By Yero S. Bah
The old mentality of young Gambians yearning to earn white-colored-jobs only is disappearing, that is according to Modou Lamin Bojang, a young Gambian who runs a flower garden along the Tabokoto-Brikama highway-opposite the Abuko Nature Reserve.
In an interview with Mansa Banko Online news media on Saturday April 4, 2020, he averred that young people are now involved into different activities, all meant to better their lives since government is unable to provide jobs for everyone in society.
“We run this flower garden to make ends meet as it’s better than sitting at home doing nothing and earning nothing at the end of the day,” he confidently expressed.
Bojang started flower farming or gardening three years ago when one of his friends enjoined him to embark on the flower business, noting that it’s better than idling at home upon high school graduation.
His initial intention was to enlist into the Gambia Police Force as, according to him, it was the only option available on the table. But his father objected to that plan: “My father never allowed me to join the security.”
Bojang told this medium that he was trained on flower farming by one Modou Lamin Kinteh, a former Forestry Officer who runs another flower garden in Kotu. He explained that the Abuko garden is the second branch his boss has opened, last year, to expand his flower business.
At the beginning of the job, things were hard and uneasy as I was always assigned to do the labour or “dirty work” by clearing lands, removing stones and grasses, disclosed Modou Lamin.
“I almost ran away from this work but I forced myself to stay put,” the now-flower-garden owner recollected. He emphasized that at the end of the day, earning something for oneself “is better and more dignified than someone giving it out to you always”.
The garden has different types of flowers for the purposes of beautifying the environment and homes or offices.
The florist also stressed the importance of flowers in the environment, intimating that flowers are good for the eyesight and also protect people from dust.
On marketing, Bojang indicated that they always await potential customers or clients at the garden, and sometimes customers make orders of which they deliver frequently. “We usually update our WhatsApp status using these flowers and people order through too. So, we are effectively using social media platforms to market our products,” Bojang asserted.
For Ebrima Kinteh, the business is doing well. He told Mansa Banko Online that they collect groundnut shells from Saro at Denton Bridge to mix it with black sand and cow dungs to make local manure for the flowers. He noted that his clients were actually available only recently, but the clientele started dwindling due to coronavirus public health emergency declared by the authorities, saying people are now asked to stay indoors.
The duo said they are actually able to solve their problems from the [proceeds of] flower business, maintaining “that is the fundamental importance of life”.
Bojang and Kinteh seized the opportunity to call on other young Gambians to venture into any form of legal businesses in order to earn something for themselves and their families. They encouraged that it’s more dignifying and respectful.
