Eddie Kago ⚡

Mashujaa Day: What Does It Take to Keep Freedom Alive? In 2009, I first walked past the Kengeleni Bell near Kongowea Market in Mombasa, while exploring ideas that would become Eco-Pesa. The bell marks the history of Frere Town, built by Africans liberated from slavery. In 1889, £3,500 was paid to those relinquishing claims over 1,442 people. That's roughly £584,000 in today's British purchasing power, or **KSh 100 million**. The money went to former enslavers, not the people rebuilding their lives. Generations later, much of Frere Town's original land was transferred to other interests. Today, the surrounding economy is full of wealth: farmers, fishers, traders, carpenters, transporters, caregivers and countless other skilled people. What if we brought together KSh 100 million in real commitments to deliver local goods and services? That's the idea behind the Frere Freedom Market, connecting locally stewarded markets where people can exchange food, skills, services and productive commitments. My experiences around Kongowea and working with Tendai Lewa Mtana and communities practicing Chikola and Dhome have given me enormous confidence in what people can accomplish together. Thank you, Tendai, for helping us recognize and steward the wealth already among us. This Mashujaa Day, let's honor those who fought for freedom by strengthening our capacity to sustain it. What can we build together with the resources we already have? willruddick.substack.com/p/m…