All’Ombra del Baobab: a dream come true for two refugees from Mali
Demelle Bobacary and Fofana Soma Makan are two refugees from Mali and in May 2014 they opened All’Ombra del Baobab (lit. ‘Under the Baobab’s shade’), Trento’s first African only delicatessen and artisan shop.
“When we first arrived in Trentino, there were no stores that sold African groceries which meant it was really hard if not impossible to cook our typical meals”, Fofana explains. The initial idea of opening all’Ombra del Baobab was therefore to satisfy that primary need for a growing population of African refugees in the region. “We wanted to make sure other refugees from African countries would have a taste of home despite being so far away” he goes on.
Both Demelle and Fofana independently left Mali as teenagers and first found employment in Libya, respectively working as a warehouse worker and in a pasta factory. When the civil war broke out in Libya in 2011, they had no choice, stay and fight or escape via the Mediterranean.
They arrived in Lampedusa in May 2011 and were transferred together to a refugee camp in Northern Italy, near the city of Trento. There, after obtaining their refugee status they tried to start working. “There wasn’t much work around, not even for Italians -Demelle tells me- we did a few jobs here and there but they were all very precarious.” They would work a couple of months and then be sent home because there was no more work.
“When you have no parents and you’re home two or three months at a time, it means the State constantly needs to support you. We’re young so we decided to take the risk”, Fofana says.
They enrolled for a European sponsored project called ‘Re-lab: Startup your business’ aimed at refugees in Italy who intended to start a business in the country. Out of the 50 business plans that came out of the project, 13 were selected for funding, between 10 and 15 thousand Euros, and All’ombra del Baobab was one of them.
“The project helped us with the initial paperwork and the fixed costs of opening our business, like buying shelves, fridges, a computer, a cash register and things like that — they tell me- but all the rest was up to us”. And it was not easy. They didn’t speak the language very well, they didn’t know the country or all of its laws. They also had to buy all the products themselves and hope the investment would pay off.
“We started out with a very limited selection of products and slowly expanded by saving up and buying something like a new item each month” Fofana explains.
But since its opening, All’Ombra del Baobab has become so much more than just an African deli shop. “It is a meeting point, where Italians can come and discover different types of African products and Africans of all nationalities can find a piece of home away from home” they add.
This probably explains why, despite the never ending difficulties, All’Ombra del Baobab is slowly finding its own place within Trento’s economy. Their clientele is equally divided between Italians who usually go for the handmade products and Africans of different nationalities who visit the deli section. “We are still not able to satisfy all the needs for specific food requests- they tell me- but it’s a gap we hope to fill soon”.
There are a few other stores in Trento that sell non-European groceries and there is the Italian Fair Trade chain store (‘Equo e Solidale’) which also sells many African artisan products but All’Ombra del Baobab is still the only one that sells both products in the same place.
To make the matter even more interesting, all of their products come directly from African cooperatives feeding into a small but growing sustainable economy in which quality and justice sit alongside each other. All of their merchandise is in fact certified in accordance with EU standards.
But the truth is Demelle and Fofana’s mission extends well beyond simply selling African products. Their intent is to create a long lasting relationship between their country, other African countries and Italy. “There is more to us refugees than what the media describes. There is more to us than just tragedy” Fofana tells me. This is why All’Ombra del Baobab is also very active in the promotion of refugee integration and African culture. They organize communal meals, public lectures, project movies and so much more where they explain how they got to Italy and why.
“There is more to us refugees than what the media describes. There is more to us than just tragedy” Fofana tells me.
At these events the first thing they usually do is explain the food they are about to eat. “Food is at the basis of everything -Fofana tells me- we all need food; it is the most simple expression of our culture and who we are. But food can also unite us, it brings families together and it can create new families.”
For the future, Fofana and Demelle hope to grow, extend their selection of products and be more involved in the import-export industry between African countries and Northern Italy. But more importantly, they tell me, they want All’Ombra del Baobab to be at the center in the promotion of African cultures in Italy.
“Here in Italy, compared to other countries like France or the UK, we constantly see our products and our cultures being presented by someone else. As Africans, we want to be active promoters of our different cultures and traditions” they add.
The main problem they are currently facing is dealing with the continuously changing legislation and norms. It is incredibly frustrating. There is always some new law that contradicts the precedent, they explain. “And so much paperwork you can’t even imagine” Fofana laughs pointing at the different copies of certifications they have hanging from the wall. “It was and still is only thanks to the help of friends, volunteers and the Re-lab project that we made it and can keep going” Demelle adds.
Nevertheless, without undermining the incredible importance of the help received from friends and volunteers and the necessary initial boost received from the Re-Lab project it is the motivation and determination of these two young men which is at the basis of All’Ombra del Baobab’s slow but growing success.
“Despite there being still many difficulties, there is no way we’re ever going to give up — they tell me- we’re too committed. We want to show that we can do so much more than what people think we can do and that our cultures and traditions are just as important as European ones.”
And then Fofana adds, as I am about to leave, “ I really care about this shop, I think it has a good potential to create bonds between people”. And it already has.
Photo credit: All’Ombra del Baobab facebook page
To learn more about All’Ombra del Baobab, their products and their events, check out their facebook page
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