Afropreneurs: Essie Bartels Aims to Be West Africa’s Premier Culinary Ambassador with Essiespice (OkayAfrica)

In perhaps what is one of the pinnacles of my journey as a foodie, I interviewed my friend Essie Bartels, the spice mixologist behind Essiespice, for Okayafrica's Afropreneur series. Check it out here or below. 

After living on three continents and traveling across 25 countries, there’s one place where Essie Bartels has always felt at home—the kitchen.

Growing up, she helped her mother and grandmother with dinner, and developed her own stovetop experiments for her father, who graded her on a scale from 1 to 10. “There were a lot of “9’s” and “10’s,” but every so often I’d get a “5,” which only made me try harder,” she laughs.

When she moved to the United States to attend college, she continued cooking for friends who soon encouraged her to think of starting her own business. But with only a little bit of capital, she wondered what to do. “I didn’t see myself having a restaurant, but I did see a gap in the market for spices and other condiments,” she says. “I already pre-made sauces at home to make cooking easier for myself, so launching a spice company seemed like the logical way to enter the food market.”

Essiespice, her eponymous spices and sauces brand, launched in 2013 following two years of researching and refining recipes. Today, the company has four signature multi-purpose blends:Tamarind Oh!, CoCo-for-Garlic, Mekko Dry Rub, and Mango Chili Medley, its bestseller.

Fresh ingredients for the product line are sourced from produce distributors in the Tri-State Area in effort to support local business and reduce Essiespice’s carbon footprint. The uniquely African spice blends come directly from a businesswoman named Hajia Limata in Makola, Accra’s sprawling open-air market.

In two years, demand for Essiespice has doubled as big-box grocery stores like Whole Foods and Shoprite take notice. But it’s been hard to meet demand with limited resources.

“Essiespice is a labor of love—I depend on my family and friends to help me on production days,” the spice mixologist says. “We rent out an industrial kitchen and get to chopping and blending to produce the deliciousness that is Essiespice, but it’s hard to meet demand because production is contingent on their schedules.”

Earlier this year, Bartels lost her corporate job. While transitioning to working on Essiespice without the cushion of a full-time salary may have been daunting, the shift turned out to be a blessing in disguise. “Since losing my job, I finally have the time, patience, and energy to fully devote myself to nurturing my brand. No one can be a better advocate for your business than you can—especially at the early stages of a company,” she says.

Now, to help take her business to the next level, she launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $48,000 to expand production, staff, and research and development. The campaign features a wide range of rewards that give a preview of future Essiespice products: hand-stitched aprons made with Malian Bogolan fabric and brass Adinkra symbols, pottery made from red earth sourced in Kumasi, Ghana and even cooking classes with Essie herself.

In the next few years, she also hopes to expand her product line to include signature Essiespice milks, nuts, butters, and oils inspired by the flavors of Africa and its diaspora. She’s also in talks with farmers in Ghana’s Northern Region to introduce ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and fonio, which have high nutritional value, but aren’t widely available in global markets.

With endorsements from culinary heavy hitters including Pierre Thiam, Africa’s leading celebrity chef, and support from Nyema Tubman, President of Sundial Brands—the makers of crowd favorites Shea Moisture and Nubian Heritage—Bartels aims to be one of West Africa’s premier culinary ambassadors.

“African food isn’t visible enough on the global stage,” she says. “Our voices aren’t heard, so I want to contribute to that conversation so that things like millet and dawa dawa are recognizable in the same way as spaghetti or curry powder. Many studies have shown that West Africans have some of the healthiest diets in the world, so we should see our food represented more on television and in magazines.”

Exclusive Interview with Ethiopian Marathon Runner in Exile, Feyisa Lilesa (OkayAfrica)

Original article can be found on the Okayafrica website.

As he enters the ballroom of a tiny Washington hotel with his wrists crossed in an “X,” Feyisa Lilesa, Ethiopian marathon runner, Olympic silver medalist, and now, political exile, is welcomed with a burst of applause from Ethiopians present.

Lilesa made international headlines last month when he crossed the finish line with hands raised in the “X”—a gesture common among the protesters in Oromia—a region in Ethiopia where hundreds have recently been killed by government security forces. Although the Oromo are Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, they have been historically marginalized from political power. In recent months, tensions have risen as a government development has taken over Oromo farmland.

For such a small gesture, it had a big effect. Lilesa’s audacious protest on the world’s biggest stage was a plea to the international community to acknowledge the Ethiopian government’s persecution of the Oromo ethnic group. Now, in Washington, he is in the midst of a media blitzas he demands the world’s attention.

But his actions do not come without a steep cost: he leaves behind his wife, five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter in Ethiopia, and risks death or imprisonment if he returns home. Now an indefinite political exile, Lilesa has come to the United States on a special skills visa to allow him to train and compete.

Okayafrica spoke to Lilesa through an interpreter about the plight of the Oromo, and his mission to keep fighting oppression in Ethiopia.

Akinyi Ochieng for Okayafrica: When did you first decide you would protest the Ethiopian government’s actions at the Olympics? Were you afraid of the consequences?

Feyisa Lilesa: Three months before the Olympics, the Ethiopian Sports Federation selected the finalists. Once I became a finalist, I decided to use the opportunity—when I would have millions of eyes watching me—to protest.

As I prepared to go to Rio, my legs were running, but my mind was also racing as I thought about all the killing and suffering around me. But I did not feel any fear because I knew it was the right thing to do.

Have your family or friends been affected by the violence in Oromia?

I have relatives that have been imprisoned, and a friend who was recently killed when a prison housing opposition activists was burned on the outskirts of Addis Ababa earlier this month. I can’t even count on two hands how many people I know who have been impacted by the oppression of the government.

Was your family supportive of your choice to protest at the Olympics?

They didn’t know what I was going to do. If they did, they probably would have stopped me. And it’s likely I would have been swayed by their pleas.

Tensions in Oromia have simmered for years and have come to a head with recent clashes between government security forces and Oromo civilians. In your opinion, what’s the root of these protests?

Oromos have been oppressed for decades. Their land has been taken from them without compensation. They have no control over their resources. They have no voice. Many have left their homes to seek refuge in other countries, and have died trying to cross the Mediterranean.

If this situation continues, I have no doubt that Ethiopia is staring into the abyss and faces a future of tragedy. The potential for ethnic conflict to erupt grows each days and could echo
All we want is for our human rights to be respected like anyone in any other nation.

The Ethiopian government says you’ll be welcomed home. You’ve voiced concerns that you’ll be killed or imprisoned. Why don’t you believe them?

The Ethiopian government just wants to save face in the international community. Time and time again, they do one thing and say something else. For that reason, I don’t trust them. They’ve killed people for doing just what I did.

In Libya, Gadaffi didn’t kill as many people as the government has killed in Ethiopia, yet the international community rushed in to save the Libyans and has been silent in Ethiopia. Even if they don’t know the details, they must have some basic knowledge—must have witnessed the protests carried out by the members of the diaspora.

When’s the next time you hope to see your family?

It’s still a whirlwind at the moment. I’m still trying to figure out what’s next. I just got my visa, but I’m hoping to go back to training.

The protests are increasing in intensity with each passing day, and the people are raising their voices louder, so I believe that the government may fall soon and I may soon be able to go home to my family.

The current constitution is actually a great constitution. The problem is that nothing in it is protected. If the people actually had power and the corrupt government was to collapse, Ethiopia could be a very strong economy and be wealthy. Ethiopia is known to the world as a poor nation, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Why did you decide to pursue a special skills visa instead of seeking asylum?

What I wanted is freedom. Here in the United States I am safe and able to use my running skills to earn a living through competition. As long as I have a visa that enables me to work, I don’t see a reason to seek asylum. I love my country and I look forward to going home once there is freedom and change.

Acing Your Side Hustle (She Leads Africa)

I'm excited to be working for She Leads Africa as a contributing writer. She Leads Africa is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams by delivering business and career advice, support, and access to a network of driven young women.

I'll be writing for SLA on a bi-monthly basis about a variety of topics. Visit the She Leads Africa website to learn more about their resources. Here's my latest piece of advice on a subject near and dear to my heart: the side hustle. Check out the full article here or read below.

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Say what you want about DJ Khaled, but you can’t knock the major key to his success— his hustle. While the Miami mogul has been behind some of hip-hop’s hottest hits over the last decade, he’s also dabbled in various other ventures as a producer, executive, entrepreneur. And most recently, he’s the hottest social media phenomenon on the block.

Even though being your own boss is appealing, don’t play yourself.  Definitely, it’s no walk in the park. Setting your own hours and building your own product or service can help fulfill your passion and purpose. Yet, the grass isn’t always greener in the startup life. With growth comes staff management, customer acquisition and retention, and the dreaded mountain of paperwork.

Start a side hustle. It’s a great way to earn some extra money or slowly grow your business. If you’re an aspiring #MotherlandMogul, establishing your side hustle is one of the first steps to building your empire.

Evidently, pursuing a passion project while working a 9-to-5 is no easy task. It takes creativity, discipline, and a whole lot of grit. So here are a few keys to help you follow DJ Khaled’s lead and stay winning.

Figure out what you’re good at

In an ideal world, the thing we’re most interested in is the thing we do best. More often than not, that’s not the case. That doesn’t mean that you have to abandon things you’re passionate about. It just means you have to evaluate where your skillset overlaps with your interests.

Okay, think back to your childhood years. Did you show an aptitude for something? Do you often receive compliments from others for something that comes innately? Do friends and colleagues repeatedly ask for your help with certain tasks?

By honing in on what you’re good at, you can figure out if it can be translated into cash. Once you’ve established your talent, consider whether people need your services and, more importantly, how much they’re willing to pay for it.

Use your network

As the saying goes, “your network is your net worth.” If you’re launching a new service or product, do a test run or distribute samples to family and friends to get their feedback. Those who are closest to you are often the most likely to keep it real.

Now, if you’re looking for financing, your network becomes particularly crucial. Family, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues—these are the low-hanging fruit that can get the ball rolling. People who are invested in you as a person will be more invested in your success. These are the folks who can speak passionately about your work and spread the word to help you secure more clients.

The first step is asking. Be direct and personal whenever you can. Send individualized emails and notes, post on social media, and set up coffee dates where you discuss your side hustle clearly and succinctly, and outline concrete areas where you need to fill gaps.

Manage your time well

You have the same amount of hours in a day as everyone else. Admittedly, you might not have the staff or millions… but you do have the same power to decide how you spend your time.

Time management is essential if you’re investing time in a side hustle in addition to full-time employment. We each have 1,440 minutes every single day. To make the most of them, fully commit to your goals by blocking time off each day to work on your project and making the most of that time. Set deadlines to hold yourself accountable.

Believe in yourself

Most importantly, if you want someone to buy into your idea or project, you have to first buy it into it yourself.

It’s easy to get discouraged when trying something new, but remember that each failure is a lesson that prepares you for your next success. Entrepreneurship is a creative process. We learn what works by learning what doesn’t.

Building a Just Society with African Prisons Project (Ayiba)

I recently got the opportunity to interview the phenomenal Peter Tibigambwa, African Prisons Project (APP)’s Country Program Manager for Uganda.  Founded in 2004, APP believes in prisons for catalysts for change, and builds sustainable interventions that actively engage prisoners to challenge injustice and empower local governments to implement sustainable change. Through its programs in Kenya and Uganda, this admirable organization changing the social justice landscape of East Africa.

Read more here or find the full piece below.

In African Prisons Project’s view, what’s the role of prison in society? What does an ideal prison look like?
African Prisons Project believes that prisons should be places of positive transformation, and that prisoners should not be deprived of their humanity. I think that the ideal prison space is one in which those who end up there but should not be there leave as soon as possible. Those who should be there should have the right to a humane stay where they have a hygienic space and proper diet as well as an understanding of why they are imprisoned. They should be encouraged to use that time to transform their lives and influence their communities.

Where does APP get most of its funding?
Our funding is mainly from trusts, foundations, and high-network individuals as well as some contributions from local embassies and government institutions in Uganda and Kenya. Prisons work is not the most fancy, so often donors would rather prioritize things like childhood education or maternal mortality.

What are your current, most active programs?
We have four key program areas with various associated projects.

The first is leadership development, where we inmates with a track record of leadership while in prison, a demonstrated commitment to supporting their peers, and have graduated from A-levels in Uganda with a good academic record. These inmates apply to the University of London through the African Prisons Project, and enroll in the liberal education program. These students go on to study law, and use the legal skills they learn from their day-to-day life and their classes to provide legal support to their peers. We have male and female inmates as well as prison staff that are enrolled to study law, and they establish legal aid clinics within the prisons. At the moment, that program runs in three prisons in Kenya and two prisons in Uganda.

We also have a human rights advocacy program where we have prison staff and prisoners who have also a similar track record of demonstrated commitment, and we enroll them on a ten-day training course. They graduate as prison human rights advocates, and then go on to act as links between the prisons, the police, and the community. Access to justice isn’t just about the individual who has been accused, but it’s a chain of events so you need to engage with all the different stakeholders. The advocates help inmates access timely justice mainly around bail, utilization of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and better sentencing. Last year in Uganda, we had funding for a project in a district with six prisons and had 817 inmates access justice within a period of about ten months.

You find that the average inmate in Uganda is someone between twenty-one and forty-five-years old—individuals in their productive years. When these individuals are locked up for several years, they often lose track of events in their communities and they’re often illiterate. Our life skills program identifies these individuals, equips them with literacy and numeracy skills, and graduates them with some practical skills. Different projects include dairy farming, agriculture, and carpentry, and are linked to what the inmate is doing and the resources they have available back home. The life skills program is currently only in Uganda.

We’ve established thirteen libraries in Uganda, and we’ll be launching a library in Kenya this month. We provide reading resources as well as comprehensive materials for those who can’t read and write, like comic books and illustrated books. We also have mother-to-child reading groups, book clubs, debating clubs, and poetry clubs. The libraries are not only a key tool for people to improve their reading and writing skills, but also a way for inmates to understand what their judicial rights are. A recent report in Uganda showed that in last four years that nine out of ten people have wanted to access some type of legal support but did not.

We also have a health care program. We aim to address the challenges that result from overcrowding in prisons. Although Uganda has made amount of progress in improving facilities, the number of facilities is still insufficient. There are just over 40,000 inmates in Uganda, yet the total capacity is around 15,000. Clearly you can see that the occupancy rate is over 250% with 2.5 people sleeping in a space meant for one. The biggest health issues are around water, hygiene, and sanitation as there are conditions that are favorable for transmission of TB and skin diseases.

There’s a huge need to strengthen the link between prisons, communities, and health care services. Prison communities need to be empowered to understand their public health care requirements in order to mitigate disease breakouts. Working with the Uganda Prison Service, we piloted a successful prison village health care model in eight prisons in Northern Uganda. The success of the project helped the Prison Service apply for more funding from the Centers for Disease Control to roll out the program across the country. Now all Ugandan prisons have that model in place—a huge milestone for Uganda and APP.

We also have a secondment program where prisons officers from Uganda and Kenya go to the UK to benchmark their progress against other systems, and learn how they can implement different policies in their countries.

The Ugandan government and prison services are active, committed partners. They’ve helped by establishing an Open Door Policy where APP has the opportunity to come in and implement these programs.

What are the conditions like in prisons in Kenya and Uganda? How do the two countries compare?
I am not very knowledgeable about Kenya, but I do know that the remand population in both countries is over 50% as well as 250% occupancy in both countries. The rate of prison population growth is not well aligned with the development of facilities to accommodate the inmate population, and there are inadequate health care services. Africa-wide, I haven’t seen any country that has adequate services, but when we’re talking about a vulnerable group, both in Uganda and Kenya, which is locked up in the same space, it’s a breeding ground for disease. In Uganda, the prevalence of HIV in prisons is almost double the prevalence in the outside community.

The Uganda Prison Service has made progress through the prison village health care model, but I don’t think they have a similar program in Kenya yet.

What are the most common crimes that land people in prison in Kenya and Uganda?
The types of crime often differ between urban and rural areas. In rural settings, you’re more likely to find land-related crimes, defilement, and petty offenses. Defilement is still common in urban centers where there are also some robbery cases as well as a few murder ones.

How does the ratio of men to women in prison compare in Uganda?
There are a lot more men than women in prison, but they are imprisoned separately. They each have their own spaces. In Uganda, it’s about 95% men to 5% women. In Kenya, it’s about 90% men and 10% women.

In the United States, there’s a big conversation around mental health issues among prisoners. Do Uganda and Kenya face similar problems?
I don’t have statistics on that, but I can tell you that the mental health issue is serious. It’s not just about observing that someone is mentally ill, but inmates need to be assessed or triaged. In Ugandan society, even in the outside community, it remains difficult to diagnose mental illness due to a lack of qualified mental health professionals. In prisons, it’s even more difficult to address these issues given the minimal available resources for health care support. I’ve spoken to prisons officers before who’ve expressed that it’s clear that many prisoners do have mental illnesses.

Is there any support for ex-offenders to help them re-enter society?
In Uganda, there are some NGOs doing a lot of work in re-integrating inmates back into their communities. In the long-term, APP hopes to become more active in that space as we understand that it should be an essential component of prison’s work. Re-integration of prisoners doesn’t start from when they get released, but it’s a process that starts at entry—where they’re coming from, their skills, and how they can productively use their time in prison.

The Ugandan Prison Services is making strides in addressing this key area. Through APP, many prisons in Uganda that you’ll visit have different life-skills programs that prisoners can enroll in. You have to look at the community they’ll return to, and do a pre-assessment of the landing ground of someone who will soon be released from prison. The Prisons Services has a model that should work that way, but due to inadequate funding, the welfare officers assigned to each prison are unable to visit the family members in the communities that prisoners will eventually return to. Because of the distance between the prison and the prisoners’ community, these welfare visits often don’t happen, so when a prisoner comes out of a community, they might struggle to re-adjust to their home.

Are the any African countries that APP looks to as models for criminal justice?
You just mentioned the challenges that the United States is facing regarding inmates’ mental health. The management of prison communities isn’t just an African problem, but a worldwide one. Only a few countries have managed to address it well.

In Africa, there are not many models we can look to. Rwanda has progressed a lot although many issues and stumbling blocks remain. Interestingly, in 2014, the African Journal of Criminology and Justice ranked the Ugandan system as the best in Africa. Uganda has the third best recidivism rate in the entire world, and the best in Africa. The Commissioner General of Prisons of Uganda most recently chaired the African Correctional Services Association, and Uganda’s correctional services was voted the best in Africa. Uganda is not perfect, but the government is committed to being better.

Are there any plans to expand APP’s focus beyond East Africa?
We are currently working on our four-year strategy, and we are looking at how we can scale our programs elsewhere across the continent. At the next stage, we see ourselves offering these programs to prison services so they can adopt low-cost services funded by their own governments.

Can volunteers get involved in APP?
We have a volunteering scheme, and we’re expecting about eight volunteers this year from Europe and Africa. Volunteers typically spend three or more months with us. If you would like to find out more, please email info@africanprisons.org.

Even with South Africa and Zimbabwe’s Olympic Appearances, African Women’s Football Still Has Ways to Go (OkayAfrica)

In the spirit of the Rio Olympic Games, check out my latest for Okayafrica here or see below. Despite disappointing finishes during the women's football tournament, South Africa and Zimbabwe's participation at this year's games marks a step forward for African women's football.

As in the rest of the world, African football has long been dominated by men—and the proof’s in the ticket sales. In Rio, the top tickets for the women’s football quarterfinal will cost 100 reals, while football fans seize the best seats for the men’s quarterfinal for 200 reals. Despite greater attention to gender inequities in football—partially fueled by a federal wage complaint filed by female American players—disparities on the African pitch fail to attract the same level of attention.

With African women’s football often relegated to the background, the appearance of Banyana Banyana (South Africa) and the Mighty Warriors (Zimbabwe) at the Rio Olympic Games is huge. Although both teams lost during the first and second stages of the matches, their presence at the games is an achievement for a region where many countries still lack proper women’s leagues.

In South Africa, home to one of the continent’s best-funded networks of football clubs, women’s football is guaranteed a mere eight percent of the South African Football Association budget. There is no professional league for South African female footballers despite the fact that Banyana Banyana won more matches than men’s team Bafana Bafana.

According to Fran Hilton Smith, the head of women’s football at the South African Football Association, “[It is difficult for women to compete because] it’s not something that brings in any income, it doesn’t attract big sponsors, it’s a costly exercise and, especially in Africa to travel to play international matches is outrageously expensive.”

Organized women’s football is a relatively new phenomenon on the continent where about only 30 countries have national-level women’s football associations. Continental championship games began in 1991 when the Confederation of African Football began sponsoring the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCN)—nearly 35 years after the start of the men’s competition.

Even in the case of Nigeria’s women’s team, who has a history of high performance and a record nine AWCN wins, compensation is poor. After qualifying for the Cup, the Nigeria Football Federation handed the players 10,000 naira ($50) each. The Super Eagles, the men’s team, in contrast receive $4,000 for a draw and $5,000 for a win. With paltry pay for their past victories, there is little incentive to participate. While Nigeria has traditionally dominated the AWCN, the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics because of club engagements and injuries.

In a multi-billion dollar industry, these kinds of disparities are a big deal. For exceptional African players, football can be an opportunity to enhance social mobility through access to lucrative contracts and scholarships. In 1999, Nigerian forward Mercy Akide’s performance at the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup lead to a 4-year scholarship to Milligan College in Tennessee alongside teammate Florence Omagbemi. Akide went on to join American professional team San Diego Spirit and joined a FIFA Women’s All-Star team in 2004. Akide’s exceptional success remains near impossible for African women without sufficient sponsorship deals, equipment, coaches, media coverage, and, most importantly, leagues.

In recent times, some African women footballers, such as BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Gaëlle Enganamouit of Cameroon, have enjoyed considerable success in Scandinavia, the world leader in the development of women’s soccer.

Akide and Enganamouit’s careers as high-flying professional African women footballers are the exception rather than the rule; however, as women’s teams gain greater exposure with high-level football competitions in this age of social media, more African women may be encouraged to take to the pitch. Greater international competition creates much-needed opportunities to improve performance against top-quality opponents—and provides much-needed exposure.

With the recent appointment of Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura as FIFA’s first female, non-European Secretary General, and South Africa and Zimbabwe’s spirited play at this year’s Olympic Games, African women’s football may be poised for greater visibility.

Meet The Gambia's Miss Marple

A throwback from the archives-- a story about one of my favorite women in the world, my formidable aunt, Ayesatou Gillen.

Not much gets past Ayesatou Gillen. A former teacher, one even might say she has eyes in the back of her head. But these days the observation skills once employed in detecting naughty classroom behavior are coming in handy as an amateur detective.

Like the infamous Miss Marple of Agatha Christie fame, Ayesatou has deployed her own talent for sniffing out the truth in her local community of Serrekunda, The Gambia. As the country’s largest urban center, Serrekunda buzzes with activity. But with a population of just under 400,000 people (a third of the size of Washington, D.C.), located in the smallest country on mainland Africa, the town still feels intimate. The neighbors form an extended family full of surrogate “aunties” and “uncles.”

In this close-knit environment, it’s difficult to imagine crime. Yet increasingly, with exposure to global consumer culture, Gambian youth are gaining an appetite for expensive gadgets from smartphones to tablets to flat screen TVs.

With over 48% of the population living below the poverty line, youth have few means to satisfy these tastes. Ranking 165 out of 187 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index, The Gambia has few natural resources and almost no industrial activity. Faced with unemployment, but hoping to keep up with the golden age of connectivity, some youth resort to theft to remain en vogue.

Last March, Ayesatou was the victim of such a theft. As she left one evening to visit a friend in the neighborhood, she spotted a group of young men outside her compound.

“When I saw them, I had an intuition that they were up to no good,” she says.  “I walked past them to visit two friends of mine. When I returned home, I noticed that my window was open and my things weren’t where I had left them. I suspected that one of the boys I had seen was responsible for the burglary. I wasn’t sure, so I went around the house to inspect the scene.”

Remembering a string of thefts at her brother Abdu’s home just a few months prior, she had a hunch that the same burglars might be responsible after noting similar entry techniques and a curious bloodstain on the windowsill.

In The Gambia, where polices don’t have the resources to mount large-scale investigations, most thieves often escape justice.

“If they’re never caught, they can just do it to someone else. I decided to take my time and expose them,” Ayesatou says. Taking matters into her own hands, she employed her detective skills.

“I asked a girl in the neighborhood to watch him for the next few days and note his activities. Anytime the ringleader bought anything expensive, the girl came to tell me. Whenever I saw him on the street, he acted shifty, so I knew he was the one.”

Although the money was taken on a Tuesday, Ayesatou bided her time and waited to capture the culprit until the next Monday. The modern day Miss Marple says, “I believe that you have to be patient to catch a thief. When you talk too much, information gets to them and they can run off or get rid of the evidence.”

As she trailed the thieves for the next few days, her informant noted that the ringleader appeared to recently have come into some new money. He purchased expensive products like a tablet, headphones, and a new phone. When she was sure of the culprit, she went to the police and enlisted their help in apprehending the suspect.

“Before I entered the house to fetch him, I told the police to form a triangle, so that when he exited there would be no means of escape,” she says. “I got his sister to call him, and I lured him out where the police told him he was wanted at the station. Then they arrested him and took him away. Now he’s in prison at Mile Two.”

Since assisting in the arrest of the thief, Ayesatou has offered her services as a community liaison for The Gambia Police Force. “The police are present, but they sometimes aren’t actively engaged,” she says.

“Policing isn’t only about punishment, but also about being in constant conversation with the community. It’s about encouraging people who might engage in crime to direct their energy elsewhere. When you have someone who is familiar with the day-to-day, they can be that liaison.”

While the offer is still under review with local authorities, the Serrekunda community can be sure of one thing: no more thieves will escape justice as long as Ayesatou is on the lookout.