BLACK & WHITE two creative spaces that arise from the need to promote the national product and reduce foreign dependence. "The BLACK store is a space where we will sell products produced within the various initiatives of the Makobo Platform, including what we are doing in Cabo Delgado," says Ruy Santos, creator of the BLACK & WHITE concept, in an interview with MZNews.

Basically, the BLACK store aims to promote Mozambican 100% products with social impact. "Yes, we are talking about products, social and community projects that add value and contribute to the promotion of social, cultural and environmental causes, and to the appreciation and preservation of our traditional knowledge," says the entrepreneur and social activist.

The WHITE store, on the other hand, is a completely white, neutral space that was created to give space to Mozambican entrepreneurs, creators, and inventors who "do not have space beyond the social networks, and want to disseminate, expose, propose and promote their ideas, projects and products physically and on a rotating basis," Ruy explains. "For a week, the space will be available for them to promote their products and sell them," he adds.

And because not everyone can afford a wider promotion of their products on the internet, Ruy clarifies that "what we want to do is to use this creativity that people during the pandemic acquired and transform this space into a POP-UP STORE where people can come and show their physical products", he explains.

So, continues the social activist, "BLACK & WHITE is this, it's a combination of two concepts, one is to promote products that have an impact on our community through our initiatives, and to rent for a week a space for creatives or entrepreneurs to exhibit their ideas and products."

The rental price varies depending on the type and cost of the product that the entrepreneur wants to exhibit. "Depending on the product, we can negotiate a percentage of sale of each of the pieces because the products are varied. Our idea is to define a margin that is balanced for the entrepreneur, but also to create sustainability for the space," says the creator of BLACK & WHITE.

National scope project

Both the BLACK and WHITE spaces, located at AV. Vladimir Lenine, Jardim Dona Berta, in Maputo, are intended to have a national reach. "Yes, our vision is to become the largest commercialization network of community products in the country." And that, "means that everything that is a product promoted in the communities, that has an impact on the communities, that promotes cultural identity, employment for young people, vocational training, we will want to officially represent these products," he stresses.

And for this, the steps are already being taken. In Cabo Delgado Province, "we are already working in one of the largest centers for displaced people in the Pemba area, Metuge, and have created the first brand of handicraft products produced by displaced people in the camp, Wiwanana (which means we understand each other without confusion). In the city of Maputo, the BLACK store also already has articles made with banana fiber paper, through a partnership that exists with the company bananalândia.

The production process consists of collecting the leaves, processing and "we make the paper," he details. "You know," he says as he points, "with this paper, people can make wrapping sheets, wedding invitations, they can print pictures," he explains.

"We have bags made through these sheets, mixtures of paper products with capulana and we are going to launch the products from Cabo Delgado. We are just finalizing now the products that came from Cabo Delgado, which are essentially mats and bags. We are going to have an exhibit here in the store with the products from Cabo Delgado," he reveals to our reporter.

More than promoting products, "we want to draw attention to the level of underdevelopment in which many people live. The need for us to bet on greater economic inclusion for this fringe of society," says the social entrepreneur.

Through Makobo, a management and action platform for corporate social responsibility, "we became the first institution that created a brand of items already registered in the camp". And that's not all. "We are in the process of acquiring equipment to transform plastics into utensils, such as basins and tables," and all of this, "is our project, but we count on several partners that have supported us in these initiatives of ours," I conclude.