Behind the Scenes: Kenyan Rural Living to Health care and Networking around the world

The time has come, through this episode Black women will connect world wide. There are Black women world-wide and we want to hear your story. What are you going through as a Black Woman? How are you being treated in your country? This is the beginning of the  Black Woman's Global Society featured on "What part of the game is that". Starting with this episode Black Woman will now create a force the will shock the world!

Episode Description

Get ready to embark on an enthralling journey through rural Kenya, as we sit down with the charming and insightful Margaret. Living amidst the simplicity and tranquillity of Kakomega, Margaret gives us an unexpected perspective on wealth, as she compares the self-sufficient agricultural lifestyle of the rural areas to the market-dependent urban life. Buckle up as she takes us through her daily routine, from nurturing her farm that brims with an array of fruits, vegetables, and livestock, to her thoughts on housing and equality in her close-knit community.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn as we explore the communication and entertainment scene in Kakomega with Margaret. Experience the thrill as Margaret shares her methods of keeping in touch with the outer world, her access to beauty treatments, and how she enjoys her dose of entertainment. The episode reaches its climax as Margaret candidly discloses the healthcare scenario in Kenya, highlighting the pivotal role of local and foreign-educated practitioners in fortifying the country's medical infrastructure. She offers an upfront and compelling narrative on Kenya's battle against diseases, and how they are keeping AIDS at bay. An intriguing conversation with Margaret awaits you, promising a deep dive into an unfamiliar world of rural Kenya.

Inspirational Links
When Black Women Lead We all Win!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marianneschnall/2020/08/17/when-black-women-lead-we-all-win/?sh=242d937e4513

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https://youtu.be/zrpjaHhAaQ8

Afro-Mexican Women
https://youtu.be/zS4VSQNGr_A
https://blackgirlnerds.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-afro-mexicans/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Mexicans
 

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Another episode of what part of the game is that? Today we're going to be contacting Africa, and our episode today is black women in Africa reaching out to black women worldwide. So we have Margaret on the line. Margaret, can you hear us?

Speaker 2: 0:42

yeah, I can hear you outstanding, outstanding.

Speaker 1: 0:45

So, margaret, tell us a little bit about yourself, your name, where you're from and that sort of thing. Let's get familiar with you okay, thank you.

Speaker 2: 0:56

I'm Margaret's young west of Bissasa from Africa, kenya, one specifically in Kenya. I'm western part of Kenya and my town is Kakomega. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:12

Kakomega and tell us a little bit about your town my town, kakomega, is a humble town.

Speaker 2: 1:24

We are all the same Norwich no poor people. We are all the same level. That's Kakomega. We love visitors. It's a well developed town, yeah that's interesting.

Speaker 1: 1:41

You said we're all the same.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Yeah, interesting actually actually, by the time, the same. What I mean is, when you come to Kakomega, whether you are poor or you are rich, you are treated on the same level and what about housing? Housing. It's affordable to everyone. Also, that's in urban, but in rural, actually, we don't pay housing. You build your own home, you go to farm your own farmland, you produce your own goods, your own food.

Speaker 1: 2:24

You get it, but above the upper so you produce your own food, grow your own vegetables yeah, we'll eat fresh vegetables from the farm so let me ask you a question. Wait a minute now. So you're saying everyone there has a farm yeah, everyone has a farm.

Speaker 2: 2:56

Yeah, as long as you are in the rural areas you have a piece of land where you can farm your own good, you can produce at least something small you can put on the table. But for those who live in the urban centers they don't have. They don't farm in the urban centers actually, we only farm in rural areas oh, and you're, and you live in the rural area.

Speaker 1: 3:22

Okay.

Speaker 2: 3:23

I'm sorry say that last part again. Can you pronounce that word? Areas in Africa? What specifically in Kenya is commonly known as ushago? Can you pronounce that?

Speaker 1: 3:47

Russia ago?

Speaker 2: 3:48

I don't know yeah, something like that, you good okay, well, that was a close one.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Don't try that again okay, so you can. If you live in the rural areas, you have a farm. Now, the people that live in the rural areas compared to the people that live, I guess, in the city, yeah, how is? How are you financially? Are you more financially well off because you have land, or other people in the city more financially well off because they can afford apartments or housing in the city? Which one is, you know, more well off?

Speaker 2: 4:43

actually actually talking of being well off. People in urban areas or cities, they'll have to buy everything. They'll have that money, yes, but they'll have to purchase everything. But people from rural, they might have a little, but they won't go purchasing everything, because they can produce their own goods from the farms.

Speaker 1: 5:08

You see, so life in rural is much better compared to life in the city okay, so you say it's much better, and I can understand from that perspective how it's much better. But my question is in terms of finances, in terms of money, right, would you say that people in the city may have a larger bank account than people in the rural areas? Or would you say people in the rural areas have a larger bank account because they spend less money? That's what I'm trying to get at.

Speaker 2: 5:49

Actually, people in rural areas will have less bank capital as compared to urban, because urban, when you talk of employment and everything, you can get money faster and so you'll have a lot of money as compared to rural areas.

Speaker 1: 6:08

So, even though you're spending less because you're cultivating your own food, you don't have that amount of income to have a large bank account, but it works out well for you. Or it works out for you, let's say, put it that way it works out for you because you're growing your own food and you're cultivating and you have your own land. So it's not as you don't have to spend as much, right?

Speaker 2: 6:39

Okay, yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:42

Now let me ask you so having a farm and living in rural areas, how do you make money out there?

Speaker 2: 6:53

Actually, in rural areas, most of the money people get from the goods they cultivate. When, after the goods have reached their maturity stage, they'll be taken to the market and that's how they'll get their cash From there. The little you get, that's the amount of money you'll have. If you get much, the amount of money you'll have.

Speaker 1: 7:19

Okay, so your farm is your job as well as your business. So I guess if you have enough land, you can actually have a pretty nice bank account, yeah and also, if your farm is good, you have pretty good bank accounts. Nice, nice. And what type of things do you grow on your farm?

Speaker 2: 7:40

Okay, enough farm, there's sugar. Do you know sugar can?

Speaker 1: 7:43

Yes.

Speaker 2: 7:44

Yeah, there's maize, yeah, sweet potatoes.

Speaker 1: 7:49

Okay.

Speaker 2: 7:50

There's ground nuts and almost all types of vegetables, sort of kales, yeah, even bananas, the ground there. Actually there are just varieties of goods, yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:05

Nice, nice. And in terms of meat, do you eat meat?

Speaker 2: 8:11

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:12

And what types of meat do you eat? I guess you have your own animals as well, right?

Speaker 2: 8:18

Yeah, we do.

Speaker 1: 8:20

And what kind of animals do you have?

Speaker 2: 8:22

We have cows, we have chicken, we have pork, we have also sheep. Wow, I think those are the one red moths in this side of the country.

Speaker 1: 8:47

Wow, now that's interesting. So how often? Just out of curiosity, I'm just trying to get a feel of what it's like living on a farm. I've never seen a farm, I've never been to a farm, you know? Yeah, I've been to what we call a zoo, you know, that's about as close as we get to a farm, let's say as close as I would get to a farm. I've been to a zoo. I'm a city person all my life. So, yeah, so, living on a farm, you're only allowed, I guess, to kill animals once they reach maturity, right? Yeah, this way you can, you know, have more and more animals.

Speaker 2: 9:39

Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1: 9:41

Do you pay taxes?

Speaker 2: 9:45

On farms. No, this is my land, I own it, so I don't need to pay taxes. And yes, if I'm taking out the goods on the market, it's enough to pay the tax. But when I just have the goods on my farm, when I just like I slaughter a chicken, I want to eat it in my house, I won't pay for that chicken. It's mine.

Speaker 1: 10:06

What about when you take the food to the market? You're operating at that point as a business. Right, it's a business Wow.

Speaker 2: 10:14

So when it's reached the business point, I'll have now to pay the tax, because now it's not again on my farm. It's something I'm doing to get some cash. Now I just have to pay the tax for that because it's no longer on my farm. I'm on the market now.

Speaker 1: 10:33

Okay, and what percentage of taxes do you pay to do business?

Speaker 2: 10:38

It all just depends on the kind of business. There is a 6% business tax, there's a 12%. It actually depends, okay, but the maximum income is 12.4. Interesting.

Speaker 1: 10:53

What is the primary language where you live?

Speaker 2: 10:59

Where I live.

Speaker 1: 11:01

Yes, what is your primary language? Swahili.

Speaker 2: 11:05

Yeah, swahili is our common language, which everyone can understand, not only where I live, but also in Kenya as a whole. Swahili and English.

Speaker 1: 11:18

Oh, Swahili and English. And where you live, it's ruled by who is governed by what country.

Speaker 2: 11:32

Okay, can I say whether you're British but governed Kenya. So in Kenya we are ruled. We are not like a given area, like Western. They have their own leader, not really All like other countries. We are ruled by the presidents, who is the head of the states. Then from there we go to the county. They are called counties. So when I say on this county, like for me it's Kaka-Mega county, you get it. So it's governed by the governor and it's a British rule.

Speaker 1: 12:07

It falls all the way back to Great Britain, british rule.

Speaker 2: 12:12

Yeah, actually it's from the British. So in our county we are governed by a president who is one person and is the head of the states.

Speaker 1: 12:25

Nice, nice. So do you have on your farm, living in rural areas? In a rural area, do you have access to? Well, obviously you do have access to running water because you have a farm, but do you have electricity? Do you have? How do you you know? What kind of utilities do you have where you live? What are you lacking and what type of things would you wish you had to make life easier for you?

Speaker 2: 13:04

Actually, let me talk in terms of electricity, something like electricity, electricity for so much. Have electricity on his or her own farm. It all depends with your capability. Are you able to have that? Some people have, some doesn't have, like they lack money to do their wiring and everything. Some maybe they're still in the ongoing and some they already have such a like facilities. Talk of water water is not necessarily like you'll go and have this water from the urban. So we have sort of wells, boreholes, streams, you know. So it's something that we have. Yeah, it's something that you can access easily and also, including now that it's a rainy season, some can also harvest the water from the rain, you know, and still can be used on the farm.

Speaker 1: 14:13

Nice, nice. So you have ways of getting water without an issue, because you're close to streams and you have your wells, so forth and so on. So it's easy to water your plants or your cultivate your farm, and so forth and so on. Right?

Speaker 2: 14:31

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1: 14:33

Okay, and in terms of electricity, you have to be able to afford to have the wiring. What percentage of people in Kenya are able to afford electricity?

Speaker 2: 14:52

I can say like 90%, because with the new government we have, they had this system of bringing electricity to people's farm which they called Timamashinani. It's a Swahili word, don't bother about it, it's called Timamashinani. It means sure everyone in the rural area at least can get access to the electricity and lower costs. So I can say to 90% of people in Kenya they can get access to electricity.

Speaker 1: 15:31

Oh, interesting, that's not bad. And in terms of access to places outside of Africa, you know, in terms of communicating with other countries and that sort of thing, like communicating with America, Is that difficult for you? I mean, I know we're talking right now, but we have to use a certain platform in order to communicate, because a direct dial is extremely expensive. So what I'm getting at here is what is your access like to, let's say, computers or, you know, contacting people in other countries? Do you have? I remember back in the days they used to have these phone cards where you use these phone cards and you get minutes and you add minutes to your phone and that sort of thing. So what is it like to have a computer and to be able to access different websites and communicate with other parts of the world?

Speaker 2: 16:50

Actually, if we talk in terms of electronics such as computers, phones and everything you can say access to it in Africa, more specifically, in Kenya, it's not that hard. We can literally access it. Actually, we are moving to a digital world, everything is evolving to a digital world, so we can access them with ease. But now communicating to people outside is a little bit harder, despite the fact that we have the electronics, the gadgets with us. You get like, if I want to call anyone more so outside Africa, let me not talk, even outside Kenya, because if I say Kenya, there are those countries in Africa. So outside Africa is a little bit expensive. Like if you can't dial direct call from someone in Africa and to anyone in UK in one in German, you can't do that direct call. So you'll have to improvise a way, like you have to look for a platform you can communicate with people, like WhatsApp you can communicate with people outside Africa. So it's a little bit harder, despite the fact that we can access to the, yes, but access to the gadgets, yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:16

Oh, okay, now let's say I guess you wouldn't do much of this, being that you live on a farm, but let's just say you want to go out to. What is your nightlife like? Do you, you know, do you go to beauty salons? Do you go down to the city and get your hair done and nails done, or is that something you just don't do? Or what is that life like?

Speaker 2: 18:49

Oh, that life of learning. Let me talk about myself. Like I want to make myself look beautiful, I have to make my hair, make my nails. It's something we do, but it's not necessarily we go to city, to towns, no, even our local markets can offer that. So even you can get someone, just like you are relative or someone close to you here in Masinani I can say who can do that to you at a local, at a cheaper price as compared to the city.

Speaker 2: 19:22

If I say to go and do my beauty, my therapy, that's making my nails, making my hair in the city it's very expensive, so I prefer to go to my local markets where I can get access easily and do my thing and get my nails done at a cheaper price. So it's not hard.

Speaker 1: 19:45

And what about entertainment?

Speaker 2: 19:48

Entertainment. I can get entertainment even on my local markets, or I can even entertain myself, like if I want to watch a movie, I can just do it from my house, now that I have my computer, I have my television, I have the electricity, I have my phone, so I can get access to all entertainments I want just inside my house. What's the Saturday I get?

Speaker 1: 20:13

Okay, do you have shows and like theaters and that sort of thing, concerts to entertainers from the United States? Do they come to Kenya to do concerts and shows and is it expensive and are you able to go see things like that? What is that like?

Speaker 2: 20:34

Okay, actually, yeah, there are live concerts, there are shows, everything it's the movies and it's not expensive. It all just depends on the type of person or the type of entertainment you're going to get. Let's talk about musician. A Kenyan musician hosting an entertainment in Kenya will not be that expensive as compared to a musician from Tanzania, a musician from Uganda. You see, those are neighboring countries, uganda, tanzania. If I talk of musician, like let me use I don't know which type of musician you know, can I use diamond, I think. Have you ever heard of him?

Speaker 1: 21:19

No, how about Akon or Cio?

Speaker 2: 21:27

Yeah, let me talk like a person like that. When he comes in Kenya, his tickets will be somehow expensive because they'll include the traveling cost and everything the expenses that person has taken. So we will have to compensate that in our tickets. So the tickets will be a little bit expensive. But when it's a Kenyan musician the tickets will be a little bit cheaper. So entertainment just depends with the kind of entertainment and the person.

Speaker 1: 22:04

Okay. Do you have a rich community out there where celebrities live?

Speaker 2: 22:12

Celebrity life. Yeah, actually it's not a community. So in Kenya, we will talk in terms of a person individually. It's not a community Like you can get almost. We are in Kenya. There are 47 tribes and in each tribe at least there is a celebrity, there is someone who is rich than others, so we can talk in terms of community, specific communities, those communities of rich people. Actually, we talk in terms of individuals.

Speaker 1: 22:52

Oh, I see, I see. And what about medical? What is medical like? What are the hospitals like? What is getting medication and diseases? Do you have good medical there, or you work with the best thing you have, or are you constantly seeking doctors from other countries to come in and assist? Do you have medication? Do you have good medication? So what is that like?

Speaker 2: 23:21

Okay, in terms of health, that is, medication In Kenya, I can say we are at least 12, according to our government, the government we have in Kenya we have medical practitioners who are good, who are well educated, but also we still have other medical practitioners from outside country who are working with the Kenyan government. Let's talk of, like the Canadian nurses who came in Kenya who had a contract five years contract in Kenya. So if you talk in such a time, you'll see we try all means to improve on medical issues in Kenya. But I can say we have bad medication in Kenya. Now our medication and our health and everything is at 80% when rated, not bad.

Speaker 1: 24:17

Okay, that's not bad. And what about diseases? Are you, is Kenya, high on things like AIDS or COVID or these sort of things? Or is it minimal, or is it? What is that like over there?

Speaker 2: 24:37

Okay, actually I can say it's high because with our research institutes, that is, cambridge is our research institute in Kenya. So when such a disease strikes, the institute has the mandate to make sure to find a way to control it, to prevent it from spreading. So we can say the diseases doesn't strike in Kenya, they do, but immediately after they have strike Kenya, the institute that is Cambridge will immediately look for the best way to prevent the disease from spreading and also to look for the cure of the disease. So when we talk of something like AIDS, aids is not cureable, as we all know. But the spread of AIDS in Kenya is not that rampard because it has been bound. The best methods to control it from spreading has been found. So we can say it is there, yes, but it's not spreading that fast.

Speaker 1: 25:45

Okay, that sounds similar to where we are. And the education? What is education like? Do you have good schools? Do you are the schools equipped with computers or the teachers good? Do you have school buildings, school houses? How does that work?

Speaker 2: 26:04

Actually education. When it comes to education in Kenya, I can say the education system in Kenya is not that bad. Actually, even the. So there's I don't know how I can put this so much Computers, yeah, they're in schools. So there's the primary education, there's actually the pre primary education, primary education, secondary education and the tertiary education. So even the kids in their pre primary education they are being introduced on how to use sort of the laptops, ipads, so they are being introduced into the digital life. But in the primary, secondary and tertiary actually they have already been introduced to the digital life. So I can say the education system in Kenya is not bad. Yeah, it's the best.

Speaker 1: 26:58

Okay, now, is that for the people that live in the city, or for all the people in the farms, as well as the city?

Speaker 2: 27:05

At first it was for the people in the city, but now it's for everyone. As long as you're living in Kenya, you are going to a Kenya school, a school in Kenya, be it in rural, be it in urban, everything is equal.

Speaker 1: 27:22

Nice, nice. Now one other question do you have a lot of people, do you get a lot of people to move to Kenya from places like the United States and other countries?

Speaker 2: 27:39

Yeah, we get to. Yeah, people do come in Kenya. Let me talk about that in terms of tourist. Now, in Kenya we call it tourist. Yeah, we do get many tourists. In fact, it's one of the most fields that has more income to the Kenyan government the tourism. So we do get people from be it in Africa, outside Africa, who always come to Kenya.

Speaker 1: 28:13

Nice, nice People do tour there a lot and they also come there to move to live in Kenya.

Speaker 2: 28:22

Yeah, some come to live and do their businesses in Kenya. Some just come for sometimes like vacations and go back to their countries. And because if you have to come to Kenya you have to acquire the nationality in Kenya, the Kenya nationality, that you have to stay for five years for you to acquire the nationality in Kenya.

Speaker 1: 28:46

Oh, for at least five years Now Earlier you mentioned something about tribes and different tribes. Yeah, I Know some tribes and I don't know if I'm For lack of a better word for me. I may be a little prehistoric in this, but I do Remember hearing some tribes was like ruthless, you know. If they catch you there and you're from someplace else, you know you get kidnapped or Sort of things. You you know that sort of thing is. Is that what goes on with the tribes out there in Kenya? Do I also heard that you know they will Attack different people and take their land and that sort of thing. Are you experiencing or hearing anything like that?

Speaker 2: 29:39

Yeah, doesn't Kenya? We call it raiding raiding the Conflicts between tribes, one tribe with the other, and is that that it happens, like all over Kenya? It's actually, I can say, like three trains that had that problem of trading new guests. People from this try the neighboring tribe. They start, suffice with their neighbors. The process is some people lose their lands, some people miss their let's talk of cattle, you know, some people even lose their eyes trying to fight for what is theirs. It's happened, but it's not in lunch population actually.

Speaker 1: 30:24

Okay, okay, now Let me ask you if you had the power of God and you can change anything, anything in Africa or anything around the world, what would you change to make Kenya better?

Speaker 2: 30:46

What they could change to make a better. The spirit of corruption. Actually, that's what brings Kenya, like behind, into the third world countries. You know.

Speaker 1: 30:59

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 30:59

Kenya has everything. Kenya has the power to do anything like. When it comes to land, kenya has the most fertile land to produce this. When it comes to facilities, when it comes to like everything, kenya has the best. I can say but now that's the spirit of corruption also is the. It's very high in Kenya. But if I can change the spirit of corruption in people in Kenya to make my country better, I'll do it.

Speaker 1: 31:32

Nice, nice, good point. I like that. I Like that. And let me ask you if you were to communicate With other black women around the world. I did a little research and I know so many women and black women and Black men as well, but this topic is based on black women, so I know that. You know they are blacks in so many different parts of the world.

Speaker 1: 32:03

If yeah, if you had the ability to communicate and a platform to communicate and Talk with these other black women around the world. Would that be of an interest to you?

Speaker 2: 32:22

Yeah, it's a great interest to me because If I can communicate to the black women across the world, if I can talk to them in one way or the other, I think If I was to be given that chance or if I was to get that opportunity, I Love to do it and I love to do it with a great passion, because I have a lot to tell those women outside there and here in Africa. I'll have a lot to tell them hmm, let me.

Speaker 1: 33:00

Let me ask you do you, do you experience any racism or any issues with being downgraded as a woman or women? Do women have the ability to Be more than just a housewife? Is that open to you, or do you see a ceiling, something that's stopping you from Progressing or doing more, or having your own business, or that sort of thing? Is there anything that you know hold you back in any sort of way in terms of feminism or anything along those lines?

Speaker 2: 33:46

Yeah, actually it's. In fact is something rampard. Gender, gender, gender best gender equality is, it's something that has been given. Like, can I say, people in Africa See women as they can't do anything and if they go in terms of gender, women are being denied of a lot of opportunities. You know, they believe, like In Africa, they believe a woman was meant to be our housewife. The purpose of a woman in Africa is to take care of children. I children, take care of them, does all. So they don't think a woman can lead and, if I can say, a Woman is the best leader, if they were just to be given an opportunity to lead, they'll be the best.

Speaker 1: 34:40

Why do you feel a woman would be the best leader?

Speaker 2: 34:44

you know, a woman is. If a woman can raise a child From childhood until adulthood Without any help let me talk of just example like single mother, they can raise their own children, you see. So what Everyone in this country is like some is, in fact, not even like it's someone's child and If a mother can raise these children all alone, what about these other children? Give a woman the power of becoming like, for example, a Kenyan president. Actually, this woman will rule the country in terms of. He will not be ruling people will be ruling her children. They'll rule the country. Like these are my children. Let me show them the direction. You see, she won't be ruthless, she won't be heartless.

Speaker 1: 35:41

You know, a heart of a woman is a strong heart, yeah, so actually I've heard that before and you know I agree with you to a degree. I don't know if I could say that they would be better, but I do feel that you know, women present a different perspective in governing and who knows whether or not their perspective would be better or worse, but there are a lot of intelligent women out there and I think that they should be given the opportunity. Let me ask you a question Do you have any? Let me speak, not to speak negatively, but do you have any women in politics?

Speaker 2: 36:34

Okay, in Kenya, the opposition, okay, the opposition party of the government. You know we have the government and the opposition party. So the opposition party, the deputy of the opposition, is a woman actually, in fact she's a strong woman. I love that woman. She is a strong woman.

Speaker 1: 36:58

What is her name?

Speaker 2: 37:00

Her name is Matakarua. Okay, yeah, she is the deputy of the opposition. And another country in Africa that is being ruled by the woman is the Tanzania. Tanzanians are being ruled by a woman Suluhu, president, suluhu, she's a woman. And that country I can say they have the best president. I love that woman also. Yeah, Nice.

Speaker 1: 37:32

You have to send us a link to these women so we can put them on the episode, so other people can read about them and find out more about these black women in politics and presidents and so forth and so on. I was thinking when me and you came up with the idea, this episode, that it would also be a great idea for women in Africa to get in touch with other black women around the world, because I think each side has so much to offer in terms of even like doing business. I know a lot of black women would love some of the styles and the clothes that you have out there and the artwork, and we would love to have it here. But we don't want a knock-off version. We don't want something made in China that represents or looks like something that was done in Africa. To be honest, I think we would like the real McCoy. We would like the real deal. I would love to have different statues in my house from Africa, the real thing, imported from Africa. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 38:58

I know, I understand.

Speaker 1: 39:00

Yeah, and so I'm hoping that by us doing this podcast, that it allows other black women to respond to this episode. And you know, you know make an awful suggestion as to how black women in Africa and how black women in other parts of the world can link together and grow and share in culture and ways of life and cooking and food and things that you do and so forth and so on. And I know we read books and that sort of thing, but I just feel it's a little bit different when you hear it directly from the source. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 39:48

Yeah, I understand.

Speaker 1: 39:50

Yeah, I don't want someone else's interpretation about how to cook African food. I want to hear it from the woman that cooks it every day. And sometimes we go to restaurants here and I don't know, I don't know why, but sometimes these restaurants the food is, it's like it's been Americanized of some sort, like it's, you know, a slightly different.

Speaker 2: 40:20

It's not like, yeah, it's not pure Africa, the Africanism you need to disappear in one way, you know.

Speaker 1: 40:27

Right, exactly, and I want to hold on to that. You know, I want to like to hold on to that and I would like to see you know since this episode again is about black women, I would like to see you know, black women around the world come together and, you know, sharing these experiences. I would love it. I was doing a little research and I saw something about black black people, let's say, black people in Mexico Right Now. When I say black people in Mexico, I know we have dark skinned people all around the world, but these blacks was a little bit different. So there's two types, let's say two types of blacks that you might have. There's the type that's born into the culture with dark skin and then there's the type that has migrated into the culture.

Speaker 1: 41:43

Okay, so in Mexico you have a group that has actually migrated from the United States, and they were actually from Africa and came to United States as slaves and they fought in some wars in the United States and then they migrated over to Mexico where they began to inherit the culture of the Mexicans.

Speaker 1: 42:15

So you have now you have Africans that have transitioned to, I guess, a Mexican lifestyle now, and you know they're actually Afro Mexicans or whatever you want to call. And you know it's interesting because the people of Mexico, they respect them, because they came to help them in wars and that sort of thing, and they even said some of the artillery that was used by those Africans in the war resembled a lot like the tools and the weapons used in Africa, because they, you know, that's what they know, you know. So, yeah, and this is what sparked that you know that thing in my mind. That said, you know we need to get out and we need to learn more about different black women and living in different cultures and different parts of the world and share those experiences. And those black women that are actually Africans, that have migrated into Mexico I think their culinary skills now are more Mexican than it is actually African.

Speaker 2: 43:49

That's true.

Speaker 1: 43:50

You know, and well, and I guess it's because of the access of herbs and ingredients that they might have.

Speaker 1: 44:00

So you know, but it's, you know, it's interesting, is great for the children to learn directly from someone in Africa what it's like. And, you know, if a teenager or high school student wants to communicate with you, they're more than welcome to. You know, leave a voicemail message on the podcast, which is 212-718-0330. And you'll be listening to these responses and responding back to them and hopefully you can, you know, create some sort of pen pal and network and you guys can share ideas between each other, which would be great. And it was great having you, Margaret, and I love what we covered. You taught us a lot about what's going on in Africa and it's a real pleasure to get to know you and get to know what your culture is like and what it is to what it's like to live in Africa, and we appreciate you coming on.

Speaker 2: 45:09

Thank you very much. It was my pleasure also talking about my country, talking about our lifestyle here in Africa. In fact, it's the best experience that one can ever want to have and I'm very much willing and available Talk more and more about my people in Africa, about our culture and even tissue. Yeah, it was very. I'm very much humbled and lose opportunity. As an African woman, I'm ready to sell more and more with you guys.

Speaker 1: 45:48

One last question before you go have you ever been outside of Africa, to another country, to any other country, like the United States or anywhere else?

Speaker 2: 46:04

I Personally I've never been outside from Africa. I Was born in Africa, raised in Africa, after now. But I love and I always admire to get to go outside Africa and All one day Give me some country. What's up the United States, the UK, it's my dream country in the middle. Visit there someday.

Speaker 1: 46:33

Nice. Also, you prefer to visit UK over United States.

Speaker 2: 46:39

Sorry.

Speaker 1: 46:42

I Know my question was did you prefer to visit the UK over United States? Yeah, we would love to have you and show you around. So If you ever get chance, or maybe you might, you know connect with someone that will be listening to our podcast. We're on many, many different platforms Google podcast, spotify, iheart radio we own more than 10 15 different platforms and we're in five out of the seven continents and we're working on Communicating, connecting with people in Australia and, more so, in South America. Everywhere else we have touch bases and so you will have people from around the world, you know, listening to this episode and, once again, thank you so much, margaret, and we appreciate you being on and spending your time with us today. Take care.

Speaker 2: 47:54

Okay, welcome in YouTube.

Speaker 1: 47:56

Okay, this is your podcast, og goat, and we're signing off.