Edgar Nkunda, Chapter Two: Dreams and Visions

If you haven’t read Chapter 1, please back up and do that here: http://cheetahdevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/06/edgar-nkunda-chapter-one-lacking-bus.html)

I have received many emails asking that the next part of the story of Edgar Nkunda continue. Many are interested in hearing what are the dreams and visions of this remarkable young man.

Edgar has been put in bondage to money lenders and has little direct control of his own future. Even so, he wants to leverage the little he can control to raise the hopes of many people. His dream is to make many dreams come true. He is not very worried about making money himself.

Edgar is a man with a high-school diploma who thinks deeply and dreams big.

His plan is multi-layered and very achievable. With it, he can change the lives of hundreds and probably many thousands of families across Tanzania, to bring them a hope and a future.

First, Edgar wants to start using Tanzanian grown cotton. It is of very high quality and little of it is being used within Tanzania. In fact, having personally spoken to cotton farmers, finding a market has been difficult. By using local cotton, poor farmers can have their income raised. According to Edgar, since the local fabric industry is dominated by Indians, they are importing cotton from India and China where they have syndicate arrangements and are bypassing local suppliers. Edgar is unable to use local cotton because he is in bondage to an Indian money lender who provides the only cotton he can get.

Second, Edgar wants a bleaching machine. With this, he can take his ‘gray fabric,’ which is a natural tan color and bleach it for direct sale. The local Indian controlled fabric syndicate that bleaches Edgar’s fabric does not provide fabric to the local traditional dying shops. These shops produce gorgeous hand-made pieces of fabric that are highly valued here and in the world. They Indian syndicates don’t want the competition. Instead, they produce high-volume knock-offs. With these sales, many small businesses will be allowed to succeed across Tanzania.

Third, Edgar wants to continue to buy used fabric looms from around the world, which are available at a very low price. He wants to set up an arrangement where he would lease-to-buy four machines at a time to local entrepreneurs – within his factory, solving all kinds of infrastructure problems for them at the same time. It was his dream to have a textile factory. He has one. Now he wants others to have their dream come true to own their own business. Instead of trying to become a textile mogul (a big potato!) he wants to help lots of people succeed, creating an arrangement where joint capacity benefits many rather than a few. I think you know see why I ask people to tell me of their dreams and visions.

Edgar is a creative man, with big dreams and an even bigger heart.


Learn the lesson of Edgar. For the past several months, in both the USA and Tanzania I have found myself talking to people who feel powerless to change the world around them. No one is powerless. Learn from the man who had no bus fare and bought a factory. Learn from the man who remains in bondage to money lenders and is working to free others rather than himself. Use what you have been blessed with and do not wait. Learn from Edgar.