Mbare Musika Market

Mbare is one of Harare’s oldest townships (residential area/suburbs). This location has so much historical significance as the place where many poor natives lived before Independence. It has since expanded and many of its landmark buildings are now very old.  It is still pulsating with life and it is a busy commercial centre because hundreds of traders bring their fresh farm produce daily for sale from all over the country.

A visit to Mbare will expose the visitor to the way many everyday Joes live and will be very interesting on many counts. A word of caution is crucial here, Mbare is highly populated and rife with pick pockets who pounce on unsuspecting individuals. It is advisable to visit with a guide and not wise to visit at night.
 At the Craft Market one can go for curio shopping and find many good bargains. From small soapstone statues, copper trinkets, wooden pieces, colourful wall art to impressive reed mats. There is a wide variety of wares, most of the hawkers are the designers and artists and will readily haggle but others are just resellers. Here you can also find an assortment of traditional herbs and spices sold for their healing properties. Some of them are quite ordinary but a few of the products are specialist products used as good luck charms, love potions and aphrodisiacs.