Hansen: New African store hopes to shine light

Ethiopia does not generally elicit good thoughts.

The country is blighted by famine, torn by civil wars and mired in political oppression. For women, it’s even worse. Marriage by abduction accounts for about 70% of the nation’s marriages, with some regions as high as 92%, according to reports.

So it was no surprise when the parents of Mimi Mekonnen sent her to the United States at age 19 for a better life. Now, years later, college educated and with a family, she has opened a business in Laguna Beach dedicated to showcasing the best of Africa through the selling of fair-trade products.

“In Africa, a woman, people don’t respect,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, because I really wanted to bring stuff from Africa. Now the dream came true finally.”

The grand opening of the sliver of a store, just south of Ralphs at 760 S. Coast Hwy., was Sunday. She calls her shop Leyla Gojo, which in her native country means “another home.”

For the past eight years, she and her husband, who is also from Ethiopia, have lived in Irvine but visited Laguna almost every week to shop and enjoy. With a son now off to college, the time was right to fulfill her dream.

“Laguna is a great place to introduce arts and crafts and jewelry to people,” she said. “The reason I like it, a lot of people come to me and ask me about Africa, asking about everything. I like that kind of person.”

She tells them about fair trade and why it’s important. Fair trade is an organized social movement that believes in just compensation and adherence to high social and environmental standards.

“Fair trade is a good way to bring stuff from Africa, because I’m not supporting people who are abusing kids,” she said. “Because I’m from Ethiopia, I know everything that’s going on back home.”

Her parents and two brothers still live in Ethiopia and she sees them often. She is planning a trip at the end of the month but is somewhat nervous. While she has seen progress in the country, it’s still a difficult trip for her.

“There’s a lot of things going on,” she said. “I’m preparing. I’m still debating, actually, whether to stay for two weeks because it’s too much for me. I cannot handle it. But I have to see my family. I have to actually see what’s going on, just to know.”

Over the years, she has seen her father lose his government job for reasons never fully explained. He then opened a restaurant, which he ran for several years before the government stepped in again and claimed the building. He lost his restaurant and never worked again.

“I talked to my brother yesterday and he was telling me, ‘There is no light,’” she said.

He wasn’t talking metaphorically. There literally was no electricity — or enough water.

The blackout lasted for nearly a week. Children had to leave school and study by candlelight at home.

Despite the ongoing hardships, Mekonnen tries to focus on the positive. For her, it’s important to represent her country the only way she can. There’s a humble pride about the way she represents her products, as if she lets their quality speak for themselves.

“People, they work hard in Africa,” she said. “I know they do very, very quality things. And Laguna is a good place to introduce that.”

Baskets from Senegal and Ghana are tightly woven and colorful. Bracelets from Kenya look like art objects but sell for less than $10.

It’s as if you have stumbled on a far-flung trading post where the exchange rate seems unfair. When I point out to her that a beautiful, handmade ornament could easily go for twice her asking price, she shrugs, smiles and becomes a little shy.

“It’s not always about the money,” she said, fingering the ornament, remembering where it came from.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.