By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
There is renewed awakening with regards to the African American community and its roots and relationship with Africa that’s been sweeping through the internet and into the consciousness of its people and the impact each has on one another is beginning to bare fruit.
Particularly evolving is the impact some African Americans are having on Africa and African families and vice versa. Africa is changing geo and socio-politically, opening its minds and borders to the rest of the world. In the past Africa on the surface was looked upon as a forgotten wasteland, while in her underbelly, her natural resources were still being plundered by capitalism and colonialism.
The economic viability of Africa and her people has always been at the forefront of humanity because countries such as the United States receives a majority of its resources from other countries, particularly Africa, while very little profit is shared to the people who dug into the earth to retrieve those resources to give themselves a better way of life.
But there is a local businessman, Mansa Wilbert Square Musa, who is looking to change that and he has firmly made an impact in Africa and on the African people.
His roots are out of the Pacific Northwest, born in the Central District of Seattle, Musa grew up in a household where intellectual pursuits were encouraged. Growing up in a military family, Musa’s father emphasized knowledge of self and history of his people, while African history was at the foundation of that way of thought. So, the roots of his journey were deeply planted at a young age.
“Every generation we have had several great historians in my family and they all passed the history down,” recalls Musa. “We have all served in the military, my dad taught us history every day of my childhood life.”
Africa was Musa’s calling but he needed to discover a path that could combine his heritage, his responsibility to it and the career and services he wanted to provide. As a child in his household reading and reading African history was encourage, daily, seventy-percent of the books in the Musa household were of African history. By the time he was fourteen getting to Africa and making an impact was at the forefront of his goals.
“I was somewhere around ten to fourteen years old when I decided to move to Africa. This was from the readings,” explains Musa. “The reading showed me how beautiful and amazing Africa was.”
After finishing Kentridge High school, the Marine Corps called and he served his country with honors. Musa enrolled in college attending Seattle Central Community College, he then went onto Washington State University where he studied business and international trade and began planning. He dived into corporate America as a high level executive in business, writing and teaching how to write business plans and then implementing that plan, but his heritage compelled him to see through to the goals he had set for himself as a adolescence.
“My eyes opened up to the fact that we Africans can do much more than we think in the West,” proclaimed Musa. “it pushed my life goals to infinite limits.”
Meeting a family from Africa who were doing trade and traveling back and forth from Africa Mansa knew then that this was his opportunity. He quit his corporate job and from the ground up he started working with the African family, learning and absorbing the export/import industry.
With his business acumen Musa develop several small businesses before discovering the formula that would eventually help him reach his goals of moving to Africa and establishing his trade business.
“So again, around fourteen I decided to study International Trade, like my ancestors did,” said Musa. “Around eighteen I opened a couple of retail stores, a jazz club and others ventures. Did all these things but not in the time I wanted and exactly how I wanted.”
After putting years of learning and practical application E Square International LLC became the catalyst towards his goal. Through aggressive business, hard work, due diligence and willingness to travel, Musa began building a multifaceted import/export business furnishing clients with goods ranging from diamonds to furniture, Fashion apparel and accessories, jewelry and leather goods. His market from West African Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Sierra Leone to East Africa, South African and in between.
“When it comes to export Mansa is one of the hardest working people I know,” explains Ibrahim Diallo, owner of an African fine art gallery. “He has extensive knowledge of travel, import/export to Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Mexico. I enjoy working with Mansa at every opportunity.”
“Using patience is my number one virtue, coupled with faith and hard work has brought me to every goal I have set,” says Mansa. “I believe the connection exists whether we believe it or not. Africa is in our DNA, it is in the DNA of humanity and there are some who have identified this connection and are working to bridge a millennia of disconnect.”
Musa’s commitment to community derives from the blessings of hard work and the rewards from it reach into education and supplying the people with power to learn. E. Squared International’s foundation Ufumbuzi Village works with major corporations and governments throughout Africa in the effort to supply rural Africa with solar power giving children light in places that otherwise would be without. In order to study for schools they are renovating throughout the regions of Africa, working hand in hand with African Governments to better the lives and minds of its people.
Through his “One School at a Time Program” Primary School Renovation Musa gives back by renovating schools. With the help of TraderBug they’ve renovated several schools throughout Africa. They’ve provided toilets, along with hand sinks in Twedaase Primary School in Tema, Ghana. They’ve donated computers and office desks to an Ethiopian Orphanage on the Nile River. In addition, the two organizations have partnered on other goodwill projects as well.
A Spokesperson for the Ufumbuzi Village says, “African children are the future of the continent. Their education is a key factor to future economic growth and lasting democracy, leading to greater stability and improved standards of living. The current state of education in Africa, however, is plagued by a lack of funds, teachers, textbooks, and transparency.”
Musa has made it his calling to impact the world. Africa like in history is the beginning and this too is his beginning, one school at a time, one village at a time, one city at time, until one nation at time.
As a person raised in Seattle, I have had the pleasure of meeting special and gifted people. It seems at least from my experience, the Pacific Northwest breeds a unique personage. I haven’t met or grew up with a Seattleite who in some form or fashion, no matter how little or how big, has had amazing impacts on the lives of others.
Mansa Wilbert Square Musa is making an impact. The work he is doing to bridge our culture’s historical gap between the motherland and the rest of the world and her diaspora represents the spirit of our heritage in passing it on. With technology as it is today, Musa has been able through trade work to re-connect the African American to their roots and rich African heritage and leave a lasting impact on the lives of each.
From a young age soaking up all the knowledge he could muster, to sharpening his skills through education, service to his country and a sound work ethic, Musa has taken the Pacific Northwest aura around the world and particularly Africa working to make an impact on its people and his own community.
“Reading so many African history books inspired me to move to Africa,” said Musa. “Finding that I could plan my own destiny allowed me to keep going.”
