Hamburg, Germany – February 2019

At one point, Keziah announced she was going down to the Keller [basement] and asked whether I wanted to come; I said yes. She apologised for how messy it was. The Keller ran the whole length of the house and had 2-3 rooms. In the first, there was a glass cabinet that served as an extra pantry, with cans of tuna, boxes of tomatoes, toilet paper, etc. In most corners, in the corridor and the rooms of the basement, there were boxes and bags stuffed with preserved food, clothes, etc. Keziah lifted the lid on a styrofoam shipping box in the corner to show me stuff that her mum was collecting to send to Ghana. I saw a bunch of kids’ clothes in it, and said, ‘Clothes?’ Keziah laughed and lifted the clothes to reveal layers of tinned and boxed food. In the back, largest room of the basement, there was a huge pile of suitcases stacked in the far, left corner – at least 5 high, and 3 wide (in the corner). I exclaimed that they had so many suitcases, and Keziah sighed and said, “I know! I keep telling my mum we have enough, but she wants to buy new ones. This one is new,” she said, tapping one in the middle of the pile, “and this one, and this one, and this one!” In the right corner nearest the doorway in the largest back room, there was a large, square Styrofoam box (about 1m²), and nearby, a few lime-green and grey cooler boxes in the shape almost of a vacuum cleaner with wheels. She lifted the lid on the one on top and showed me the food items in there, including packs of biscuits. She said that her mum sells this stuff. “In Ghana or here?” I asked. “In Ghana. Whenever she seems something on sale for 1 Euro, she buys it and can then sell it in Ghana for 10 Euros,” she laughed and shook her head.

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