It’s been 3 years since my last post… Wooow ! So many things happened. I needed to come back here and share because I have so many things to say. 

“Change is the only constant in life” said a greek philosopher. 

From “what if fashion could be more than just being trendy” to “what if the diaspora has a role to play in Africa”. Always on my journey to find a meaning behind everything, I decided to share a broader perception of the world through what I see, witness and experience. 

Calling my blog “what if fashion was more than just being trendy” was all about using fashion as a tool to showcase different narratives of the continent as well as as developing African economy by creating a sustainable industry that will be able to create employment etc…

“I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.”

Kwame Nkrumah

I always felt like I had a role to play in Africa even if I was not born there but in France. As Kwame Nkrumah said, “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.” I know a lot of people around me that ask the same question “Are we, as the diaspora, legitimate to see ourselves as part of the solution for the development in Africa ?” (we will talk about that in another post.) 

If you go back to my first post, here, my journey started in 2016, at the age of 23, when I had my first job in West Africa, first time working in Africa. In reality, my journey did not start at that time. In fact, it started way before, at the age of 11. 

Let’s dig a little bit deeper so you can better understand why at that particular age. 

” We were very young, white, black, brown and did not care, for us we were just french…”

There are two particular triggers in my life. The first one being my parents sending me to a private catholic boarding school. It was for me a massive change. My environment completely changed. Before that, I used to live in an environment where colors and ethnic background did not matter at all. I never heard about such question as “where are you from ?” We were very young, white, black, brown and did not care, for us we were just french with different culture at home; “la France black blanc beur”. So from that environment, I ended in a boarding school where I became a “minority”.

In France, it is not appreciated to talk about communities. However, I have to talk about this. Something, naturally happened without any explanation. As minority, we started to form a “clique”, a group. All boarders student, from different age, at diner, we started reunited together. We used to be called “la table des Noirs.,” the black table. I know it can sounds negative but for us it was not. We loved being different and being together at the end of the day. We shared things and stories that only us could understand. The funny thing is that, we were all coming from different backgrounds. Some of us were born in Africa, coming from the elite, some of us like myself, grew up in the suburb of Paris and coming from the first generation of immigrants.

It was so interested for me to know more about Africa by being with them. It was like being closer to myself, my identity. I started to get more interested about Africa, its lifestyles and economy. I felt like I had to “return one day” (I know it’s not really returning since I never been there at that time).

“I HAVE A DREAM…”

Martin Luther King

The second trigger, was like Martin Luther King, “I have a dream,” at the age of 12. In my dream, my grandfather were passing on me an heritage. To know more about that dream, you can hear my story on the SETANAL podcast (sorry for english speakers.) This dream, is basically the start of my calling, the start of the “first” business (the very first attempt was when I was 18) I launched recently, Kazi House, the first coworking and creative space and hub that gather the African diaspora as well as creating a bridge with entrepreneurs in the continent. Our mission is to make entrepreneurship and investment easier in Africa through the diaspora. We believe that “more than a family, we are ONE”. It is together that we will be able to make it !  

Why did I start with a blog talking about fashion ? Simply, because I’ve always loved the fashion industry. I’ve never been a fashionista but I always been intrigued by fabrics, techniques etc… For me, fashion was a tool for power. I’ve always felt like I had the responsibility to use my money wisely, by buying from African designers because “your wallet is power”. Where you decide to use your money, it is where you decide to give power to ! 

Now, my world is not only about fashion, after working with small companies and organizations which the common link was using fashion as a tool to create a social, environmental and economic impact in Africa. From working in events, marketing, press relations and operating as a consultant for African garment factories in West Africa. My world has now change or evolve with the recent launch of my company, Kazi House. My world is all about inspiring the diaspora to “return” by creating businesses and/or invest in Africa. 

What you are today, is the sum of the actions you made in the past. So if you follow my story, you understand that everything I do and represent today, is basically my story, being myself ! The story of a young female with an entrepreneur spirit in between Africa and the diaspora. Creating that bridge is for me essential, necessary ! It’s like connecting dots of my identity.