I want to vist African tribes, can i buy stuff from them?

Escrito el 9 de January del 2009 por jane.

If you've been I would like you to answer.
Can you take a guide with you to translate and so you can buy stuff from the tribe members lie Spears,masks all that stuff?

It seems your concept of tribes is a bit outdated. Nowadays they may still be living in huts, but have radios and mobile phones. And their cultural displays are mostly for tourists like you.

In most West African countries , there are specific villages where artisans produce arts and crafts , like Bonwire in Ghana, where the famous Kente cloth is manufactured.

All said, no harm in visiting villages, but you'd be better off to look for your souvenirs in specialized markets, like the Treichville market in Abidjan/Côte d'Ivoire or Marché Sandaga in Dakar ,Senegal.

unless you end up in very remote area, a translator is not necessary if you speak the official language (French or english)
in villages, you will find a school teacher or one of the villager who will speak the official language.
please respect people!!!! follow the proper protocol.
In villages, ask to speak to the elder of the village. the "chef" will come with a translator. do not ask for trade immediately but engage in small talk (how is the village, how is the crop, how are things going...and spend some time doing that).
Accept drink or food if presented (be careful though)
when it's time, ask what you want from them. negotiate but be fair!!!! do not rob people. some craft take them an awful amount of time to make so trade fairly.
if you want very specific items, follow the tradition and offer sacrificial gift in exchange (in west africa, they'll ask for a sheep, you can get away with offering a white chicken)
don't be surprised if you are introduced to the "witch doctor". he will be a respectable member of the village and may take over the negotiations.
having said all that, most market in towns will have mask, spears, scupture, woven cloth and other craft that you might be looking for so start there and do your primary education with the market traders. they can reveal a lot of valuable information.

sure you can buy anything from them. They are very friendly people and would apreciate your buying very much

When I used to live in Botswana we used to trade with the locals for goods like masks, stone figures and cloth and things like that. We would ask them first how much something was and then say would a bag of clothes be enough for a trade. So they would get things they could really use like warm jumpers good jeans and such which didn't fit us anymore and in return we got some really nice souvenirs. we found most of the traders were very happy with this type of deal. But you might have trouble bringing a spear back through the airports! But you need to remember that sometimes this is peoples only source of income and you need to respect that.

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I want to vist African tribes, can i buy stuff from them?