divided between England and France in 1916. The French part forms modern day Togo, independent since 1959 and still governed by the same family. There are demonstrations now to get rid of the president Faure Gnassingbé, some violent. Here the burnt down main police station in Sokodé, a predominantly Muslim city in the center of the country:

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