This is an article I was tasked with in a feature writing course I took. Through this assignment were tasked with picking someone who owns a small business and interviewing them. After this interview, we were to write a profile article on the person.
I struggled with this at first as I was unsure of my journalism skills. I didn’t know if I would ask the right questions or get the proper information for a decent article. Through the course, I was able to learn skills such as how to make the interviewee comfortable and how to lead the conversation in the right way in order to get the proper information.
I picked Zainab, a young entrepreneur and a fellow TRU student who owns the restaurant Afrofusion. I was inspired by her story and this course allowed me an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
A FLAVORFUL BLEND OF CULTURE
Filling up the streets of Kamloops are individuals from all walks of life. The stream of international people in the city is what gives Kamloops its intrigue. It is undeniable that there is a distinct excitement for people to travel. The sheer ability to be able to witness new cultures and people’s way of life is amazing. The high rates of tourism prove the fact that humans love to place themselves in new situations. To see how other people live and indulge in the ways other people do things.
When one thinks of culture, a big part is traditions, clothing, music, and food. While the other factors prove themselves to be an important aspect in learning about other cultures and ways of life, food comes out on the top. Food is an important part of culture. Every culture has their own unique blend of spices, and these create dishes that stand out to foreigners. The foods people grow up with influence the ways they view other foods.
“Food itself manifests as an art” Zainab would remind me on a chilly Thursday afternoon. We sat in her restaurant whose bright yellow walls and native decorations spoke volumes. There was a soft sound of African music playing on the surround sound systems and the array of televisions played different African movies.
Food is a form of creativity that some have a grip on, and others just do not. I nodded in agreement to her statement remembering the numerous pots I had left blackened and charred after many weak attempts at trying to recreate meals my own African mother had shown me.
Some cultures settle for simplicity. Quick meals thrown together. A bread bun with a grilled sausage for example. Top it off with some ketchup and mustard and you have one of Americas traditional foods. A hot dog they call it. Zainab recounted to me a story of her first-time visiting America as a child. She saw the ease that came with the meals and thought to herself “these are my kind of people”. However, it did not take long before her body started feeling as though it had not had a proper meal in days. So, she began a search for the closest African restaurant she could find. There was a distinct shine in her eyes and wide smile on her face as she remembered finding one and finally getting what she called proper food. She had developed a newfound appreciation for her culture’s traditional cuisine.
“I pity your future husband”
Words Zainabs father had made to her in jest of her cooking skills. There is a certain culture shock that comes with not understanding the Flavors from other cultures. When you grow up around a certain type of food, you tend to develop a preference for that cuisine. The experience of travelling to learn about a culture and missing your own pushed Zainab to learn the art behind her culture’s food.
Zainab is a young woman from Nigeria. Nigeria is a huge country. There are 371 different tribes in Nigeria alone. Each of these tribes have their own diverse cultures and cuisines. Nigerian foods are unlike that of the Americans. While Americans seem to focus more on ease, Nigerians focus their menus based on taste and health. There is barely if any Nigerian food that you will be able to make with 3 ingredients. Nigerian cuisine tends to be complicated. Many have said Nigerian food is not just to be made with an end goal of having a meal, it is to be made with love. This they say is because of the amount of patience, time, and attentiveness that one needs to finish the meal.
Despite the many challenges that would come with it, Zainab decided that summer to learn. And she did. Before long she found herself being able to put together some of the most complex Nigerian dishes. Little Zainab had no idea that that choice would impact her life in the future.
Zainab had made the move to Kamloops for the same reasons most people do. She had moved for school. There are many complications that come with being an international student. One tends to feel out of place because you now must learn to adapt to a new way of life. The ways people tend to deal with the homesickness is by surrounding themselves around things that remind them of home.
People tend to make friends from the same culture. This is what Zainab had done as well. She felt this level of comfort around them because they could understand her. They had walked a comparable way of life and were now also transitioning just like she was. Being African and surrounded by Africans their main topic of conversation was the fact that they missed the taste of home. Kamloops had a lot, but it lacked options in the African cuisine department. So sometimes Zainab would test her hand at cooking some traditional foods for her friends. This helped her fine tune her cooking.
Zainab made mention of Eid as she is a proud Muslim woman. Eid is a celebration that marks the end of the month log fasting period called Ramadan. Muslims everywhere in Kamloops would come together to celebrate with feasts. Zainab would bring her meals round to share and celebrate. After getting amazing reviews she decided why not make it a business. She had clearly begun to master her art after all and as a student any extra flow on income is always welcome.
It was with this decision that Afrofusion was created. In the kitchen of her little one-bedroom apartment, she began a business. Zainab was extremely soft spoken; it would not take an expert to hear the nervousness in her voice and deduce that she was an introvert.
However, her tone turned to that of fondness and joy when she spoke about the humble beginnings of her restaurant.
Zainab expressed her shock at the almost instant growth of this home project. The shock was understandable since she had come to Kamloops to chase a nursing degree and career. There was no part of her that had every considered owning a restaurant. The activity around her home business was undeniable. She was unable to avoid it anymore. So, with the profit she had gotten from her home business, she decided to make it official and move Afrofusion out of her room.
November 27th, 2021, Zainab Oladipo officially opened her restaurant. There was a line round the block a whole hour before her official opening time. There was a clear opportunity for success. Her business was clearly needed in the society.
Small business BC awards was the next challenge for Afrofusion. After being open for only a few months, she had made her way onto the list of nominees. Zainab mentioned that she had no hope of winning. After all she was new in the field and had just opened a few months prior. Frankly, being nominated alone and being put on a list with other well established small business in the whole of BC seemed like enough of a win for Zainab. So, when it was brought to her attention that not only had Afrofusion made it onto the list, but she had won top 5 out of hundreds of businesses, it was like a dream she never realised she had come true.
“It brings me so much joy” Zainab explained when the pool of tears building up in her eyes was pointed out. She blinked numerous times as she adjusted her head scarf to sit properly round her neck. “To know that I have been blessed with this opportunity where I can share my culture on an international platform, and it be appreciated. All I had coming to Canada was a box of clothing and my identity as a Muslim Nigerian woman. And now I have created this business that will hopefully be my legacy. My own impact in the world”
Zainab Oladipo created a space where Africans in Kamloops can come to feel at home. She provides an experience that many miss after making the move to a new country. Zainabs story is one that prove you do not have to change who you are in order to succeed. By being herself, she was able to create an environment where people like her feel welcome.