Episode Notes:

In this episode, we travel to Addis Ababa to speak with Feven Tsehaye, a purpose-driven entrepreneur, healer, and founder and CEO of Chakka Origins—a social enterprise reclaiming the wisdom of Ethiopia’s ancestral knowledge around biodiversity and indigenous plants while working with female smallholder farming communities. Feven’s story is rooted in both tradition and transformation as she draws on a childhood shaped by community, land, and the power of women. With a background in social impact, including work at the Gates foundation and graduate study on micro-finance approaches in southern Ethiopia, her work bridges the ancient and the modern, creating high-impact natural products while centering sustainability, equity, and care. In this conversation, Feven explores what it means to lead with care, build with purpose, and honor cultural knowledge. She reminds us that healing is both personal and political—and that joy, like justice, is something we must cultivate with intention.

Episode Transcript:

Darren Isom:

Welcome to Dreaming In Color, a space for social change leaders of color to reflect on how their unique life experiences, personal and professional, have prepared them to lead and drive the impact we all see. I'm your host, Darren Isom.

This season, we're traveling to the continent to highlight African leaders and the continent's role as a key driver of global innovation and leadership. So, join us as we travel across the continent from South African to Tunisia with stops in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Senegal along the way, celebrating the diaspora, and all of its complexity and beautiful possibility. This is Dreaming In Color: Africa.

Today I'm in Addis Ababa taking with Feven Tsehaye. Feven is the founder and CEO of Chakka Origins, Ethiopia's pioneering supplier of biodiverse, special natural products. The company builds sustainable conservation-driven supply chains using agroforestry systems in natural forest areas, sourcing high-quality ingredients like essential oils, herbal teas, and food items through a strong network of small holder, especially female, farmers.

The company's offerings emphasize quality and ecological integrity, supporting both local livelihoods and environmental conservation.

Feven brings deep experience and social impact investment having spent five years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation working on private sector engagement in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.

She has an MPA in international development from Tsinghua University where she researched microfinance impacts on rural, urban migrants in Ethiopia, and a BA in international development from American University.

Feven, welcome to Dreaming In Color.

Feven, it's wonderful to have you here.

Feven Tsehaye:

Thank you for having me.

Darren Isom:

No, thanks for having us. And so, as you know, we start the conversation with an invocation. What do you have for us?

Feven Tsehaye:

So, kes be kes, enkual begru tihedalech. So, it's a saying that roughly translates to, "little by little, the egg grows legs." Yeah.

Darren Isom:

I want to first start by saying thank you for having us here in Ethiopia. This is my first time here. Addis Ababa has been such a beautiful and lovely city. So vibrant.

And I want to start by asking, I know you were born here in this wonderfully vibrant and rich place to grow up. Can you tell us a bit about your upbringing, and what it was like to grow up surrounded by Ethiopia's beauty and culture and how that shaped you?

Feven Tsehaye:

Sure. So, funny enough, I was actually born in the U.S., but then came back when I was two or three years old with my parents, and then grew up here, and stayed until high school.

I think it's a very different Addis from what you're seeing now. So, this is back in the day when we had a lot of foot traffic that wasn't just people, but also sheep and donkeys and livestock, essentially. So, it's definitely changed a lot since I was a teenager.

I think it's also been impressive to see all the growth that the country's had around public health. So many markers for development indicators, and, yeah. It's been really great to also witness some of those changes slowly, but surely.

Darren Isom:

And I was remarking, we were doing some tours earlier today, and really experiencing the city, and as we visit one of the palaces, or former palaces, I was reminded as a Howardite, how much Ethiopia lives in the imagination of Black America as a place of power, as a place of importance, a place of history.

Yeah. I can only imagine what it's like to grow up with that as a reference point. And so, would love to get a sense of what early experiences, or memories help shape your view of Ethiopia just as a place of family, a place of community, but also as a place full of natural abundance and possibility.

Feven Tsehaye:

I think what shaped a big part of my childhood was definitely my family and friends, and I think growing up in community. We must have spent three or four days out of the week at my grandparent's house where everyone comes together. So, all my uncles, aunts, cousins. So, a solid 40 people on average meeting a couple of days in the week. And that was part of just the norm.

Darren Isom:

That sounds loud and wonderful.

Feven Tsehaye:

It is. It is, and also chaotic. In all the right ways. And I think that's a big part of, yeah, just growing up in Addis, and being part of the city, and all of its vibrancy.

And I think it wasn't until I moved to the U.S. when I was 15 that I actually understood how different Ethiopia is compared to other parts of the world.

And so, there wasn't even a notion of being in your power, or any of that, because that was just the norm, essentially. And so, there wasn't anything different that we experienced, at least, from the way that I grew up. So, a lot of conversations around diversity only emerged after I went back to the U.S. in early adulthood.

And university is, obviously, a breeding ground for so much of your identity exploration, getting a sense of not only diversity amongst races, but also within the country, and really understanding that even within Addis there are pockets of, let's say, maybe privilege, and certain social and cultural dynamics that I wasn't as privy to until I left and came back.

And so, I think I've been very fortunate to have had overall pretty great experiences, and not being faced with anything that ever questioned my identity to a core, core level, and was more on the side of being able to see and understand injustice from the perspective of other people.

Darren Isom:

And so, we'll get into that a little bit later. I'm sure you have a lot of perspectives to share with us there. I do want to spend some time talking about Chakka Origins. I know it celebrates the healing power of Ethiopia's native plants. Where did your connection to these plants begin? Was it passed down or something you came up to on your own?

Feven Tsehaye:

I love this question. Like a lot of people who grew up in Ethiopia, it was very common to, if you... It's very common to grow up in a compound. Like, let's say, in a house that's gated similar to this. In every grandma's backyard, you will find a whole abundance of plants. Everything from rue, or [Speaks Amharic] as we call it in Amharic, to [Speaks Amharic], a lot of indigenous and native plants were very common somewhere in the household.

And I remember I think the first time I had a stomach ailment, I must have been, like six, or seven, my grandma squeezed all of the rue leaf, and got the juice out of it, and it tastes really, really horrible. But it definitely got the job done in terms of curing the stomachaches that I was having.

And so, it was a thing that I really took for granted, and didn't really put much value on it until I was a bit older, and then understood like, "This woman really knew what she was doing, and had this great way of combining..." Like, when you have a cold or flu, you'll have minced garlic with honey, or you'll take some drops of black cumin seed oil.

And so, these are things that we took for granted, and then now in adulthood, as the city changes, as so much of our lives and economies are also changing, we're moving more towards living in apartments, not having the same kind of access as before, and slowly seeing the diminishing of a lot of indigenous plants and biodiversity.

And for some odd reason, I became super obsessed with wanting to find plant-based products. So, whether it's for skincare, for hair. So, making my own little concoctions and mixes of oils, and found that it was such a shame that with all of the beauty that Ethiopia has, with all of the biodiversity, and all of these forest ecosystems that are really prevalent and massive and wide and vast and just really incredible ranges, there isn't much local production for these products.

And so, what ends up happening is the raw material gets shipped out to somewhere in either South Asia, or some other country in Europe, or the U.S., and the processing happens there, and then the end product isn't attributed to just that brand.

So, there's almost no storytelling of the origin of where it comes from. And so, a big part of the birth of Chakka Origins was to play our part in rectifying that. So, chakka means forest in Ethiopia's Amharic language. And origins, because Ethiopia is the land of origins where the first human sister, Lucy, was found.

A big part of Chakka Origins is wanting to pay homage to Ethiopia's biodiversity, and to the many traditions and indigenous plants that have been a big part of my childhood.

Darren Isom:

That's beautiful. So, I want to come back to this whole idea of the old ladies with the magical cures, because I totally remember as a young kid burning myself, and my grandmother sitting me in the backyard to get this aloe vera plant. Right? And you'll see the slimy plant and put it on, and be like, "What is this old woman doing?" Right?

And then it's like, "Well, we can go to the pharmacy actually, and there's a product for this," and then you look, and you come full circle, and aloe vera is literally a listed ingredient in that thing.

And so, I wonder how much of this, the world that we're in now is not so much a question of learning new things, but unlearning things. And so, I would love, as you think about your progress from a life perspective, from appreciating your grandparents and the role that they play, or played, if you will, from a healing perspective, what did you have to unlearn? If that makes sense at all. From an appreciation of western culture, or-

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah. I think less is more. As cliché as that sounds, I think it's understanding that simplicity is usually the answer, and I think we all go through this period. Right? And, obviously, the pandemic was a major shift in showing us what we really don't need at all.

And, for me, a part of that journey has also just been learning to accept what I'm naturally also drawn to. I think I sometimes have this tendency of just over-complicating, and even as part of also starting Chakka Origins, I had this notion of, "Oh, I want to start the traditional medicine sector within Ethiopia, and make it a very formal thing similar to traditional Chinese medicine, or ayurveda, and making it a whole industry."

And in that journey, and I am still committed to playing my small part in that, but that's such a massive undertaking in many ways, and I think gauging where the market is, and what's really available, what's within reach, because there are still a lot of traditional communities, especially, within rural Ethiopia that have an incredibly vast knowledge, and resource base that's very much kept within those communities, and unless you go and live and are part of that, it's really hard to access some of that information and data, and, rightfully so perhaps. Just out of fear of too much extraction, or too much of the taking, and not enough of the leaving.

And, for me, I decided that, like, "Let me just start with one step at a time."

Darren Isom:

Yeah.

Feven Tsehaye:

And so, part of starting the business was also a way to... I had actually no intention of starting a business, which is funny. I literally was just producing oils at home, and just wanted to explore what I would do outside of being employed by other. And then somehow I have a whole team, a whole five plus years later now. I have put in a lot of work into creating and crafting something that I could be proud of that's within natural ingredients and products.

So, yeah. Less is more.

Darren Isom:

Yeah. And we'll come back to that as well, because I think there's always this moment when you realize, "I never really wanted to start a business," but you actually realize you are a business person.

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah.

Darren Isom:

You have a business, whether you realize it, or not. So, you might as well go ahead, and take on that title. You've had an inspiring career and social impact working on the agriculture and healthcare in Africa, and in China. You've already started talking about this, but I would love to hear a little bit more about how those experiences abroad shape your outlook on the possibilities for sustainable entrepreneurship. Especially, when it comes to connecting local resources with global markets.

Feven Tsehaye:

So, maybe going back to a little bit about childhood, I always felt drawn to issues around social justice and equity. Right? And I think that that's always what I imagined for myself as a future. And then most of what I studied was focused on development and econ. And so, that intersection of social equity, but also some business acumen and some business sense.

And then joined a family foundation, and doing a lot of work with them, and looking at what would be an interesting way to redirect resources towards healthcare and agriculture on the continent, and this is around 2014. So, social impact investments were super, super new. It was barely even defined. The metrics were kind of like-

Darren Isom:

[inaudible 00:11:38]. Are you okay? Did you recover from that?

Feven Tsehaye:

I think that's part of why I'm still doing this. So, I think one of my biggest takeaways from that was there are ways to redesign models that work, but it really requires having a granular understanding of where are the gaps within what's already existing?

And so, I took a lot of my experiences and learnings around everything from how to do due diligence to putting together market research, and business plans, and investor relations, et cetera, and poured all of that into making sure that from the onset, Chakka Origins was very committed to both social and ecological impact, doing the value add, doing the processing, and also having the direct link to customers.

So, wanting to create that end-to-end traceability, and a fully transparent model that balances impact with profitability. Though, the profitability part is still a work in progress.

Darren Isom:

Yeah. A level down there, because I think that's a really strong point. You're taught from a business school perspective that profitability above all other things. Right? And western business models often focus on profit above all else. With Chakka Origins, you're building something more holistic, and you're centering something that's more important from an impact perspective, or even defining impact differently.

Tell us a little bit more about what inspired you to build this model that centers equity and partnership rather than the more extractive approaches we often see in global supply chains.

Feven Tsehaye:

I think, one, it doesn't sit right in my spirit. I've never taken a job that was not aligned with who I am, and with my values. And I would, certainly, not create anything that I didn't really believe in. That's just not for me.

I think I must have been 16 when I first told my mom that I was like, "I have this sense of I go somewhere, and I can immediately get a read on whether a person, or an opportunity is right for me." And I followed that.

And so, yeah. To your point, I think following intuition is definitely something that that's important, and has been a big part of shaping so much of this career journey.

So, I got to travel a lot in rural Ethiopia. For the most part, I've seen major parts of the country, and have spent quite a lot of time talking to farmers. And small holder farmers actually in Ethiopia make up 80% of the population. That's a large, large number of people that are a big part of our economy, but also our day-to-day lives.

And often what you see is this massive disconnect between what's produced there, and then products that you find on shelves, like, in Addis, or in the supermarkets, or in other countries. Like, products of Ethiopian origin that you'd find in a U.S. store.

And part of it is there isn't enough of that value addition. Like, if we're not able to reclaim the processing, producing things locally, manufacturing within country, you just won't be able to have a hold on the narrative, on the origin, on the story of where it comes from, and what the value is.

And so, spending a lot of time in the field especially. And I love, because nature has always been a grounding, grounding force for me, and a big part of what I followed in also building Chakka Origins.

And so, I felt a responsibility to also pay tribute to that, and to honor the communities that have been a big part of sustaining us in this modern day and age no matter how disconnected we feel, that every single thing that we consume, whether it's food, beverage, any product that you buy... I think the more you understand the value of the process, where it comes from, and how it's done, the more conscious you are as a consumer.

Darren Isom:

And so, building on that point, people often say that Africa is rich in many ways, and it's true, especially, when it comes to natural resources. That appreciation for the land is core to your work at Chakka Origins, and serves as a model for the rest of the world.

How do you think Ethiopia's relationship with its natural resources differs from the rest of the world? What makes it special? And what is worth building on there? And what lessons can global audiences draw from that relationship?

Feven Tsehaye:

If you ask pretty much anyone that you meet in the short time that you're here about what their relationship to land is it'll always be the same. So, it's a big, big part of our identity, it's a big part of how we also view ourselves.

Like, it's not just agriculture that's a big part of our lives, but also just this sense of nature, and being constantly surrounded in nature. And so, I think the heritage that we have, a lot of the biodiversity that we have, coffee arabica, for example, originates in Kafa Biosphere Reserve.

So, we have five biosphere reserves across Ethiopia. So, these are ecological heritage sites that UNESCO has registered similarly that you would to any kind of natural resource that has a level of biodiversity that's really incredible, from the types of birds, and et cetera, and all the species, and I think we're quite proud of that as a nation, and we really do understand the importance of biodiversity in all the sense.

So, land is a very, very big part of how we see ourselves, how we also feel about community, and that connection to the land.

Darren Isom:

I'm reminded of at some point during Black Lives Matter movement back in 2020 maybe, I can't remember, I can't keep track of the years now, there was a beautiful piece that... It was a TikTok move I guess. A woman, it was at the height of all the protests, and we felt like the world was against us, and the woman reminded me, "Let's not forget..." It's a Black woman in the south. "Let's not forget that nature is rooting for us."

We have friends in nature. Nature is [inaudible 00:16:55]. And I felt like that's a part of the origin story for your work as well.

Feven Tsehaye:

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think when I thought of all the times when I felt either overwhelmed, or defeated, like, any of the things that sometimes weigh on us, as soon as I am in a forest, by a body of water, really any body of water, grounds me. It brings me back to myself.

And I think that's been a big part of why I think it's important to create things that we're proud of, and feeling connected to.

Darren Isom:

Your work is deeply rooted in sustainability, and in working directly with small holder farmers, especially, women. I just want to spend a little time talking about as a woman leading a mission-driven company, and working alongside women farmers, what unique strengths and perspectives do you believe women bring to the work when it comes to building successful and high-impact businesses in Africa?

Feven Tsehaye:

So, I think what's interesting is that I actually didn't initially start off thinking that it would be with that type of focus. And, again, yeah. So, a big part of wanting to also focus on women was inspired by a lot of the field visits that I had.

And so, when you look at the caretakers, not only for the land, not only for households and communities, but just when you look at that type of ecosystem, it naturally made sense to focus on women.

And then what's interesting about our line of products, so, we focus on supply chains that are around herbs and spices... At least, that was the first line of products that we had. So, both for the oils and also for herbal teas. And usually, these are also things that women tend to.

But the difference is that maybe they're just doing that at a backyard level. So, just in their homestead. And what we were asking them was to say like, "We see the value in keeping this. We see the value in growing it. If we work with you to increase the number of seedlings that you have, improve some of the trainings, and quality elements, then can we really scale these indigenous plants? So, that they're not just slowly disappearing from everyone's backyards, and that we find new uses for them."

So, their acceptance of that offer is also what inspired me to commit to having a majority female-driven supply chain. And then that also translated into our current team. So, a majority of our team also here in Addis is largely women, largely young people, and I think that's also reflective of the demographic of the kind of change that we need to see for this generation, in leadership, and in communities.

And so, yeah. Double down on it.

Darren Isom:

Yeah. I want to double down a little bit more, because what have the small holder farmers you work with taught you? What have you learned from them about the land, the climate, or even about life that you wish more people around the world understood?

Feven Tsehaye:

There is a season for everything. So, in the same way that there's seasons where you're more active, and you're harvesting, and then there's seasons where you're planting, and you're preparing, and really understanding the flow of where you are in that cycle of your own life. So, I think that's been a really big takeaway for me, and understanding that I can't always be constantly pushing, and always on the go, that there has to be times where a little bit of rest, recuperation, re-energizing, and then picking up the work again.

Because so much of this really is... Like, it's been a labor of love, and building this, and it takes a lot of steam, and a lot of energy out of you. And so, I think following the seasons of nature, and within our lives, I think that's been one big lesson.

I think a second one is really being present in the moment, and learning to stay grounded within the people, and within the interactions that you're having. And so, in a hyper-digital world of constant emails, and WhatsApp messages, coordinating timezones, and all of these things, and you learn that you cannot do it all at the same time.

And so, having a lot of grace, and learning that the more you can stay present and grounded within that moment, within that interaction, and find ways to expand it, the more at peace you feel.

Darren Isom:

My next question is a bit broader, but I hope we can engage. We're living in a world... And sometimes when I'm at work, back in California, back in San Francisco, I'll start a meeting, and I feel the need to acknowledge the moment that we're in. Right?

We've lived through a presidency before that was highly disruptive, is the most charitable way I can put it. We lived through a whole pandemic where millions of people died. We had a whole civil rights movement. Coming out of that, we then had some turbulent years, and we're living through a very, very turbulent period now with so many changes, and so many things shifting.

And I think it's safe to say that so many of us are not well. I think that we confuse often being functional with being well. Would you say that people are not well? What does it feel like to be in the healing business in this moment and time when so many of us need healing?

Feven Tsehaye:

It's a big one. A part of it is recognizing that, to your point, that there are these tidal waves. Right? There are times when you feel that you are maybe drowning, but, in actuality, maybe you're not, and it's just that external circumstances have added so many layers of chaos that has seeped into your very being.

And so, I think, for me, what it has meant is really pushing that narrative of, "If I do the internal work, if I actually really align myself around my values, around my day-to-day, around how I start and end my day," and that's been such a big part of my priorities, especially, in the last two years... Even in Ethiopia, we've gone through a lot of similar changes. So, we've had civil war and unrest, we've had the pandemic, and many things that are continuing to unfold.

And maybe in the moment it doesn't feel right to be able to anchor yourself in this inner grounding, but, at some point, when it becomes extremely exhausting, and you no longer want to continue functioning that way, my hope is that people are able to really go inwards, and find the very small things that help ground your day.

Like, just start simple. So, breath work has been a big part of my practice. I'm very inspired by fragrances and senses. You can imagine, also with the line of work that I do, whether it's putting some incense, rubbing some oil, and just taking a few seconds to just inhale that, whatever that small piece of gratitude, or grounding that you're able to get within your day, just grab it, and do it as consistently as you can. And even throughout the day.

So, now I've even started a practice of having a small bottle within my office, like, on my desk, so, that I'll remember to pause at some point, and just take a moment to breathe, and come back to myself, and remember that all of the external chaos is only external chaos.

And so, before you can come back to yourself, and it's almost like beautifying your inner world-

Darren Isom:

Yeah.

Feven Tsehaye:

... and then slowly being able to pull whether it's the people, or the habits that can help you cultivate that a bit more, and then you create your own form of resistance. Right? And you're able to find your own way of living with joy even through the chaos, and through the pain, and finding a bit of laughter, and lightheartedness.

And so, I really hope that for people really all around the world that are going through some pretty chaotic times, there's a way to ground yourself in coming back to your inner world.

Darren Isom:

Yeah. And I think there is something very powerful about being the peace that you need in the world.

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah.

Darren Isom:

That's really powerful. That's really beautiful. Let's wonk out for a little bit. Ethiopia is home to many powerful and lesser-known plants. Can you share a few of your favorites and their benefits? Teach the people.

Feven Tsehaye:

This is why I'm here. I am obsessed with Ethiopian cardamon. It's a type of cardamon that's indigenous to Ethiopia. So, it comes in a pod, and then you have to remove the webbed cup around within the pod. And then you get the seed.

So, it really is a very intense way of extracting a product. So, I think we're the first ones, as far as I know, that have distilled it into an essential oil. It's a very rich, warm spicy aroma.

We traditionally use it in [Speaks Amharic], like in our chili pepper blends and spices, but it's an incredible decongestant oil actually. It really helps with opening up your senses. And so, if you feel like there's a lot of inflammation in your chest, and, et cetera, you add a little bit into your diffuser, or take it into a steamer. It completely just opens you up, and I'm obsessed with it. I also love spices, as you can tell.

Darren Isom:

As one should.

Feven Tsehaye:

As one should. It's only the right thing to do. When I eat food without spices, it's very concerning. I can do it maybe a day, or two, and then that's my max.

And then the second one is [Speaks Amharic], which is a type of herb that we normally use to clarify butter. And so, we do a lot of vegetable ghee, butter, that's spiced. And so, it really helps with both the flavor, but also preserving it.

And I actually make it in tea form. So, it's one of our products. And the first time that I think I offered it to my mom, she was just side-eyeing me like, "Not you out here just experimenting on some strange levels." And then what I love is seeing a person transition from extreme skepticism towards being like, "This is actually really great, and I would like to have some more."

Darren Isom:

Did she admit it, though?

Feven Tsehaye:

She did. She did. She did. And she still has a stronger pull for the traditional way of preparing tea, which it has cloves, cardamon, and all the works. But I think she's definitely found more of an appreciation for some of the herbal teas, because it's not as big a part of our culture, because coffee has been so dominant. And so, a big part of it is just also educating people that it has all these benefits for anti-inflammation, for antibacterial, and that really helps us. Like, a detox element.

And so, instead of you going and buying some nonsense, start with what you have. Yeah. So, those are, I would say, my top two. And my black seed oil is always with me. Like, I have a vial at the office, at home-

Darren Isom:

Yeah.

Feven Tsehaye:

... in my travel bag. Yes.

Darren Isom:

It's good stuff?

Feven Tsehaye:

It's really good stuff. So, it's packed with fatty acids, pretty much anti-everything. So, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory. In Ethiopia, we normally would put the oil with coffee when you feel a cold, or a flu coming on. So, it's a way of boosting your immune system. So, it's super common to just have a few drops of the oil in your coffee.

Darren Isom:

So, I want to use a portion of the conversation to look ahead, and one of my favorite quotes, as my team knows all the time, the Octavia Butler quote, "There's nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns." And for so many of us, our job is to cast new suns for us to live under.

In many global markets, a lot of us become fast-paced and trend-driven, often disconnected from the land, tradition, and the people, and the ingredients. Notably, Chakka Origins isn't following trends, it's setting them.

And so, I would love to get a sense of if those trends that it's setting became the normal ones, what would it look like if more businesses, specifically, global ones approached natural resources the way that your organization does?

Feven Tsehaye:

I think we'd all be healthier, and I think we'd all have an opportunity to really be in tune, not only with what we're ingesting and consuming and applying, but also with our very thinking and consciousness around just purchasing products. Right?

So, instead of mindlessly adding things to an Amazon cart, is there a way to find a supplier that has a similar product, but is a small business, crafts things either from... With, like, a lot of love and care, and considering the people that are working there, and whatever's around their supply chain.

So, I think I see it not only as part of just the products, but really this process of how do you increase consciousness around both your purchasing power, your habits? I think [inaudible 00:28:07].

Darren Isom:

Broadly.

Feven Tsehaye:

And I think that's what I hope for. Like, my hope for the future is that we're able to be in a space where we have more understanding, information, and patience to work with smaller businesses, and not necessarily having to all congregate to mega brands, and bigger, fast consumer goods, products.

Yeah. Slow and steady.

Darren Isom:

Got it. And how does that connect you to the future of Africa? The future of the continent?

Feven Tsehaye:

We are young. It's a very, very young population. The majority is under the age of 25. So, there's a lot of energy, dynamism. Is that the right word? And there's a lot of ability, I think to shape a future that feels right for this generation. Right? Where you're no longer tethered to the norm of the old, and how things were, but really leveraging new knowledge, new experiences, and shaping things in a way that feels right for the types of challenges and circumstances that we're living under, and being able to claim that, and also being a part of it.

I think you mentioned a really great point earlier in saying that we sometimes... It takes us a while to recognize what point and time in history we are in in the moment. I think the ability to increase that muscle will be a big part of how we were able to move forward towards the future that feels more just for the majority of people, not just for the minority.

Our ability to be present is also going to help us in really understanding the type of just future that we seek, the kind of equity that we're looking for, and hoping that the majority of people are feeling good about where they are in their lives, and how they're also part of a history that they get to shape. Right?

And not necessarily following trends that have brought us to where we are, which is not necessarily the best, but I think we're very hopeful that in this day and age with a very young and energized and dynamic population, especially, on the continent, that we're able to shape the future that we see for ourselves, and being very vocal, and consistent, and bringing together the communities.

Darren Isom:

And what's excited me so much about what I've seen in my travels to-date across the continent is both a future in trend-setting, but also a trend-setting that's grounded in reality, and grounded in culture. What does it look like when you're actually able to own the things that you're putting out, and knowing that what you're producing is super grounded, super anchored, and super culturally relevant?

I want to transition a little bit, and talk a little bit more about you've spoken about climate change, and how it's already affecting the communities you work with. What does climate justice look like for you? And how does your work help support that.

Feven Tsehaye:

So, climate justice, for me, is making sure that the ecosystems and the people who tend to the land are at the forefront, not only of changing the tides, but also of being able to benefit from their role in safeguarding these ecosystems.

And what I mean by that is a lot of times you'll have these interventions for any number of things around digital solutions for tracking data, and using data then to leverage different types of credits, or schemes that will help with addressing issues around climate change.

But unless the communities are also benefiting from those interventions, and are part of the conversation around what are the activities that you're even proposing, then there will be no climate justice, in my opinion.

And so, I think for us a big part of that has meant as we look to, let's say, combat deforestation, for example, it means that we also understand that one of the main sources of income for farmers in rural parts of the country that are surrounded by natural forest is maybe from chopping down trees and selling them.

And so, recognizing that that's a stream of income. And so, our mission and what we hope is that we create value by ensuring that things that grow around natural forests are the source of income that farmers can live off of, and that they see the value of that, and they see that that's increasing. So, that there's not as much of a need to cut down trees, and that being your only source of income.

So, that point around the types of interventions that are appropriate for those ecosystems, for those environments, and ensuring that farmers are at the forefront, and also benefiting, I think that's what climate justice looks like to me.

Darren Isom:

And if we're going to close out the conversation, I want to just spend a little time talking about... I know that you said you're going to be in the States next week, which will, by the time this airs, it will happen you've probably been in the States a few times by then.

And as someone who goes back and forth between the States and the continent, what pulls you back? What makes Africa home for you? And what reminds you of your purpose and your asset in being here?

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah. One, this is home. This is also where I've been shaped for the most part. This is where my parents live, where my family is. But I also think this is where in a way I feel like I also get the most challenged, in many instances, especially running a social enterprise business.

And I think that there's a lot to be said about being able to grow in an environment that really pushes you to your limits in a way that helps shape the core identity of who you are.

And so, that's what Ethiopia has always done to me. It pushes me to my limits, and then I find a lot of also lessons, and a lot of grace in that process of leaning on my community, and my family, and my friends, and people around me, and bringing me back to the sense of like, "I know that I'm here for a reason, and there's..."

And it is challenging, because it's where I belong. And so, it's almost, like, this is the biggest obstacle to overcome in order to even grow as an individual in my personal life.

And so, yeah. The places that push you the most I think are the ones where usually there's a bit of work that you need to do, both in that environment, but probably also on yourself. Yeah.

Darren Isom:

Yeah. I think it's a good reminder that the grass is always greener where it's watered.

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah.

Darren Isom:

And so, you, clearly, found love and community here and-

Feven Tsehaye:

Yeah.

Darren Isom:

... that's where you prosper.

Feven Tsehaye:

Exactly.

Darren Isom:

So, just a closing question, as you look ahead... I love to end with joy.

Feven Tsehaye:

Yes.

Darren Isom:

As you look ahead, what fills you with the most joy and a sense of possibility? Both from your work, and for the future of sustainable businesses across the continent, and the continent itself. Where do you find joy?

Feven Tsehaye:

Ooh. So many places actually. So, I really find joy and community, and, for me, that's meant I have an incredible network of female entrepreneurs, of women who are also charting similar territory in the sense of building something that's completely new, whether it's bamboo-based products, whether it's digital solutions.

Just a whole range of really, really incredible entrepreneurs that I've met through the process of also starting my own business, and they've now become such a large part of my go-to for all the good stuff, and also all the rants.

And so, I think that's been a big source of joy, knowing that I'm not alone, that I'm surrounded by incredible people who are also very committed to the issues around equity, around creating new possibilities, and also about dreaming, and being able to imagine a future that's different from what we've seen, and not knowing exactly what it will look like, but that feeling of being together, and going through the motions, and the process gives me a lot of joy.

Darren Isom:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And so, I was reminded earlier today by Den, who has been both my chaperone and my guide today, that those of us who are torch-bearers, our work and our torch-bearing is most important when times are dark.

So, thank you so much for all the light you bring to the world, and the conversations. It's been absolutely wonderful chatting with you. And I'm going to say [Speaks Amharic].

Feven Tsehaye:

[Speaks Amharic]. I'm so proud. I'm really proud. And thank you so much for having me, and for a really, really incredible conversation around, yeah, dreaming in color.

Darren Isom:

That's right. Thank you.

As I shared before, my grandfather Joseph was born in New Orleans' Coliseum Square, but his earliest memories weren't of the city. After the Spanish Flu took both of his parents within six months of his birth, he was sent upriver to live with his maternal grandparents in Edgar, and later, his paternal grandparents in [inaudible 00:36:04].

His childhood was shaped by loss, but he never told it that way. He always spoke of those early years with joy. Life along the river had a rhythm all its own shaded by oaks, fragrant with flowers and the scent of something sweet baking nearby.

It was a life marked by elegance and order. Shaped not just by his grandparents, but by a community that cared for him and the land with quiet devotion. To hear him tell it, his childhood was defined by the beauty and attention that surrounded him. He always had, as he put it, a soft place to land.

In those country years, nestled between the riverbanks and flowerbeds, he developed a deep love for nature. In this world, plants carried memory, medicine, and meaning. He learned from those around him, the cooks, the groundskeepers, the ones who kept things growing and glowing, to appreciate plants for their healing purposes. That early reverence forever stayed with him.

He built his life in New Orleans raising a family in the house on Dominican Street, that he and my grandma Lois moved into as a young couple. The house reflected her sartorial whimsy, and city upbringing, a sensibility shaped by generations of urban architects and florists, who understood beauty and structure, form, and fashion. Just beyond an ornate living room through a wall of windows overlooking the backyard, the garden flourished.

Much of it was Grandma Lois' domain, lush, and scripted, full of blooms destined for vases. Her relationship to nature was refined, curated, shaped by a world where beauty was something to be arranged.

But in the back corner hidden behind a massive wall of oakleaf hydrangeas was a quieter patch of Earth. There was my Grandpa Joseph's garden. It was a small space, humble in scale, but tended with deep reverence. Grandpa Joseph was a quiet man, but in the garden, he was deeply expressive. Without speaking, he communicated through the work, turning soil, pinching back leaves, guiding new life with patient, deliberate hands.

He taught me the Lord's Prayer as a child, but it was in the garden that I witnessed his deepest devotion. And it wasn't only spiritual, it was medicinal.

I remember him stepping into the house with aloe for burns, or mangrove leaves when someone was sick. Healing was woven into everything he grew. Each plant had a purpose. Each act of care was a kind of communion. That patch held more than herbs and greens, it held memory, a connection to the river parishes of his childhood, to the fields and orchids where he first learned that plants could restore not just the body, but the spirit. In that garden surrounded by city sounds, and the hum of daily life, he returned to something elemental. He found balance.

Now I have a garden of my own. At our home here in Sacramento, California, the backyard hums with life. Peaches and nectarines ripen in the sun. Lavender bushes soften the air and call the bees. Roses, peonies, and orchids bloom alongside succulents and herbs.

In the warmer months, summer vegetables spill from their beds, tangled and generous. The garden is full and green, sometimes rogue, always abundant. It's my husband who cares for it with great tenderness. When I watch him in the garden, I'm reminded of my Grandpa Joseph, the same quiet patience, the same deep attention. His hands are different. His rhythm is his own. But the devotion is familiar. Love expressed in pruning, in watering, and noticing what needs more sun, more space, more time.

During the darkest days of the COVID quarantine, when the world felt suspended, when fear and grief sit heavy on the chest, it was this garden that saved me. The world had lost its rhythm, but nature kept beating steadily. Blossoms open, bees return.

The bougainvilleas scaling the south fence withered each winter to what looked like dry, lifeless wood. Only to return each spring more voluptuous, more full of color than the year before.

In each of those small miracles, I was reminded that the world was still turning, that I was only an extra in life's grand play, who had stepped offstage for a moment as the play was still unfolding beautifully without pause.

In Audre Lorde's poem Coping, she writes of a young boy tending his garden, billing rainwater from the soil to keep the seeds from drowning. "Young seeds that have not seen sun," she writes, "Forget and drown easily." I think of that boy often, and of my grandfather, of my husband, of Feven, and of all those who have turned to the earth when the world offered no answers, those who have known across time and distance that tending plants is another way of tending ourselves.

That's what stayed with me most from my conversation with Feven. Not just her knowledge of plants, but a deep belief in their power to restore. In her stories, as in my grandfather's, and in my own, plants offered a way to commune, to meditate, to heal.

As Feven said, the connection to land, to nature is a huge part of how we stay whole, and that in the end is what the garden gives us. Not distraction, but devotion, a place to be quiet, and to listen, a place where the sacred still speaks. That what is rested will rise, that what is rooted will flower.

Once again, we've put some music with the magic, collecting the theme songs from our season's guests and collaborators to create a Spotify playlist for our listeners to enjoy. Find it on Spotify under Dreaming In Color: The Continent.

Thanks for listening to Dreaming In Color. A special shout-out to all the folks who make the magic happen. From Africa Insight Communications, our wonderful producers, Mudzithe Phiri and Tom Kirkwood, production coordinator Goddec Orimba, audiovisual editor Omamo Gikho, graphic designer Ernest Chikuni, and the amazing production crews on the ground in each country.

A huge shout-out to my Bridgespan production colleagues, Cora Daniels, my ever-brilliant partner in good trouble, and Elisabeth Makumbi, my Joburg-based seasoned co-host. And, of course, our fabulous creative director Ami Diané. What a squad, y'all.

Be sure to rate, subscribe, and review wherever you listen to podcasts. Catch you next time.