When world rankings predict that African Businesses have a 5-year life span, do they factor in the petty traders that man their corner shops for a lifetime? I visited my parents in Abeokuta recently and was again amazed at the persistence of these corner shops. Photo by Breston Kenya from Pexels When we moved into the area in 1997, 'Iya Tunde' was already there, the official plug for fresh bread, Monday to Sunday. She had a grinding mill too, where children socialised while they waited for their turn to grind pepper or beans. She sold more than bread, pretty much anything people needed. Her goods often changed with the seasons, balloons and 'banger' accompanying the yuletide, leap balm and 'Rubb' surfacing in harmattan and umbrellas to welcome the rains. It appears like she has been there forever, but she has four educated children and two completed houses to show for it. What about 'Iya Bose' popula
Like streams flowing into a dam, an exposure of the little things that make the big things count, a recount of the things you see everyday in a way that you never see them. ...the thoughts of a READY WRITER.