Inspiring Tanzanian SHE-roes

Her hands on Approach Maida Waziri

 

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa @CarolAnande-Instagram @CarolAnande-Facebook @CarolAnande-Twitter

Maida Waziri with Hon Vice President Samia Suluhu
 as guest of honour at VoWET's annual
Entrepreneur's meeting November Last year 

Her career began in 1990, as a ‘mitumba’ sales woman. Today she’s been awarded best female contractor of the year, by former President Dk Jakaya Kikwete for five years in a row-2011-15.

She’s the current president of VoWET-Voice of Women Entrepreneurs Tanzania. A running SACCOS-savings & credit cooperative organisation called ‘Muungano Women’ that’s generated and lent over 500,000,000 Tshs to it’s members. 

She’s also the Managing Director of her own two companies, namely Ibra Contractors Ltd a level 2 contractor company as well as Ibra Enterprises her first company which currently is in the furniture & hardwood industry.

Jewellery pieces by Sekela Nyange of her brand
KusKus Jewellery

I bumped into her earlier this month inside the Hyatt Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam, at the inauguration of WAA-‘Women Advancing Africa’. 

An initiative with the Graca Machel Trust, where the former first lady to Mozambique & South Africa and first Education Minister in Mozambique, Mme Graca Machel was present. Maida was here presenting a speech on her journey as an entrepreneur, after having participated in an international entrepreneurs course for 10 months offered by the trust. 

On her humble beginnings  

“The truth is my mom suffered a lot because of poverty, so I told myself since I was a little girl, that I must succeed and I will get rich and pull women up. It’s that in itself that has pushed me to where I am today…” 

Maida had just finished her O’levels when she dived into entrepreneurship. She would buy the second hand clothes at ‘magala mission’ in DSM, then sell them off by walking house to house. In 1992 she joined a seamstress course at the YMCA college. Whereafter with one sewing machine on her sisters verandah, she began sewing clothes. 

She was in this business for 8 years, by 1998 she had 30 sewing machines with over 15 employees, many of whom she had taught. It wasn’t by mere luck that she achieved this as during this period she diversified into the food & transport industry. Running a daladala & three taxi’s, as well as owning cows and selling milk plus venturing into fisheries.  

Jewellery pieces by Sekela Nyange of her brand
KusKus Jewellery

She was the first woman to operate a motor boat at the Dar ferry, which would collect fish from Mafia Island in Zanzibar to be sold in Dar es Salaam. The transport business didn’t pan out and Maida stopped the fishery venture because she didn’t relish water traveling. A little surprising, not her aversion to water travel rather that she didn’t leave this part to an employee. 

It’s here that we glean of Maida’s resilience “I’ve found to succeed in business you yourself have to know the work, when your employees realise you don’t know the work. They will harass you, so my ‘fundis’ know I am a seamstress, in construction that I started as a labourer. Which is how I can correct them, tell them let’s to do this, let’s do that…”

On combating challenges…

Maida cites the challenges she’s encountered are many, some opened her eyes to solutions that would propel her business to the next level. 

Jewellery pieces by Sekela Nyange of her brand
KusKus JewelleryJ

“They say information is power, when I heard there was a tender from the government. I knew I couldn’t apply without having a company, so at first I used someone else’s company to apply. In this period when I used other people’s companies. 

I got conned, I even recall the first job where this happened. When I supplied mosquito nets for the State House, they took all my money. I then used someone else’s company, I was conned again. It was simply a hustle so I finally decided to register my own company, ‘Ibra Enterprises’ back in 1998…”

Valuable lessons like this enabled Maida to climb up the ladder, though it has to be noted that she’s as well overcome her challenges by being a visionary. Her diversification into other businesses while she was running her seamstress venture is one example. 

From left; Maida Waziri, Mme Graca Machel &
Emma Kawawa-Head of New Faces New Voices-TZ
a network within the 'Graca Machel Trust-GMT'
that enabled Maida to participate
in the 10 month entrepreneur's course 

This constant eye she’s attained in looking for ways to better her products, ensured after registering her company back in 1998. She was now onto making seat covers & uniforms. Soon she was supplying the same for the government, it’s here when she was the main supplier for govt car seat covers for the litany of government cars used during our late Mwl Julius Kambarage Nyerere’s funeral. That she made her first substantial profit and bought her first private car.

On working as a female in a male dominated industry, she highlights that many times she has had to prove herself to a client, who wouldn’t believe in her abilities just because she is a woman. As well she finds it frustrating to compete with foreign companies who are invited to respond to tenders in the country. Who have better access to tools and labour, “Many of our skilled workers in construction in the country are working abroad, for there’s better opportunities there. The result is the remaining few in the country are expensive, plus we have to import a lot of our assets …”

Earlier this month Maida Waziri with former first
Lady Mme Graca Machel at the Hyatt Hotel
 in Dar es Salaam, where the forum
'Woman Advancing Africa-WAA' was launched

Perhaps the bigger challenge that she’s faced is access to finance “You can go to the bank to ask for a loan of 1 billion Tshs, then be requested to give collateral to the equivalent of 1.8billion…”

Maida proclaims in frustration, she has managed to overcome this challenge through networking, her connections with the government after winning the female contractor of the year. Plus her philanthropy through the initiative VoWET that saw the vice president Hon Samia Suluhu, gracing the organisations second women’s entrepreneur summit last year. Means she’s had access to various opportunities that afford women businesses a way forward.

Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs…

“They say in entrepreneurship there’s three things, skills, opportunities and reward. The first two have serious challenges but I encourage women to be brave…As an entrepreneur you have to have three eyes…”

Maida further ascertains that it’s important to set personal goals for yourself and know you can achieve them no matter what. Maida up until she was running Ibra Construction Ltd, had only an O’Level certificate and a certificate from YMCA. 

She however didn’t get bogged down by believing she didn’t deserve to better her financial status, so she learned from the ground up by building her business step by step. 

Today she’s put herself in school and holds a degree in Business Administration from CBE-College of Business Education in DSM. She also advices women entrepreneurs to get into the habit of saving & reinvesting their profits.

You can hear her story in her own words here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8u_-ESC9nw&t=219s

Anna S. Manyanza on the limelight in Kiswahili Literature

“Mama Huseni hakufurukuta, alibaki amesimama kama kichuguu cha mchwa. Macho aliyakazia kwenye kaburi la Odette. Jicho la kushoto lilipesa, mboni ilikuwa kubwa kama ya punda…” 

Lines from the debut novel that won the ‘Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature’ taking first prize in the prose fiction category, in 2015. Written by Anna S. Manyanza titled Penzi la Damu, here a scene describes vividly the reactions of Hussein’s mother. Whose legs now frozen as an ant’s hill, with her irises bulging like those of a zebra are fixed on Odette’s grave.

Anna is on a thin list of recognised women authors today, who are lighting the torch of Kiswahili Literature. A mother of two she was born and raised in Tanga, Tanzania. She’s currently living in Switzerland, in January this year her book was officially launched. At the prize giving ceremony for the 2016 winning authors, of the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili prize. 

Extreme right, current chair on the board of the mabati cornell
prize Abdilatif Abdallah, Ahmed H. Ahmed,
Mama Salma Kikwete, Anna,
Hussein Wamanya & Idrissa H. Abdallah

It was only launched this year as the award accepts submissions in manuscripts, the winning manuscripts like Penzi la Damu. Within a year go on to get published courtesy of the award. Hence Anna’s book is now available in stores all over East Africa, through outlets of the ‘East African Educational Publishers Ltd-EAEP’ including TPH bookstore & Soma Book Cafe in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

She’s also an author of the short story ‘Lucia mtoto wa Mama’ published in an anthology by EAEP, as well she’s submitted another short story for the Commonwealth Short Story Competition this year titled ‘Cafe D’afrique’. She’s currently working on her second novel that is set in war times.

On the catalyst for her writing

Anna relays that it was upon her grandparent’s death that she recalls the pull of storytelling tugging her heartstrings. “I realised…I could no longer ask them to re-tell those wonderful stories, they orally passed on to us.”

From left winners of the 2016 Mabati Cornell literature prize,
Ahmed H. Ahmed, Hussein Wamanya &
Idrissa H Abdallah posing with 2015 winner Anna S Manyanza

She adds that as our oral tradition is quickly fading, for the griots are not finding a conducive culture to pass on their knowledge & tradition. Its then up to present storytellers to record our stories. “When the griot is no longer there, it’s as though a whole library has burned down…maybe this motivated me to become a writer.” Plus in her children she affirms, is where she finds much of her current passion as a writer. 

On Penzi la damu’s potrayal of women

Anna’s debut novel has robust female voices that are complex and honest to their experience. ‘“Japokuwa mie…” alitafakari kabla ya kusema. Vidole vyake vilivyopakwa hina nyeusi ungedhani kavichovya kwenye lami mbichi vilipagapiga kidari chake kilichojaa.“Japokuwa mimi nilifunga ndoa ningali samaki mbichi sana, nilimpenda mume wangu mwenyewe...”’-Penzi la Damu 

Jewellery pieces by Sekela Nyange from
her brand 'KusKus Jewellery'

Here in the novel we see her painting the rich motions of local Tanzanian women debating on the street. In the novel we’re taken through real episodes that relay pertinent issues like gender based violence, education for adolescent girls in lower income households and their plight when they seek employment particularly as domestic workers. 

The novel as well goes to highlight the Stockholm syndrome that finds many women treating other women harshly. “On women undermining other women, it may have to do with the fact that women by nature are extremely competitive…” 

In her novel Penzi la Damu, Anna is more explicit as to the complex reasons for this. Like in the scene where we see two wives of the same husband, aggressively combat each other by a slew of swear words and physical altercations that see both needing medical help. From this and other scenes painted in the novel, you get a more colourful reason as to why women undermine each other. 

On the importance of writing in African languages

Being Tanzanian and having grown up in the country, Anna shares “Kiswahili and Tanzania are identical twins, which is why writing a story in my mother tongue was just a question of time for me…” She goes on to share the proverb from West Africa that goes ‘Until the lion learns how to speak, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter’

She continues that we as Africans are the lions in that proverb, so until we roar and speak for ourselves…. We are squashing the diversity & depth of our own footprints. “When I decided to share my story through this unique language, it became a process of home-going and homecoming in one.”

On winning the Mabati-Cornell award

Anna gifting the Ambassador of Kiswahili on the continent
and Previous First Lady to Tanzania Mama
Salma Kikwete with a copy of her book

Anna confirms feeling very happy, “It was a validation of the hard work and commitment that I had given to this work.” Which she began writing back in 2005 after delivering her first child & completed it in 2013.

She goes on and gives the quote by Toni Morrison which goes “If there’s a book that you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it…” She’s glad that in her own small way she’s contributing to that book that’s seldom written by Tanzanian women in fiction particularly in Kiswahili.

“We have been silenced for many generations but things have to change now and change happens by examples. That is why I would encourage women to come forward and be heard.”

On her favorite African authors

Anna’s writing has been influenced by African authors such as Miriam Tlali. Abdilatif Abdalla, Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, Shaaban Robert, Leopold Senghor, Bessie Head, Boris Boubacar Diop, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Joseph Kizerbo, Aniceti Kitereza, Buchi Emecheta and Ken Bugul.

Sekela's small steps to KUSKUS

It didn’t jump out but its presence kept pulling you in, we’re at a party. I am having one of those quick hello conversations with a friend, somewhere the lines drift and I mention. “I love your necklace…” She replies “Oh this, there’s this lady who makes them you can follow her on Instagram…”

The lady in question is Sekela Nyange, she is the owner of jewellery brand ‘KusKus Jewellery’ based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Her journey into her craft is spawned with daring & inspiring anecdotes. That have landed her with a business a little over a year old, that’s already broken even having sold over 700 pieces.

On the early days…

Sekela was trained with a BA in Business Administration, towards the end of 2015 she quit her job in the corporate world. After like a month of having no work commitments she was itching to do something.

“I thought what can I do to keep myself busy. I never really entertained the idea of jewellery making before. Though my perusals online found me one day saying, Ah why don’t I try to make that. I didn’t know where to start, people I approached at first weren’t as willing. So I went back online started on youtube…”

Her journey ensured with time she ventured downtown into Kariakoo in search of her tools. “I went to the Maasai who do beadwork and asked them where they get their raw materials. Some told me, some didn’t I recall the first day I got into a bead shop, I only had like 20,000 Tshs…” she laughs.

KusKus takes form…

She then began by making beaded bracelets & earrings as she found she could do this. “I got to it slowly and then started posting them on Instagram. A few people started to ask how much for this, how much for that and I thought ok perhaps, I can do this for real…”

She then worked up the nerve to branch into necklaces “I again approached some Maasai  bead workers and asked if there’s anyone willing to teach me. Some were ok with it but at a steep price… One day I was at the Mwenge afro-curio shops with my sister, she was shopping for her friends. I veered off and went on to talk to one of the vendors.”

She asked him if he knew of anyone who could teach her how to make beaded necklaces, the man knew someone and called him out. “ He was like yes I can teach you, but you’ll pay this amount for a month.” She agreed for a week’s lessons then went on to attend the classes. “From the first day I understood the basic concept of putting beads through the thread and weaving it around…” 

She goes on to add that once she knew the basics, she saw that it’s one’s own creativity that singe the piece’s statement.

On improving her craftswoman skills

Though she was ok in being able to make pieces like the ones taught by her first teacher, that are much like the ones available in various afro-curio shops around the country. She was eager to improve her work. 

“In April’16 I bumped into Linda Kitete on Instagram she’s a jewellery designer and she also teaches, I called her up she told me she has classes every Saturday.”

Sekela was keen to upgrade her products to an international standard, so she attended the classes for a month. Whereafter she felt confident to continue brushing her skills online and from reading jewellery designing journals/magazines. Now posts of her pieces were gaining more popularity and soon after her schedule was filled.

On her keen eye for style

I learned Sekela does have a background in art, turns out during her O’Levels whilst studying in Botswana. She encountered the subject ‘Fashion & Fabrics’. Which is a variation of needlework and progressing through Secondary school is an essential tool for venturing into all aspects of Fashion Design.

She however recalls not taking the lesson too seriously, that her inspiration for style is anchored in different things. “I gain a lot from looking at other jewellers, the web opens doors to accessory designers from all over the world. 

I am pushed by them to keep getting better, otherwise I get my inspiration from a lot of things. Like the way people dress. Take your grey, black & orange outfit, I’m thinking cream would go there nicely. So it’s a lot of things, nowadays I even walk around with my book. I don’t want an idea to come and just go…”

On the business challenges

“I am definitely looking to employ more people in the future, so far if I sleep early it’s 1 am with my young Son, I have to be up by 6am. It’s hectic now I try to close shop by Saturday so I can be totally off on Sundays.”

KusKus has grown entirely from social media marketing, with word of mouth customer referrals enhancing this approach. So far the results are favourable but as Sekela attests there’s more to be done, if she’s to grow and make this business sustainable. She’s started by training one more female staff to assist her in production.

“I am still trying to invest more in the marketing of our brand & products. Also aligning my books so I can link up with favourable financial institutions, that could provide me with skills and or loans to further my business…”

How the name came about

Sekela wanted to name the brand after her son whose name has the initials KK, so she thought to name it KK. Her husband dissuaded her from this advising it’s too boring a name, much more suited for a security firm. Which coincidentally is a name for a security firm in East Africa. 

“So one day we went for breakfast somewhere in Masaki, we were talking about food. I was telling him I hadn’t had couscous for a while. He was like what is couscous, I went online to show him pictures. Then we went to a supermarket and I proceeded to show him. He then was like why not call your brand couscous?”

The rest as they say is history, she added that for her couscous adds flavour to a meal. Thus her brand KusKus looks to add flavour to your style.

Pieces at KusKus range from 5,000Tshs to 80,000Tshs with the majority being necklaces going for 35,000Tshs. Sekela urges young entrepreneurs like herself not to be discouraged by the rat race, but to keep on trusting their creativity and work to improve their skills day by day.

You can follow her on Instagram to make an order https://www.instagram.com/kuskusjewels/

These articles were first published with The East African Newspaper with links below

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/International-Women-s-Day-Celebrating-EA-heroines/434746-3868108-item-9-yregqvz/index.html

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/International-Women-s-Day-Celebrating-EA-heroines/434746-3868108-item-2-yregr3z/index.html

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/International-Women-s-Day-Celebrating-EA-heroines/434746-3868108-item-9-yregqvz/index.html