Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. secondhand
    • ex. She bought a secondhand copy of the book instead of a new one.
  2. an import
    • ex. This store sells cheap clothing imports.
  3. undermine
    • ex. Too much use of gadgets undermines students’ performance and grades at school.
  4. discard
    • ex. They discarded their old books by donating them to public libraries.
  5. superior
    • ex. I bought a bottle of wine that’s superior to other brands.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni wants to stop the buying and selling of secondhand clothing imports. Other African governments also want to stop this since 2016. They say that this business leads to waste and undermines the local clothing industry. According to a 2017 study, about two-thirds of people in seven East African nations have bought clothes from secondhand markets.

So, how were these secondhand clothes brought to African countries? These clothes are discarded by Europeans and Americans. Businesses bought and shipped these to African countries. Kampala’s Owino Market has been a popular destination for Ugandans looking for cheap but good secondhand clothes. This supports the idea that Western fashion is superior to local clothing.

However, the president’s plan has caused panic among businesses that rely on selling secondhand clothes. The association of traders in Kampala, known as KACITA, disagrees with the plan. KACITA is recommending slow restrictions to allow local clothing makers to improve their products. However, some Ugandan clothing makers admit the local fabric often lacks quality, so many would rather buy used clothing.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Superior Products

  • In your opinion, what is the most superior product that your country produces (ex. cars, clothes)? Discuss.
  • In Africa, there is an idea that Western fashion is superior to local clothing. In your country, is the situation the same? Why or Why not? Discuss.
  • Do you usually consider whether the quality of a product is superior? Why or why not? Discuss.

Secondhand Items

  • Have you ever bought any secondhand clothes or items? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think some people choose to buy secondhand clothes and products? Discuss.
  • African governments say that the secondhand clothing business undermines the local clothing industry. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Discuss.