
What do people in Mali and Senegal dream about consuming? It is clear that, as in other regions of the world, people's consumer dreams vary, depending on who the dreamer is. Gender, age, education, income and whether one is from the city or the countryside are all influential. Perhaps young people dream more frequently about brand-name and fashion goods that are produced in the West and are advertised the world over, while the wants of adults and the elderly are, to a greater degree, focused on the local. The tourists visit the markets with their dreams of taking something African home with them. It is not infrequent for one to experience a situation in which local people stand in one part of the market and investigate whether a Rolex watch is genuine, while in another part tourists stand and wonder about the authenticity of the Dogon mask which they are in the process of buying. The market sellers do their best to satisfy people's dreams, but also to influence them by means of the goods they offer.
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