S3E2: Kemo Camara

Episode Transcript

Evy: Oh, you're here.

Kemo: Yeah. Hello? Can I come in? You keep going and keep going in your conversation and I was like, "Wait a minute, I need to jump in into this."

Bill: Yeah, the tongues are wagging about our social media. If you guys want to find more information about it or just want to join the conversation.

Kemo: Well, you asked them to join the conversation.

Bill: This episode was produced and sound designed by Burgundy Sound Studio. Burgundy Sound Studio, sound better.

Evy: Hello and welcome to Word Up Podcast. My name is Evy.

Bill: My name is Bill.

Evy: Just Bill.

Bill: It is just Bill, I forget. My pen name is just Bill, yeah.

Evy: How are you today, Bill?

Bill: I'm good, I had a very delicious mug of warm tea that you just...you recommended this tea and it was a fantastic recommendation.

Evy: Would you like some more?

Bill: No, I've had plenty. That's enough, I don't want to misconstrue how much tea I can drink but I've enjoyed a little bit that I did have.

Evy: Yeah, well, I'm very glad you enjoyed my concoction.

Bill: You curate good things, you've never steered me wrong with substances that I can't eat. I think that's...you know, people should know that I come to you for that experience.

Evy: Definitely, it's on the record.

Bill: No, it is, people know, I can't pull it back to.

Evy: True. So how do you feel about today's guest?

Bill: Today's guest I feel very warm and fondly for. I feel like we spent hours and hours speaking with this guy, so I feel like we have plenty to talk about and I'm interested in hearing his stories because this is a life path unlike any I've heard about before.

Evy: Absolutely. So, let's welcome our guest, Kemo Camara. Hello.

Kemo: Hello.

Evy: How are you today?

Kemo: I am wonderful. You talk about the tea and she gave me a coffee, so I'm like, "Let me taste my coffee again."

Bill: You need to have a taste to say who came out better here, the tea guy or the coffee guy?

Kemo: I would say the coffee guy because now it's gonna give me a lot of energy and I got my coffee and so that's the...

Bill: You know, I feel cheated.

Evy: Well, you know, it's all about life choices.

Bill: Yeah, I made bad ones and they're being revealed for everyone to hear.

Evy: Yeah. Well, so, Kemo, how are you still?

Kemo: I am amazing. There is a song out today in Amsterdam. Whenever we have that, it's like great and I have, you know, this great coffee, so, yeah, I'm good, life is great. I had a wonderful weekend.

Evy: Fantastic. Yeah.

Kemo: Yeah, I'm excited to be here.

Evy: Well, we're excited to have you and for people who are listening and who might not know you, which is very shocking to me because I think like everybody should know you. So, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Kemo: Yeah, my name is Kemo Camara, like you said. By the way, first of all, I'll put this one out, I'm a big fan of this podcast. So, if you're listening right now, that mean we are in the same club, the fan club, which is good. Maybe hopefully, one day you graduate and then you have a chance to be here and listen to yourself because I'm really excited to be here. Having said that, I'm originally from Guinea, that's Guinea Conakry in the West Africa. That's where I was born and then grew up basically in amazing, amazing family. Maybe we can talk about that.

At one point when I got to the university, first year there, I was like, "Okay," I was thinking really big and how can I just be involved in the country and in the future, so I wanted to go outside and get the best education possible and then get the best experience possible. And then one day, I just come to Guinea and, you know, like, be at the same table and discussing the country, how you move the country from point A to point B. So, it was really this clear, in a sense, linear vision dream that I had.

So, that dream took me to the United States and, yeah, that's been 20 years ago. So, half of my life, really, I've been outside Guinea and then I spend the other half in Guinea. So, I went to the U.S., I'd like to say, like, I grew up in the U.S. because that's where I did all my education there and then my professional career happened there, family life happening there and everything. So, yeah, I started in New York City, was there for three years. And at one point, I was a little tired of being there especially after 9/11, moved to Minnesota. And, yeah, I fell in love with beautiful cold weather in Minnesota and then the snow in Minnesota...

Evy: Brave man.

Kemo: Yeah, that's sarcasm, in case you didn't get that.

Bill: I mean, it's just like the original snow, "It's the best snow in America, it's exactly where you were."

Kemo: You go outside and then you just can't breathe.

Evy: You feel nothing.

Kemo: You feel nothing, yeah, absolutely. We used to do this, just a sidetrack, you'll be at the apartment like this, you go outside on your veranda, you take the water and then you throw water and it's just like aaaaggh, that's how cold it gets. Or you put your pants in the water and then you go outside and do it like this and just become like this. Yeah, so that's Minnesota for you. But anyway, I moved from New York, I moved to Minnesota and then I did my education there, worked there in the banking for many years, and then went back to school, got my degree in the business, and then came back and I work in the corporate world for a while.

But during that time, I was always involved in the community building, I'm passionate about community building, it's part of my DNA. Because when I was growing up, that's all I saw, my parents doing phenomenal things, how you can leverage the community to create power, just empower people and then create change. So, I saw that and it's also something natural. So, when I was in the U.S. and then when I started working, I always became this bridge between the corporate world and the community, so I'll learn from the corporate space, I'll go in my community and I leverage the expertise.

And I also learn, like, the power in the community and coming together and supporting each other on this, like, aspiration or idea and then I come in the corporate space and be like, "Hey, it's not always about, you know, backstabbing each other or competing with each other, it's about working together and supporting each other and influencing each other and like that." So, that was great. Well, five years ago, we moved to Europe, we started in Germany because there was an opportunity we had there.

Evy: And less cold.

Kemo: Yeah, my wife and I and our son at that time, our first kid at that time, he was like two years old and we're like, "Let's go try something new, let's go to Germany, what can be wrong with that?" We went to Germany there and then I learned how to say... Oh, I forgot all my German words. I was gonna try to impress you guy and then I just didn't know what to figure out.

Bill: Wiener schnitzel.

Kemo: Yes, you have to learn that.

Bill: Appel strudel.

Kemo: Ich spreche ein kleine bisschen Deutsch. I speak just a little Dutch, German, I mix all of them. So, I was in Germany for three years and then after Germany, we decided that we wanted to move on but we didn't want to go to U.S. right away. And then I had this really beautiful idea to create this company called Omek, which we'll get into. But I felt I wanted to stay in Europe and so we did our due diligence and we felt like Amsterdam is the right place to come and do that and so we're here in Amsterdam now for two years working on this idea. So, that's me in the nutshell.

Evy: Nice. Well, but you traveled a lot also, like, I was thinking, it must be such intense cultural changes moving from West Africa to U.S., back to Europe, which is also back to...I mean, back to Europe, so it's like a lot of cultural challenges. How did you handle that?

Kemo: Yeah, definitely, like when you think about it, maybe something that was really helpful for me is the fact that I grew up in this compound where there's so many people. My family, direct family, we have eight older siblings, so with me, like, we have nine total. But in our compound, we had like...at one point, at the peak, we had like 40 to 50 or sometimes even more living there, so like, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends from, like, school in the neighborhood, like, they all lived there and they move there and they just stay.

And so, I just grew up in this space. And so, before even moving to the U.S., I had a chance to move to a neighboring country in Mali for a few months and I lived there and then the culture, even it's like a neighboring country, but, like, you can see the cultural shift, right? And it's like a little different. And then you go to the U.S., it's totally different, and so you have to adapt to that but I think being able to live within a community and at the end of the day, we're all human beings. And so, when you have that as your foundation, then you kind of figure it out.

I think that was helpful for me and it's been, you know, an extra vote as well. But, yeah, you go to the U.S., you go there, it's like, "Yeah, oui oui oui je parle bien Francais," and you get there and they're like, "Oh, that's so beautiful but I don't speak French, speak English," so you need to learn how to speak English. And so, yeah, you navigate there, you learn, and you become American, you have like that whole culture and you pack your bag, you go to Germany.

And so, you look at Germany and America, it's like you're coming from this Wild Wild West and it's just like this formal, follow the rule, red light, stop, the train doors closed, don't put your hand there. You know, just do what the law asked you to do. It's like just so formal. So, you learn how to adapt there and make that a home. And then you come to the Netherland from Germany, they're like, "Well, in the Netherlands, the law is made to be broken," so, like, it's kind of...

Evy: It's a suggestion.

Kemo: Yeah, it's a suggestion, yeah.

Evy: Like red light, it's a suggestion.

Kemo: Yeah, it's kind of...I usually make this joke, I have three kids and they were all born in three different continents, one in Africa, one, you know, in the U.S., and then one in Europe. So, yeah, it's beautiful traveling around and then living in different places as you learn, it's priceless. Absolutely, yes.

Bill: So, the idea that some people leave home, some people don't leave home and I don't just mean leave home, I'm saying leave the culture that they came from, and some people get somewhat far, but some people go very far from where they come from. So, I mean, you launched very far from where you, you know, culturally, geographically. That's bold to me, you know? I wish I'd had that sort of boldness when I was the same age you did it.

I'm curious, like, what preconceived notions did you have with America? What did you think that it was going to offer you? Was it the fact that there was a series of options on the ground with no definite goal at the end, the possibility that you may be able to go somewhere far? Or did you have the idea that, "I know what the goal is and I'm going there to grab that goal?"

Kemo: Yeah, yeah, for America, it was totally clear. I had this vision, like, really clear. That linear thinking I'd mentioned earlier? Because growing up in Guinea, like, I had always a question about this governance there, right? Like, there was a bad governance. And so, I mean, if you think about 20 years ago, the whole continent, really, there was like so many dictatorships, it was like a prevalent, but now they're almost all gone and there's a different form that's happening now. But, like, that really beautiful, classic direct dictatorship that's not hiding was existing at that point.

There was that but also on the flip side, you could see that these institutions would come in there and they were not, like, always have you in the best interest, right? And so for me, I grew up in that environment and I'm like, "I have to go outside the country and learn at the same place where these people are learning to come and take advantage of us." So, that vision was really clear, I wanted to go to the State to learn that and then for me, you know, the U.S. was the best part if you want to learn anything about capitalist system.

Like, that vision was extremely clear but at the same time too, you watch the movies and it's like something called the American dream. I don't know if you ever hear about that. So, yeah, I mean, you put these two together and I was like, "Man, my life is like...I'm done, like, I go to the America, I'm going to Harvard." I mean, get out of Harvard. I mean, at that time, you're so smart, like you're young, you're driven, like you don't see...like, there's nothing that can stop you, right? And so when you had the chance to go there...so that was like really clear and then you get there and it's like in that equation, there's a lot of things that you forgot, right?

English being the one and then learning how to, you know, speak the language, learning that Harvard is not cheap, like, you have to pay money, and then you have to actually work and then you have to have the papers to work and then you have to pay your rent and you have to do this, this, this, so there's all these challenges. But before you're going, you don't think about all these challenges like this, right? So, that was the case for America. And then now I was in America and for all these years, I overcame all these challenges and then became American, right?

I build a family there and a community of thousands of, like, networks. Then within that, then you kind of become, "This is home now," right? And then you basically...home meaning like you have this comfort zone that you, like, build and now you have to leave all that behind you to go somewhere and that's the harder part, that's like really...because I had a good job. The company that I used to, like, work at, I really love it there, no problem, I still can say that today. I was extremely involved in the community there in so many different community, community buildings and all that stuff.

I had friends, I was, like, really active in society there. I mean, it was so hard for me even to announce it to people to tell them like, "We are leaving." It was extremely hard. I realized there was like so many people that I actually didn't tell them and it wasn't until I moved here a few months later and we started talking, they're like, "Dude, how dare you move without telling us?" So, it's really hard but I think it does help to have a partner too that understand that because I was already married and we had a kid, a two-year-old. That's when people are like, "No, I can't, I need to build a family, I need to build, you know, my family, I need to have like all the financials safety and the safety net and all that thing, we can't, we have a two-year-old."

Like, if you think about that, you never move, it's never going to happen. But, yeah, I think also being a person of African descent, like, once you able to move and go to places and then make it there, like when I was able to move to Guinea and then make it to the U.S. and made it to New York, you know, like, if you can make it to New York, you can make it anywhere. And so, it kind of gives you that confidence like, "Oh, Germany, there's nothing going to happen to me." I don't know, I don't know if that's helpful for people but...

Evy: I was also wondering, since you moved so much, like, how do you...like, what is home for you?

Bill: Wow, that's a beautiful question.

Kemo: I think, let me give you this example. When I first moved from Guinea to the U.S., I was like, "I'm a Guinean." It doesn't matter, like, how long I'm in the U.S., I have American passport, I would say, "I'm a Guinean," period, 100%. And I remember Iraqi war happen, right? And there was this Iraqi-American girl that went to Iraq and she was a reporter and she was born in America, that's all she knows. And then she called herself like American and I was so mad at her, I'm like, "Your parents are Iraqi, like, you are Iraqi, you can go there and..."

So, I had that mindset, so home was really fixated in my mind. And so, this is the beauty of traveling. Being in America for that long and then being part of the culture, like, the contribution that I was making to the society there, having my kids there, it kind of creates this sense like, "This is really home." I may never go back to Guinea, right? I may pass away here. And so, I don't know, like, when I'm gonna die and I'm here, I'm contributing to the society, I'm helping people, I'm building a community here.

So, it completely started changing my ideas. Like, my vision still was really linear, right? "I'm going to America and I'm learning this and I'm coming back to Guinea and work in the government and doing it." Then I start realizing, "Wait a minute, my Guinea is this space, there are actually Guinean people that live here. If I'm not able to build a community for them and then apply the mindset that I have here, where am I gonna go do that? Maybe I go there and I'll fail." So, like, if there's Guinean here, how do I start bringing them together and then apply the same mindset to them here, then we have our Guinea here.

So, it completely changed my mind that way. And so, I start accepting the idea of home and that actually really foster this idea of community building for me, like community is home, that's where you live, and if I go to Guinea tomorrow, I'm gonna pick it up there and then do the same thing there. So, when I came to Germany with that mindset, I mean, after having thousands of people, like, live in all these things, it was hard to live in Minnesota. But I came to Germany, I was like, "I didn't know anybody," I was like, "Where do I find my people?" Right?

And literally, I was like, "Where do I find my people?" And then, like, with the relocation people, I'm like, "Where is the mosque? Where is the soccer field?" I want to go to a soccer field, I'll find a black guy, they're playing, and then, boom, like, it happened. And literally, my wife will tell you this, we are walking around...when I got to Germany, I didn't know anybody, we live in like a foreign suburb somewhere, like, completely isolated. And then one day we went to the restaurant and I saw three African guys sitting there and I just walked to them and we started talking and they're like, "Oh, we're from Cameroon," we start speaking French and it was just so cool.

Like, we knew each other a long time and I'm making this joke and my son, Baba, came in and then they start playing with him and he's calling them uncle and, literally, I met this guy five minutes ago. And then we exchanged your phone number and then I kind of joined their network and it just became this thousand of network and I just build that community there and I just completely brought all the experience that I had in the U.S. to that space in the community building.

And I kept telling them, "What if we do this? What if we do this?" and we start doing that and then, like, I just became an integral part of that community there. And also, I was going to school and it was an international school and then I brought all these people from China that have no idea, that have never met a black person before, that have never met a Muslim before. You know, China has like this really negative thing. And then, like, I start bringing these people, like, a Muslim, like, "Do I look like any..."

So, like, you kind of created this really community, so that's home. So, for me, like, home is where you are, like, literally. And now that I think about it, like, it's been like a really fundamental part, like, why I'm building community, why I'm so involved in the community building. And if you have that mindset, it made life so much easier because when we move here, people that I connect with, that's my life here right now. Like, I don't know if I have it tomorrow, right? So, like, this conversation, what is happening right now, this is life for me. And so, Omek is like that community, that's home. You know, just like you're at a place when you get there, then it's like it becomes home. So, that's my shortest answer to your question.

Evy: Thank you, I appreciate that.

Kemo: Let me know if you want a longer version.

Bill: Well, Kemo, since you brought up Omek, let's talk about Omek. Tell us a little bit about what you do, my friend.

Kemo: All right, so if you have never hear Omek, I'm sure you're saying like, "Man, that name is, like, so beautiful, where does that come from? What does that mean?" Let me tell you, not that you asked me about it, Omek basically means Kemo backward. And what it is, is that if you think about my story, like I grew up in a family and then went to the U.S. and the idea of home and community organizing and moving around the world and places.

And so, that whole personal experience and being a professional of African descent as well, understanding the challenge that I had to go through like school and then get to the dream, like, my vision of working in the corporate environment and all that and how do you make your way around there. And also, when I was in Germany, I did my master program in development economics and so I did like this thesis about the African diaspora professional.

So, that whole thing that I had together, it gave me this idea, this space, this data, this information of I as a Kemo as a professional for African descent, I wanted to create a space, I wanted to have a space where I could easily find other like-minded people like me, right? People who understand the struggle that I go through, people who share the unique bicultural professional and bicultural of African descent. People that share my values, my vision, that I didn't have to explain, that community that I can find instantly in the space wherever I go.

So, I wanted to have that space. So, when I move from U.S., I go to Germany, the space is already there that I can just come in and be a part of it, right? And then I move from, like, Germany to Amsterdam, I wanted to have that space where I can find those people and make it much easier and I couldn't find that. And so, that's what I want, I was like, "That's the idea of Omek," I want to build that space where as a professional of African descent, a talent of African descent, a bicultural of African descent, you can easily find people that share that unique identity with you, you can find people that have this shared value with you, and you can find people that have the passion and the determination to create the change that you want to see in the world.

So, that's Omek, creating that space for ourselves but it'll be a very professional space. Like, think about LinkedIn, it's definitely not LinkedIn but, like, think about that concept of you can have a professional digital space where you can find any professional of African descent anytime, anywhere. So, making connection and, you know, access and visibility extremely easy, that's the first step. The second step now, how do we create a physical space where you can meet someone online and at the same time, you can come on at the physical space and then connect with them there, right?

And so, like, this is a place where we really build trust. So, that's the ecosystem, like, I really want to solve that environment and at the same time, how do you bring in people who believe in the same value, right? They might not be of African descent, they might not be from...have nothing to do but, like, they believe in that value, right? So, how do you...I don't like so much the term allies because that's been so used but people who believe in that, they might not be African descent but they believe in the vision and the thing that you're doing, especially that change because that's a new way going forward.

Like, we have this concept of being a minority, whether you're African descent, whether it's like brown or like a female or like LGBTQ, once you feel like a minority, then you know how that feels. And so, everybody is asking for equal access to opportunity, for us, building Omek as a space to solve that problem and to create that solution. But before you do that, we need to find each other, we need to start talking to each other, we need to start engaging, we need to start collaborating, and then we need to start empowering each other. Once we do that, then everything else becomes easier. That's the space, that's Omek. What a cool company, right?

Bill: Yeah, it's a very cool company.

Evy: And it also sounds to me, yeah, the values that you have, they're quite universal, so it's really easy to be...even like a person like me to be involved in that and to join and to feel motivated.

Kemo: That's exactly the point, like, the values...and these values really stem from, like I said, my personal experience. And I know the challenges, you know, that I have as a professional of African descent, is building a solution based on that. Like, if you look at...as I mentioned, earlier, I grew up in the family compound, there was like people from everywhere, right? And that's a beautiful human technology that was going on there because in that compound, do you have like all age group and everybody has a responsibility but also a role that they played.

And then some people like myself, we're like just making sure everyone...I had a sense of humor, so I'll be making everybody laugh and I was playing and, like, you have like older brothers that's there to guide you. So, everybody has this sense of responsibility and a support system, you can rely on the group anytime to have your back at any moment. And so, that was the environment and so Omek is going to be that space, Omek is going to be that space where everybody comes in, it doesn't matter where you are on your path but we all have this shared value, we all really believe in this.

And this is a universal, like, human technology that we're talking about and I think the society at one point is being so much more focused on this individualistic thing. And so you're like, "Yeah, like, I want to succeed, you know, I want to succeed, I want to succeed, I want to succeed," and you think about that and it's like, "Well, me first, me first," and then you find yourself become an executive somewhere and then you're like so lonely and so depressed and it's so, you know, isolated.

And so, we want to figure out, like, we understand the challenges that we're going through. So, again, it's a human thing, this is really a human concept that we used in the human technology that we want to build with Omek, and now, how do you use, like, any other technology that exists today that's not human technology and building the digital space and all this digital technology? When you mirror those two together, man, the sky's the limit.

Evy: Beautiful, and it also sounds like a safe space to try your skills to sort of use it as a sounding board as well for feedback, so that's also super nice, I think.

Kemo: Absolutely, absolutely. And there's like even the inspirational aspect of it, right? Like, there's so many people...we're targeting a group of people that talented...like myself, when I first came to the U.S., I have this energy, I was like so smart at school and I'm always in the top, so that's what I felt like, I can take on anybody, I can go to Harvard, you can't stop me, I just want to start...I love school, I have this energy, right?

But at the same time, you also have the people that went through the same path, like, 10-15 years ago and now they're working in, like, really big companies and everything. So, like, if you look at the gap, like me who's coming in really fresh and then someone who's done a 15-year in between, so if you bring all these people together, if I see someone who's done it and has got there and I have the connection with them and then they talking to me and then they're telling me A, B,C, D that you need to follow, I'm so inspired.

Like, that's an inspiration and being around people who's done it, seeing them and doing it, is helpful. And then people in the same level, you know, just giving each other...supporting each other, talking to each other, that space doesn't exist so much. That's why we want to create, like I said, the human side, like, you don't have to be really a professional of African descent, this is a space if you believe in this value, come join us, let's make it happen, let's create the change that we want to see.

Evy: And I really like how you went to U.S. to experience capitalism and you came out actually trading human capital in a way and valuing the human part of all that because success is nothing if you don't have the human experience, right?

Kemo: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And then when I was in the U.S., yeah, I wanted to learn all about the capitalist system. I remember when I started working at the bank, when I got my first promotion as a manager, I had absolutely no technical skill at that time, I was just promoted there, right? But I quickly became one of the best managers there not because I had the technical expertise, but I had the human skill, and so I leveraged that human skill. The people that used to work for me, I just level with them as the people and then try to understand them and then have the conversation with them.

Evy: Yeah, I think it's really great, like, how you can manage that, like admitting that like, "I don't know, this, show me," or...

Kemo: Or just meeting people where they are. I think now they call it leadership, but it's always been like, you know, that human technology. So, having that background...I mean, at one point, I was like managing someone or a couple of people who, when I first started working there, they were like assistant manager, they were teaching me, and then they were my manager. The way I had to deal with that challenge is, like, just having a conversation, like a long conversation, sit down with them and then just treat them as a human.

So, when I realized that and then I felt like, "Okay," like, that human technology, when you have that and then I started having the technical knowledge expertise, and so now I'm able to manage people on the human side and then I have the technical part. So, it just became even more...I think, that's the beauty of it. And so, if we can foster a space outside the workspace, a community where there's a sense of belonging that people have that and people supporting each other and people grow in that way and if they come in the company, then it's like any company that hired this kind of people are going to be successful.

And that's the future we're going in. If you talk about the future of a workforce, right? This is it. So, like, yeah, we need to bring that human technology back. AI is great, it's a tool, at the end of the day, is a mean to help us get there. And so, if you combine AI with the human technology, that's the future. So, that's the next level there, to bring in back.

Bill: So, on the human technology tip, you know, the first time you leave Africa and you come to America, you're by yourself, you're a one-man project. Now, by the time you come to the Netherlands many years later, you have a different portfolio, you have your own human technology. Like, the amount of complexity that you've had in your life has increased with the addition of family members. So, you know, you're moving around, which you have a track record of doing, but it must get very complicated to do that, to re-setup at another place when you have more and more children to reestablish every time you do this. So, I mean, what's that like?

Kemo: It's totally different, for sure. Going to New York, like you were saying, it was just me and me and myself. So, it was me and my dream so it was much easier to, like, deal with it and now we have like more people involved, right? I think what's made it really easier is having a partner that's really in the same level or maybe even more so because it's not always like beautiful and simple and easy, like, there's challenges that's gonna come with that depending on how do you view that challenge, how do you think about it, and then how do you handle it.

So, if you have someone with you that's gone through the same challenges and you all on the same page, it makes life much easier. But if you not, it'll be really hard to overcome because challenges come with it, the family part comes with it, like, you're both dealing with the new thing in this environments, that have circumstances that you don't know and you have to navigate and you have to figure it out.

So, my first thing would be if you want to do something like this, it's extremely important to, like, sit down with your partner and be on the same page or at least have a communication plan where, "If this happened, how do we handle it? What is the timeline?" You know, all these things, like, have that. And then also the second part, like, be open-minded, like, "We are going to go into this environment, we don't know what it is going to be." And then you maybe read all these things online and things, when we get there, it could be totally different. How do we handle that?

And I think also that's been the secret for us. So, that's why when we went to Germany...again, like, German system was totally different from American system, but we'll figure it out. Like, some days, we'll be like, "Oh, today is beautiful," like, everything went fine, everything we wanted, like, it just perfect, great, and then another day, it will be like a challenge, this is like a challenge day.

And so, when we call it that way, it's like, "What happened to you? What happened to you?" "Oh, this is like a really amazing challenge day," and it would just become a joke, you know? Like, we just turn these things like, "Oh, was it only to you that it happened?" and then it just became like, "This is Germany," like, "This is Germany," it's like, "It's so funny, I have no idea how this happened." So, you kind of like completely flip it around versus sitting and being, "It's so bad," so, yeah.

Evy: It's like celebrating challenges and failures, maybe.

Kemo: Yeah, yeah, so it's just having this thing, like, we did that and it was working for us, yeah.

Evy: And your whole family is involved in Omek now.

Kemo: Yeah, Omek has become a family affair, right? So, my wife is the...she's my co-founder but she doesn't like to say that. But she's the brand director, the brand lead, so everything that has to do for Omek brand and design, she does that. And me basically being the CEO in the business side of it. But the kids now are like...this is something we wanted to pass to them because they are born in the West and they don't have that culture that I grew up with back home, that family collective.

I seen that as part of my DNA, I saw my parents happening, I witnessed that. But they don't have that, all they have is us and then their friends and so we wanted to create this space. So, once we started having our networking event, we take them there, we get them involved, they will do all these little things, help at the reception, you know, getting ready, fix the table and all that and then they just get involved with everybody, all of our friends so that they can know them and then they're excited to kind of see this community.

And so when you ask them, "What is Omek?" They know how to explain it. They're part of this event, like, if we're staying until midnight, they will be the until midnight just chatting with people and so they feel really a part of...so it's just becoming this like...I want them to get that sense and it's like now I think that will be the beautiful thing that we can pass along to them. So, hopefully, they can take it to the next level.

Evy: Yeah. And how old are they now?

Kemo: Yeah, Baba is seven and Baby, aka Addy...these are their nickname, by the way. So, we have Baba who's seven and Baby who's four. So, recently, Baby just asked us to change his name because he's a big boy now and to call him Addy but that lasted for a week and we completely forget and going back, so, you know, it's either Addy or Baby.

Evy: So, they're ready to take over it sounds like.

Kemo: Yes, Baba is working on YouTube skill now, so he want to be the YouTuber for Omek, which is cool because he grew up in that technology, so he wanted to do some...

Evy: Yeah, head of media department.

Kemo: Yeah, he's getting my phone and then, like, just doing some recording and then, "You need to subscribe now, subscribe down for Omek," I'm like, "This is great," so two years from now he will be like YouTube influencer for Omek.

Evy: There goes your funding.

Bill: I mean, it sounds like a joke but, you know, there is something to that, where, like, your son's nativity in this language that he just grows up speaking, old men like us are going to be adopting a different language, but those kids are going to have grown up speaking levels communication we can't even possibly fathom. I mean, it is really nice that you have him to not just that he'll take care of you when you get to be old and you need to be taken care of but it's like in the intermediate stage, professionally, hopefully, you know, it could be this operation, it could be more of...you know, you guys are gonna be assets for each other looking forward.

Kemo: Yeah, yeah. absolutely. Because, I mean, think about it, five years from now...right now TikTok is blowing and I feel like, "Okay, and so what is going to come? What is next?" So, for their generation, this is like what they grew up with. If really he wants to be part of the Omek, that will be the most natural space for them because they grew up with that, they're kind of part of that, it's targeted to them, they understand that. So, if you can take that and say like, "I'm gonna own this space and then this is going to be my contribution," it's just going to be a win-win situation.

So, like, again, we'll talk about that, that human technology, right? And then I don't even know what's the name of the new technology now since I'm using the term new human technology, but there will be experts that bring in some skill on the table and then the community that's there, they're learning the social aspect of it, so it'd be like a win-win situation. Perfect. So, yeah, for me, I'm like, "Yeah, just watch more YouTube and watch all this..."

Already, it's like you're learning from them and if you building a business, what do you do? You watch your competitors, what they're doing, like, in the space. And so, now that he's watching the YouTube video and he's learning, like, how do I learn from them what they're saying and then, you know, call to action that they're making, how do I learn all this and then bring it in, I'm like, "Oh, you already learned how life works, they're not gonna teach you that at school."

Evy: Sure. So, you talked a little bit about the broad vision for Omek, but what's coming up like in next year or, like, what do you have planned?

Kemo: Yeah, so basically, right now, Omek is at the point where since last year, 2020, kind of created these things, so we'll be doing a lot of virtual networking event, so putting the word out there for the community and people to know who we are, what are we doing, and the innovation that we bring into this space. So, if this is your first time hearing about Omek, just go on myomek.com and check us up, so you'll find a lot of good stuff.

So, right now with the things that's happening, our second annual Global African Diaspora collaboration summit that will be...last year, we did it in a physical space. Because of COVID, we're doing it virtually this year, it will be on November 21st. So, yeah, if you go on our social media, you can find it or just go on the website, again, myomek.com, and you can find that there. So, the idea of this summit, African Diaspora summit, is to bring in people of African descent, individual but also networks in the same space and doing these things, organizations that believe in this value, brands that believe in this value, how do we bring everybody together to, like, discuss the way forward.

So, yeah, you don't want to miss it. This is like a perfect opportunity to not only see all the inspirational individuals who's, like, really creating change, real change, like, for inspiration, but also meet all the people and network. So, this is a space for that. So, yeah, make sure, like, you check us up and, yeah, sign up for the event, you don't want to miss it.

Evy: November 21st.

Kemo: November 21st, that's a Saturday too.

Evy: Wonderful.

Bill: Yes.

Evy: So, the vision of Omek sounds really amazing but I wonder if you have any challenges that you face?

Kemo: Yeah, absolutely. Like anything else, there's always a challenge, right? Especially, I think, for me, the fact that this is such a new approach, a new way of thinking and in doing, that, in itself, is a challenge. And you add to that you're dealing with the human, you're dealing with people, you're dealing with the social creature, so, like, the community building in itself is a challenge. And then the third part of it is because we're looking at it from the...approaching it from an entrepreneurial perspective, there's this gap within the system, within the market, and we want to add as much value as possible to solve the problem.

And so, being an entrepreneur, that in itself has a whole load of challenges. So, yeah, there's absolutely a lot of challenges that we're facing but the beautiful thing is we have this vision, like, I have this vision that's really clear and I know for a fact, like, how impactful it's going to be. And so, that always, you know, get me going and then also having the support system, a strong support system that keeps building, it just helps a lot and just talking to people and then just hearing them.

Like yesterday, I was having a quick meeting with this person and it just went on for hours, which is normal for me, because it's just like in two minutes into the conversation, I already know what they want and I know what they're gonna say because I've been hearing everybody and I'm like, "Man, Omek need to exist yesterday." And so, things like that, that just gives you energy to kind of overcome those challenges.

But yeah, absolutely, there's a lot of challenges but they're not impossible. It's just like almost...you know, you remember my equation going to the U.S., like just that linear thinking and then forgetting like, "Hey, you speak French, they speak English in America." It's the same thing, there's like all these type of challenges that's there but if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. I made it, you know, in New York, so bring it on, we'll make it happen.

Bill: If you can make it in New York, you can get out of New York and go anywhere else. That's what I found out.

Kemo: Right? You see? Like, you're speaking from, like, a New Yorker, so, yeah, that's the thing we have in common. New York just, like, built you. It built me, yeah, we're ready, just bring it on.

Evy: And you see your kids continuing your work then?

Kemo: Yeah, yeah, I think the kids love it. They love the concept of Omek, they've been, like, part of it since the inception of it, and they just growing up and they see their parents doing it all the time. They've been at a few of the Omek meetings and that's one of their favorite parts because, like, everybody's like, "Yeah, oh, these kids are so cute," and then they're, like, become the center of attention, which they love. But the community...for me, that community aspect and seeing more people and their parents being part of something that's really amazing and then them seeing that.

It's almost like I'm trying to replicate the experience that I had, you know, in my parents' compound, like that community, that human technology that I was part of it and that's, like, really doesn't exist in the West here and then them not being born into that, I was, like, almost afraid that they would never experience something like that.

So, for me, Omek is a gift, it's something that we can offer them, see the community, the importance of the community, the power of the community, the power of something that's bigger than yourself. Like, it's about giving...like, the best way you can help...I think of this quote, "The best way you can help yourself is by serving others." So, yeah, they're enjoying it and in a way, we're building this really for them.

Bill: And your kids, their natives of a whole different form of communication that, you know, old people like us in our 70s couldn't possibly be...and it's amazing to think of the avenues they'll take it, you know, just having this nativity in a new language and a form of communication that we'll have to adapt, we'll have to learn a second form of communication, but they'll just know these things.

Kemo: Yeah, yeah, and I think that's really a big part because I think he's touching on something right now. For us and our generation, especially for me, I grew up in this human technology, this community aspect, I really understand that. But themselves, they don't have that, right? But they have the technology, the new technology that's happening, like, on, you know, whether it's social media, whether it's like the internet, whatever, that's what it's native to them, that's what they understand.

So, if they can bridge the two, it will be the best thing. And so, I think their generation usually grew up in the space where people don't really...that power, that community, that human side, that support system, that part is, like, really not emphasized. You're on TikTok, you're on Facebook, you have a million of followers, you have thousands of friends that just don't exist, they're all virtual, and then you feel lonely but you have two million followers. So, there's power but, like, what if you were to make that 1,000 followers, like, real people that you can call, that you can rely on? So, if you can bridge those two, that's what we're trying to build for them.

Bill: What you need to do is teach them how to make a call for action if your kids don't already know how to do that at the end of their speech, the call to action.

Kemo: Yeah, we are training them right now to be our social media...

Bill: The ground team.

Kemo: Yeah, social media manager, so the YouTube skill that they've been watching the whole time and it's like, "Yes, I'm gonna make more video for Omek and subscribe, yeah, so just watch out," and when you see this cute little kid making a call out for Omek videos, those are our boys, we're training them.

Bill: It's a hard sell, man. How do you say no to a kid that young and that's cute, right?

Kemo: You can't.

Bill: You can't, you just can't help it.

Kemo: You just can't.

Bill: It's not gonna work.

Kemo: You just have to subscribe, so that's a new way. And definitely, from our perspective, it's not a child labor, so don't say me to stop because I am not going to comment...I'm going to delete the comment, right? We're teaching our kids the value of community building, so, yeah.

Evy: And I really love that your whole family is involved in building Omek and your wife is the...like, you're the whole powerhouse.

Kemo: It's a family affair. And actually, when you think about it, a family is a community, right? So, we're building in that way because I think a family is like really that extension, that next step or a really further step for a community, like a community is like people coming with the same value, same mind and all that stuff, but family is like the really next step.

And for us, it's like a really...we want to go to the next step. So, like, it's a family affair, like, if you can feel that and then be part of something that's bigger with people that you trust, then, yeah, it's a mindset. So, wife, me kids, and, yeah, my wife's sister is helping out. We have people in our community that's been helping out and their sisters also come in and move in town and then they're also helping out, I was like, "This is a family affair."

Evy: Yeah, I mean, a family is not just people who share the same blood, right? It's bigger than that.

Kemo: Yes, that's the concept. Yeah, that's what it is. So, yes, if you have never heard about Omek, just check us out, we are coming out and it's the way forward, it's the only way forward. This is for people of African descent that we're doing this networking and bringing us and coming together, uplifting each other, opening this opportunity because you can always keep saying like, "We don't have equal access to opportunity," which is true, which is the biggest problem that we facing as the people of African descent, regardless of your education, your background, like, that's a challenge.

But, like, the way we overcome that challenge is we all bring together the little successes or resources that we have and it become bigger resources and then we're able to uplift each other and support each other and then open those doors that we never even imagined existed and then we can go into society where we're in. So, it's the best way to, like, solve this diversity and inclusion today, this lack of representation today, that is the most effective way to do that, so it's the only way forward. So, that's what Omek is about, yeah.

Evy: Amazing. So, where people can find you?

Kemo: Yes, that's a call to action. Before my sons started officially doing that, let me do that. Just go on myomek.com, you can find our beautiful website there and then find more information of how you can become part of the community, part of this movement that we're building. You can also follow us on social media. LinkedIn, just Omek, you can just type Omek, it will be the first one coming up, join that community there. Instagram, we have like a really good footprint there, you can find all the information, it's my_omek, so my_omek, you should be able to find us there and on Facebook, we are there as well.

Evy: Beautiful. And also, just to be clear, it's not just for people who are necessarily African descent, it's also for people like me who are super interested to support and to be a part of the community?

Kemo: Wait, are you not African descent? You've been fooling me this whole time? Like, every time we have a conversation, our story is, like, so similar, it's like, "Oh, yes, of course."

Evy: Yeah., culturally I am.

Kemo: No, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, the idea is, like, bring in people of African descent so they can support each other, make life so much easier so we can be even better integrated within the community because we're part of this community, we're part of the society. And so, we want to solve the problem by ourselves because we know our own problem more than anybody else and we know the solution more than anybody, so being more active versus asking.

I think that's the idea but you cannot do that by yourself, you have to start taking the action, so that's what we're doing, we're taking the action and then make it easier now to work with other people. And so, all the allies, you know, like the friends, all the people that believe in this value, and it becomes much easier because there's a lot of people, really, that believe in this, believing this is the only way forward, they don't have to be people of African descent. When we build this space, their job becomes even much easier because they've already been doing this.

But if we fragmented, we segmented, we not united, so, like, they want to help, how? Where they're going to go? Who they're going to start with? But, like, in this space, they can come in and it just becomes this powerhouse. So, yeah, it's not only exclusively for people of African descent but we're taking the initiative to do this, to make this happen for us, by us.

And then, yeah, we're making the work for people like yourself to come in and be part of this and be welcome and it's like, "How can I help? Where can I help?" And it's just so much easier for everyone involved. So, yeah, if an ally is here, you believe in this value, just please go in and sign on and then just come in and we always have...this is a space, this is the society that we want to build for our kids going forward, so, yeah.

Evy: Beautiful. Well, I'm already signed up, so it's you, Bill.

Bill: Yeah, it was all up to me now.

Evy: Yeah.

Bill: Yeah, from the African coast of Ireland, where my people came from.

Kemo: Yes. That mean are you signing up?

Bill: I'll definitely sign up, of course.

Kemo: Yes.

Bill: Yes.

Evy: No pressure, Bill.

Kemo: Like, "Yes, it is, yes, it is."

Bill: Everyone is looking at me, I feel very uncomfortable. I don't respond well under pressure.

Kemo: Welcome to the club.

Bill: I feel ostracized.

Kemo: Welcome to the club. It's that family time, right? You have been missing for so long, where have you been?

Bill: This human technology is crushing me, it's crushing my spirit.

Evy: Yeah, we're volunteering you.

Bill: I've been volunteered and I've been compelled to do things that I don't feel comfortable doing.

Evy: So, that's out of the way but thank you so much, Kemo, for being here with us.

Bill: Yeah, thank you, Kemo, this has been great.

Kemo: No, thank you for having me. I feel like really famous right now, I feel like I made it. I can't wait for the podcast to come out and just listen to myself. It's like, "Whoa, look, I've been listening to this podcast was so long and now I've made it, so life is great."

Evy: Well, you can listen to it with two mini-you's next to you.

Kemo: Yeah, but, like, absolutely, it's been an honor to be here. Thanks for having me.

Evy: Of course, and we are really looking forward to see how Bill is doing after he signs up in the community.

Bill: I'll do a special follow up. Check me out on social media, you can follow my experience.

Kemo: Yes. I think pretty soon maybe in one of these podcasts, Bill is going to be talking about Omek and his wonderful experience being part of this new community, new way of going forward.

Evy: Yeah, I'm looking forward to that.

Kemo: Yeah.

Bill: Yeah, I'm gonna move my family to Conakry.

Kemo: Conakry, that's what I'm talking about. Like, you are way ahead, you're, like, such a quick learner. I love it, this is great.

Evy: Great, thank you.

Bill: Evy, this was another great episode in the can. I commend you for the incredible cohosting job that you do.

Evy: Thank you, Bill. It's a pleasure to be your cohost. So, for listeners at home, as Kemo mentioned, you can find Omek at myomek.com and you can find the transcript of this episode on our website, www.worduppodcast.com. And, of course, on social media, I hear Bill is running our Twitter.

Bill: Yeah, the tongues are wagging about our social media. If you want to join the conversation about this episode, look for us on Twitter. I do run the Twitter, Evy. Excellent point. It is @WordUpPodcast on Twitter. Also, we're on the gram.

Evy: Yeah, we are on Instagram.

Bill: Yeah, smash the like button on the gram.

Evy: Smash the like button, don't forget to...

Bill: Like and subscribe.

Evy: Yeah, exactly

Bill: Yeah, you know.

Evy: And also, if you don't use Instagram, we're also on Facebook. That's where my mother is too.

Bill: I think our mothers know each other. Yeah, she's scared of everything else but she's on Facebook, it is true.

Evy: Yeah. So, make sure you subscribe, follow, and don't forget to say, "Hi," we love it when you say, "Hi."

Bill: We love it when you say "Hi." We need the validation. I've come a long way in my life, I need it from the outside so I don't miss anything.

Evy: Thank you so much and thank you, Kemo, again for being here.

Bill: Yeah, thank you, Kemo. It was wonderful.

Kemo: Yay. Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

Evy: Thank you.

Bill: We're human technology here.

Kemo: Yeah.

Bill: Yeah.

Evy: And thank you and dooi.

Bill: Dooi. Dooi. Dooi. Dooi.

Blesz: Are you guys okay?

Evy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, or we can also do it another day but at another time.

Bill: I'm maybe flexible and this is not your fault.

Evy: Yeah, you were sitting there not paying attention.

Blesz: No.

Evy: No, of course.

Blesz: [inaudible]

Evy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I know, I know.

Bill: We're a team. We're brothers, people don't know that.

Evy: Yeah, you can tell by the hair.

Bill: I don't want people to touch my hair. I think that's definitely a micro...

Evy: And braid it.

Bill: It's a microaggression.

Kemo: Wait, are you talking to me?

Evy: That's marriage life.

Bill: "You call me." He picked up the phone and was like, "Were you talking to me?" Let's just start confusing people now. "What the fuck did you just say to me?" Those are good. Are those like small apples or the big ones? What kind of apples are they? They're kind of like little...

Evy: Yeah, they're all natural without any, like...so they are...

Bill: Just with herbs and spices?

Evy: This is...


Transcript by Janice Erlbaum