I cannot remember the exact date; but, it was a sunny day. Some sort of conference. Huge hall. Smooth floor. Comfy chairs. Everyone smartly dressed. Some more than
others. We of the media slightly casual. It is a busy environment and as a
reporter you need to move around a lot. Interviewing. Jotting down names...
And somewhere along the
throngs of participants, she sat. I noticed her because she kept smiling. Speaking
to her was easy. No airs, no innuendos. There are strangers you encounter and feel as
though you knew them before. Mercy Kitomari (pictured above) sounded and looked familiar
although I had never spoken to her in my life. She was a young, clever lady and eyes did not
miss her. But that caused no arrogance at all. Now I know what Kitomari’s
modest manner meant.
Charisma.
Over the past few years I have seen Mercy Kitomari’s name popping
in several places. Nothing unusual. Then last weekend I received this Email
from London based Tanzanian businessman Abubakar Faraji. Mr Faraji is very good at communicating
information, keeping in touch with East Africans. Networking.
“Introducing Mercy Kitomari
CEO and founder of Nelwa’s Gelato” popped on my screen. Short video clip. Repeat. It was excellent because it was
short. Two minutes videos are the best ones. If anyone cannot express who they are in less
than three minutes, they do not understand the concept of time. Time is indeed
money, as the old business adage stings.
These days everyone has to
deal with congested traffic of information. First there are the constant phone
calls in our pockets. Unlike ten years ago when a phone was simply a gadget for
speaking, these days it is a mobile factory. Besides regular SMS texts, are social networking
sites for chatting, exchanging pictures, numerous applications (Apps), shopping,
buying, selling, You Tube, Facebook, Emails, TV, etc. Information technology.
Each item offers you stuff to peruse and ponder. Blogs. Twitter. Oh. Ladies. Ah. Guys.
Very hard keeping up. So brief information- well chiselled -but
detailed is spot on. In two minutes, I understood that Mercy Kitomari had been
hanging out at Leicester Square in London. A busy area. The cradle of
businesses and international tourism. She had seen something that triggered her
mind. She wanted to build something similar in East Africa. And she did not
only dream, she went along and did it.
In the video, one of her friends, Renatta Rutta, offers more
insight. Again she does not talk too much. A few words that continue to set the
tone. That less is more.
“She is kind, she is
giving, she is open.”
And how open is our Ice Creamarist?
Ms Kitomari says she paid 200 pounds (almost a million shillings)
to get professional advice. You do these sorts of things in London. Several
hundred thousand shillings to be advised? It was a good investment she recalls.
“I am happy I spent it
well.”
Clients in Dar es Salaam enjoying Kitomari's ice creams...-pic from Nelwa's Gelato ISTAGRAM
There are repeated words. Business mantras. You have to do it. You have to do it. Do not be scared. Rutta her
friend, puts further stamp on the video. “Mercy is serious, she wants to
succeed. When you want to succeed you put your all into it.”
Finally the young business woman has opened her restaurant in
Tanzania where she sells organic ice cream. The label name is Nelwa’s Gelato.
Now. This article might look like a promotional demo. Maybe it is. But it is
much more than a publicity stunt. It is about those who try walking fast to
make wonders and create something fresh. So many come to London (or overseas)
and return home empty handed. Or mess around. Here is a former university
graduate, who is proving to be the fresh face of future prosperous, hard
working Tanzanians. Born in South Africa, Mercy Kitomari grew up in Lesotho (for
five years) then Arusha and finished secondary school in Morogoro. After working with Tigo, the telephone
company, she came to the UK to study business administration.
As days go by, Ms Kitomari gets busier. Here at a business conference, recently. Pic Nelwa's Gelato Istagram.
In London ice cream is
eaten for only three months during summer. In Tanzania it is hot throughout the
year; therefore, ice cream sales are better. She saw an opportunity and grabbed
it.
Making homemade organic ice cream, she uses locally made products.
Nelwa Gelato is a
combination of Gogo (her original tribe) and the Italian method of making ice cream
she learned in Europe. “Gelato” is ice
cream in Italian. Nenelwa means Mercy, her name, in Kigogo.
Ms Kitomari has been financing her business from her own pockets while
working for a local bank. She declares in her website that she would like to
inspire younger girls to succeed. Furthermore: “There are so many opportunities
in Tanzania. There is no point copying someone’s business. Opening a business
is easy and we are lazy, that’s all. People shouldn’t blame Tanzania, they
should blame themselves.”
Inspiring words. As delicious as ice cream. For more info tel
+255-754-938-577.
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