The reason why we started MINERAL BOX project under the pandemic situation

Nice to meet you, I'm Sayaka  from Japan and CEO on MINERAL BOX. Now we started activity to connect Africa and Japan. Let me tell you why I and my business partner Bao has started this new project as side business under this pandemic situation. 

■The image of  "Africa"
 What do you imagine from the word "Africa"? You might think of wild animals of Safari, uncivilized civilization, dispute, starvation, or infection disease ... To be honest, these are the images that I had 5years ago before I got chance to visit South Africa. I was interested in abroad, but didn't know any thing  specific about "Africa" at that time.

To prepare to attend a conference in Cape Town, I've read several books about South Africa and met  "South Africa, that I touched by hand"  written by Ms.Chikako Ueda. She wrote about usual people she met in Cape Town. Through her book, I was so surprised how those usual people have a noble mind and survived under apartheid period. They were strong and gentle. Then, suddenly "Africa" became my dream land. I eager to meet those kind of people. This book turned my life toward to Africa.

 Do you know how big African continent is? Both its' length and breadth are 8000km, which is the same length from Japan to Sweden! The Mercator method shows this continent small, but in fact this continent is bigger than sum of China, US, and EU all together. In this huge continent, there are 54 countries and more than 1.2billion people live. 

 As I get to know more about Africa, I was shocked that I didn't even try to know about such a huge continent, just calling them one simple word "Africa". Today, we can search anything we want by internet, but I didn't even imagine to do that. I was so surprised that I didn't have interest of such a giant on the earth. There was a physchological gap.

◾️Connecting Africa and Japan on an individual basis
 Later on, I got chance to visit several countries of Africa, such as Togo, Nigeria, and Kenya. While I was traveling, I always had interested in about the usual people and their daily life there, and as I get to know about them, I became to think introducing how African people are living might make Japanese people more lively. I began to think about to make the place to connect African and Japanese people not only on business basis but also on an individual basis.

■Started side business to make my passion a form 
 My passion to let Japanese people know about African people growed little by little. I often talked about Africa to my friends, at some business event at my work, and drew some illustration of them and made post cards to send to my friends. But still, somehow I felt this passion and my activity should be done within my hobby, it shouldn't be done publicly or in business. I limited my self and just gave up it was a kind of maximum that I can do with my ability.

 The turning point suddenly came to me on January 2020. One of my friend, Bao, who were also sent to a retail tech start up company talked to me to start side business together. He was one of the friend that I often talked about African people and society, and he had interested in about that. He asked me, "Why don't we collaborate and build up a side business to connect Africa and Japan together? I know how to set up personal business on internet, and you have great content about Africa."

  Bao had never been to Africa. But he had passion. 3 monthes before we talk about starting new business, I gave the T-shirt that my Togolese friend Passi designed as souvenir and explained how that the design had inclusive message. He really loved it and Passi posted Bao's photo in Passi T-shirt,  and they were connected on instagram each other. This experience meant so much to Bao more than I imagined.  

 Bao said, "I learned that even though I don't speak another language, (he speaks only Japanese) nor never been to that country,  we still can connect individually in global scale through products and knowing the story behind. I believe it is very valuable for certain number of people. We should propose this value to the world. I can provide my skills and experience to share this value to the world."

 His words encouraged me a lot. I realized I'm not alone, should believe myself more, and should try forward. I noticed I have right to challenge to make my passion to actual business. I was also sent to startup company a year ago and have met so many antreprenours who are much younger than I am. I was a kind of jealous to them and sometimes wonder if I were a student right now, I might challenge to found a new business or not. I wish I could be, bu I also I recognized myself as an uncourageous person. I had fear to challenge, but with Bao's words, suddenly I realized that I can try as side business. It's OK, if I just believe myself, the gate was open.  

 After that, 3 months flied so fast to prepare to start our new business. There were so many things we have to decide, but at the same time I realized how so many internet services exist to enable build new small service, such as virtual address, platform service for online store, account system, delivery system for small amount, and so on. It might be impossible 2-3years ago.

◾️The reason why we start under the pandemic situation 
 As we prepare from January to April 2020, the pandemic had kept expanding day bay day and we had to give up some plans such as providing some youtube contents that shows Togolese daily life shot by Passi. The markets were closed and people had to stay home, so it became impossible to shoot. 
 Now I deeply feel that we Japanese and African people are facing same crisis even though we have more than 10,000km distance.  Even though we live far away, still we are the comrade born at same generation. I believe this is the time we should connect more, and then we can think of this change from wider range of perspective to survive huge changes.

 So I believe this is the time we at MINERAL BOX start this project to connect African and Japanese people with mind. We wish this project would become a chance to get interest about Africa for you. Let's have more Africa in mind. We are planning to make place to share and discuss about Africa, such as how people are spending time under pandemic, introducing the artist that we collaborate, and build up a community.

 We are very happy if you love the design or the artists' story and concept. We return some profit of the sales of collaborated products to the artists. Please check their instagram and follow them.

 We'll continue to press about information and essays about Africa, artists, how to start side business, and so on. Hope this place will help to get  Africa close to you. Thank you.  

CD: @taiyomochida