Faces of the Ordinary
A long-form documentary project photographing the faces and stories of traders in Accra's outdoor markets.
Faces of the Ordinary began in early 2024 as a commitment to make visible the people who sustain the city's daily life. Prince El-Sha Martey returns to the same markets — Kaneshie, Tema Station, Agbogbloshie — every month, building trust, building relationships, building a portrait of a place over time.
The project is not journalism. It does not explain or document in the conventional sense. It watches. Each portrait is the result of many visits — a relationship built over months before a single photograph is made. The faces that emerge are not the faces of people being recorded. They are the faces of people who agreed.
Selected prints from Faces of the Ordinary will enter the archive's catalogue as the project develops. Collectors interested in early access should contact us directly.