Kienyeji: The Case for Locally-Made Products

John Kavyavu

Kienyeji: The Case for Locally-Made Products

By John Kavyavu

John Kavyavu is the Founder and Director of Maarifa, a project of Mavuno.  Mavuno’s mission is to alleviate extreme poverty in rural areas of North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  One Day’s Wages is currently partnering with Mavuno to support entrepreneurship training, host business expos, and establish a cooperative where entrepreneurs can sell their products.

***

Kienyeji.  It’s a word in Swahili that means local or traditional.  However, it’s become a pejorative term as foreign-made products increasingly infiltrate markets in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  From a young age, it’s entrenched in our minds that imported goods are better than local goods.  Over time, this has chipped away at the creativity of our own artisans and small-scale manufacturers, and the strength of our local economies. 

This mindset can be traced back to colonial times when Europeans came to be considered as superior.  To be considered évolué – a French term used by colonizers to describe an African or Asian who “became European” through education or assimilation – you had to adopt European names, food and clothing.  Today, this perception persists as goods imported from China in fancy packaging are assumed to be higher quality.

We created the Maarifa Project to change this narrative and instill pride in our locally made products.  We build the skills of artisans and small-scale manufacturers so they can better package, display and promote their products.  We also host business expos for entrepreneurs to promote their products, and due to high demand we’re now in process of establishing a permanent cooperative store.  In addition, we raise awareness among the local population about the benefits of supporting our own entrepreneurs who in turn create employment opportunities for our youth.

Consumers are beginning to realize that some local products are actually much better quality than imported ones.  For example, locally made leather shoes will cost a little more than comparable imported shoes, but will last 10 times longer!

Supporting locally-produced goods isn’t only helpful for entrepreneurs.  It is an essential part of our collective effort to eliminate the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.  The availability of locally-made goods contributes to local and regional economic stability and peace-keeping, as more youth are able to find meaningful employment.  

Around the world, people are coming to realize that kienyeji can mean quality.  That’s our dream for our communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo too.

An entrepreneur proudly sells his handmade leather shoes that last up 10 times longer than imported shoes.