 There are so many Africans living in the diaspora who are looking forward to their set move to the continent. You've been here, you've experienced Africa. If you have a message for them all, that message be. I would say do it. Just do it. Plan. But just come out and do it. Any regret so far? None. I want to say it's a pleasure reaching you and thank you so much for inviting me into your shop and it's moving to offer them now a movement. You know I think it's it's just time it's just the time because everything is just coming together. It's like a dream it's you know it's just it's just something that you just wondered to yourself how did this happen but there's more to this than we can actually see there's something else going on there's a vibration going on there's something much more powerful than any of us you know this is not a coincidence this is not a casual move this is something else that is going on events that are occurring people waking up realizing that you know Africa has so many opportunities a place to be persons who are like yourself who are going making us more aware of what Africa has to offer. If you ever watch my first episode on Namibia I stated vividly that Namibia is Africa's most underrated country you know why I said that because Namibia is not what I expected so I think it's all coming together. What really inspired you to move to Africa? That's a great question. It just kind of happened during the quarantine somehow watching lots of lots of YouTube videos on Africa I don't know why it just happened that way. You know when things just come in your thread you just start so I consumed a lot and then I got the idea from one of the I guess influencers they said you know before you move in you need to visit first you know so I said why not just go ahead and visit just go ahead and do it and so I just scraped everything up together went ahead and did it I came here and to Gambia to the Gambia and it was a very good experience. I want to move to Africa and try it I mean I'd rather go ahead and do it than 20-30 years down the line I wish I had you know. So how long have you been here long? I arrived here at the end of October of 2021 so not that long for months. And within a short period of time what have we been able to establish in the Gambia? Wow I have opened this business that we're sitting in and it's called Oasis Grocers and Emporium and I've been here since January of open for months so it's I'm getting accustomed to the flow of how things occur here in the Gambia and learning about you know getting my inventory and those things that you know basic for putting the business together. Is it like a wholesale purchase or you can't buy one and just walking and buy one and go or it's a whole sale. You're just walking and buy one and go. Just like a mini market and Emporium if you you know once you I can take it around it's not just food or your household goods I also want to have crafts in here maybe some items that I gently used and bring them here as well so that's the Emporium portion of it you know you don't know what you can find. Remember what really inspired you to start something like this in here. Desire to open a grocery store and for what I was like what did it come from I was like where did that come from and then I remembered that from my family on my mother's side they had a store and I don't call it same kids and it was like the main grocery store really back back way back in the day I guess you could say the 50s or so something like that. So I'm thinking maybe it's just my blood to be a merchant I don't want to do that. Is it safe to live in the Gambia? Walk everywhere catch the taxi sometimes it's night so I don't feel like something is going to happen to me. You still have to be aware I mean that's just normal but it's pretty safe. Cost of living is it expensive to live in here? I think it depends on the person I think if you want to look at cost of living if you're looking at housing that's really a major reduction because you know everything you pay for everything up front and so that takes the stress off of you know I'm going to meet my mortgage I'm going to meet my rent for those of us who may be in a situation and that is done it's clear and when you look at even though it's big up front to pay monthly it's not that much. My other thing is electricity that depends on the person I don't spend that much on electricity and you pay it beforehand so you kind of think about it. I don't have a water bill yet so I can't tell you about that. Internet is internet you know you're going to pay for that but I think all in all just the way things are operated it makes you take pause and think do I really need this so you can start seeing the benefits of it. So in a word yes it's more economical but it all depends on you. What has been your best challenges you moved to the country? The first thing that came to my mind is getting around not that it's difficult but when I first came I was kind of spoiled because I had a taxi driver that I connected with he gave me his card and when I needed to go something he was very punctual and you know came pick me up etc etc so it was like I lived the taxi life but not the same as you know standing out there and you got to jump from taxi to taxi to taxi. So if I had to say that that was challenging I can't really think of anything that's major challenging I can repeat some of the same things that people say but it's not that challenging for me. Someone said I should ask whether living in Africa are you living or surviving? Oh I think I'm living. You're just living yeah it's not just surviving and I think you also have to plan because that's a viable piece yeah that can exist if you don't if you don't plan if you just move on emotions and sometimes we do that I understand the feeling of wanting to go back to Mother Africa. Oh my god that's fine but you got to gauge am I just moving on emotions only or am I going to use my rational the rational as well you have to plan how am I going to sustain myself organized you know so. My final question what are the kind of opportunities that do you think the diaspora returning in here can grab as soon as they get to the continent? I think anything you wish for really I know a lot of times in the states we say we need to unify and come together and keep our dollars together this is where it can actually play out whatever idea you have or whatever skill you have this is just like a you know in Gambia I think on the whole I'm sure but specifically talking about Gambia it's a place where you can actually try it out and then you have a community of persons here who understand what you're trying to do. So that's folks who can patronize not just support but patronize you have a wonderful family of Gambian people local people who are open and welcoming here so you're just in a very good space to try whatever it is that you want to and you don't have to start out big you can start out little with whatever whatever you just try it. Do you think I need a lot of money to start up a business in Africa? If you want to start a sanitation business that might require some big funds a big transportation business those are things like infrastructure things that require lots but no I think if you like here in Tafmati Bumal like in Bufi Gardens you pay your monthly rent which is not very expensive you buy your supplies or your things that you might ship and bring with you anyway and you can just begin so it's not anywhere close if I were to do this in the United States it would take 10, 20 times as much to invest I believe or from what I research than what I invested here. As I said this is Oasis Grosso's Emporium because we deserve the best okay and I say we deserve the best because their little stores of other folks like in the states for example and it might be in the black community and they don't value us. You're going in it's dusty and it's old stuff and I say that's why I say Oasis Grosso's Emporium because we deserve the best okay. So in here I have different items if we look behind you to the right we have our personal items and we have bathroom tissue your deodorants and your fresheners and your shampoos etc. On this front table which I love this is just a mixture of items that we have this is the Emporium piece okay. We have school supplies, different books related to education, craft, we have some beautiful crochet bags and hats and then this book over here which is dear to my heart. If I can give a shameless plug before I let you go I'm going to teach you myself. Seven tips for bringing out the reader in your black child. I wrote it myself so that's why I'm going to give a little plug on that. So over here we also have some of that what I want to put here are the things that you would grab for baking, grab for lunch, grab for dinner. So the shelves aren't totally full yet but I'm going to continue to fill them up as I progress because I've only been here one month. Over here is your quick grab stuff. You know your water and your drinks and over here is your snacks. This is quick grab here. Quick grab. How much is in the water? $20. $20. And then your little snacks over here are something really quick. So I want to see if I have $100 and see what can I grab in here. I just grabbed water. $20 is gone. $40. $60. Yeah. Okay. That's really nice. $100. You know, we need to support our own. This is the only money that I have in my pocket. You are so sweet. We thank you so much. I got to frame that and put it in the water. There are so many Africans living in Russia who are looking forward to visit both to the continent. You've been here. You've experienced Africa. If you have a message for them, what would that message be? I would say do it. Just do it. Plan. But just come on out and do it. Any regret so far? None. You didn't even tell me your name? My name is Janaki. Janaki. Janaki. I want to say I'm to Janaki. Thank you so much for everything really. I appreciate your time and time. You know what? I want this shop to be a diaspora shop. Or maybe if you are watching this video and even from the Gambia. I want you to shop here. And you know how I always say, it buy force to support an African business. So this is located right here at... The Bruford Gardens Taft Mediba Mall. It's right on Coastal Road. And we're in booth number 16. And if you would like, you can also see a little bit about us on my website. It's www.aquariusschoolforkids.com. And when you go on the shop section, click the Gambia. And then you'll see a little bit about the store. Thank you so much for talking to me. Thank you so much Brother Wodemaya for taking the time out to just visit a humble shop. Thank you.