Kenya of the Albanian entrepreneur Shpëtim Redo and the promise for the Homeland

Shpëtim Rado performing the two-headed eagle in Kenya

 Shpëtim Redo had not thought 30 years ago when revolted by the Communist regime of Enver Hoxha he fled Dibra, Albania in August 1990 that he would live in Nairobi, Kenya, an African country that to many of us would sound strange to have Albanians there.

Shpëtim Rado in Kenya

He had with him only the "suitcase of dreams" and a handful of soft soil from the border of the motherland and stuttering "Albania, never let me go". His dream was to complete the University and while leaving the former Yugoslavia he settled in Vienna, Austria. Eager for education and knowledge Shpëtimi from 1992 to 1995 finished the professional school for gastronomy in Vienna and in 1997 opened his restaurant, a restaurant that became a meeting point for the Albanian community in this city for 15 years. This until 2012, when Kenya was the word kept for his wife Klodjana. She was the first to sacrifice herself, leaving her legal profession and helping her in a restaurant, and now their family had to go to Kenya where Klodiana had been offered a job as a lawyer in a large American company to start thus a new journey unknown to their family where they have been living for eight years now.

Shpëtim Rado performing the two-headed eagle in Kenya with workers in his Restaurant

In an interview for Albanian Diaspora, he shares with us his journey during the last 30 years. "19 years in Albania, 22 in Austria, and almost 9 years in Kenya I would summarize in a single word: I like Austria and Kenya, while I love Albania. I wish one day to return back the soil I took from...", says Mr. Redo.

Mr. Redo, as soon as he hear the word Kenya, the question that arises is why did you choose this country?

At the age of 14 I started working in the Bulqiza mine and finished high school with the system without leaving work. My dream was to go to university. At the age of 19 I fled Albania and settled in Vienna. Even though I became an entrepreneur, the dream of university always followed me. My wife Klodiana became a valuable help in realizing this dream. Klodiana is a lawyer by profession, and for several years she took care of our restaurant in Vienna, breaking away from her profession. Thanks to the contribution and sacrifice of Klodiana, I managed to realize my dream and in 2010 I graduated in Vienna from the University of Political Science/Master of Arts on Diplomatic and Startegic Studies. The "agreement" we had made since; Klodiana would help me graduate from university, and I would support her in every aspect of her profession. In 2012 Klodiana was given the opportunity to work for a large American firm in Kenya/East Africa. I kept my word, and being aware that the agreement you made with a lawyer must be implemented, especially when this lawyer is your wife (laughs), I decided to return the honor and sacrifice that my wife made for my studies, and as a result we ended up in Nairobi. So in short it is my wife who brought me to Africa.

You are an Albanian who for many years lived in Austria and then in Kenya. How was the adaptation to Kenyan culture?

Correct. I have lived in Austria for 22 years and coming to Kenya was to some extent a journey towards the unknown. By nature I am a person who always seeks spiritual happiness and contentment within myself and it is not external factors that make me happy or feel good. I quickly became accustomed to everything local on the African continent. Another thing that has helped me and helps me find myself wherever I go is that I never come up with the thought of immediately changing what I find or see in the place I go. The respect that a person shows towards the country, culture, traditions and especially towards the people of another country is a very important factor that enables you to feel good and integrate into their life without losing your identity at all. A popular Albanian proverb says: "The assembly fits to the Country". If in Austria I have tried, together with our community there, to promote our ancient Albanian values, culture, cuisine and tradition, in Kenya in the face of circumstances and poverty I have focused on the human aspect, or in other words, on that which we Albanians have part of our DNA; Charity. Whenever they ask me in Kenya where I am from, and I tell them that I am from Albania, they immediately answer, "Ah, Mother Teresa". Everyone knows our Saint and that makes me proud to belong to the same blood as her. Everywhere I went I tried to create a piece of Albania, and it makes me feel good everywhere and at the same time with my behavior and actions, I try to represent our country as dignified as possible.

You have been living in Nairobi for 8 years and your venture consists of tourism and hotels. Tell us a little about your successful work.

If you were once an entrepreneur it is difficult to do other work, so as soon as I came to Nairobi in 2012 I immediately opened my own company in the field of tourism. Africa is a stunning continent with pristine and impressive nature and Kenya is one of the most popular tourist destinations to do Safari. Therefore, I focused on this type of business, as I was somewhat in my field. I have studied politics but I have always been in business. Like any beginning, this venture had its difficulties in the beginning, but with the right dedication and dedication the work started to move and what makes me extremely happy is that in addition to tourists from around the world in recent years my company has had the honor and pleasure to serve many tourists from Albania. Thankfully their number has always been increasing.

Few people know that Kenya is the place of the world's most sought flower, the rose. In terms of this part of your venture, how much is Albania and Kosovo involved in this trade?

As well as being very well informed, Kenya in addition to tourism, tea, and coffee also offers the highest quality roses in the world. These agricultural products come thanks to the geographical location of Kenya. Lying on the equator, with average annual temperatures from 12 (night) to 28 (day), and admirable altitude, the Kenyan climate greatly favors the products I mentioned earlier. For example, the best, most beautiful, and most enduring roses grow at high altitudes. Most rose farms are located at altitudes above 1795m (Nairobi). I discovered this type of business 5 years ago, starting with Kosovo and then with Albania and England. It is commendable that in both Albania and Kosovo the fresh flower trade has always been on the rise, which highlights another virtue of ours, in addition to the virtue of charity, the love of beauty. I would like to emphasize that the company I work with in England is also owned by an Albanian from Librazhd.

You have had successful business in Austria as well. How difficult is it for an Albanian abroad to set up his own venture?

Not at all. It is enough to have the right idea, desire and courage to become an entrepreneur, and it does not matter where you are. I will not go too far in terms of setting up a venture or doing business in Austria as everything there works according to laws and rules consolidated for decades. Although one might consider African countries as third world countries, I think it is wrong because the spirit of doing business in Africa is as positive as in all developing countries. Kenyan law is very welcome for foreign investors, the workforce is here, and there is ample space to do business. The qualification of workers can not be compared with Europe but there is a great desire to learn and develop further both personally and nationally. Africa has tremendous potential and that is still in its infancy.

Are there other Albanians in Kenya besides your family? Do you have contacts with them?

When I came to Kenya, I began to wonder if there were other Albanians here. And the beautiful thing was that what I found, everyone thought they were the first and only Albanians in Kenya (laughs). I have always had the desire to bring my compatriots together wherever I have gone, and in this respect, Vienna has been an experience and a special experience. Here too we managed to find each other and at the moment we are about 14 Albanian families in Kenya. When I say Albanian family I mean from all areas where Albanians live in the Balkans; Albania, Kosovo; North Macedonia and Montenegro. Most of them work in international organizations or foreign companies and are temporarily staying in this country. The positive is the fact that the base of an Albanian community in Nairobi has already been established and when new families come it is easier for them to join us and get any advice they may need. We are in constant contact with each other and gather regularly for both national holidays and family joys. Here I want to add that the families that have children in different schools of Nairobi, make us happy every year when in the organization of their schools, they represent Kosovo and Albania with both our clothes and our traditional cooking.

As for the pandemic, how is the situation in Kenya today?

When this pandemic took place on the African continent in mid-March 2020, we thought it would be a sprint, but we got a "marathon", and Africans have experience in marathons. Fortunately, Africa was not hit as hard by this pandemic as other continents. With a population of 1.3 billion people, the death toll from this pandemic has been 56,740 across the African continent. Kenya has had 1,593 victims with a population of nearly 50 million. According to experts, the reasons why this pandemic did not spread as in other countries are various, starting from the warm climate, the young average age of the African population, the long distances of settlements or the immunity that the locals have created from the pandemic or epidemic they have had in the past. In Kenya, testing with the AstraZeneca vaccine has begun as it is thought that this vaccine is more acceptable both logistically and financially. We wish that in terms of the pandemic we are in the last meters of this marathon to return not only normalcy but also smile again.

How connected are you with Albania? Do you visit it often?

For all of us who live abroad, Albania is part of our body. On the night of August 25, 1990, when I fled Albania, somewhere on the top of the mountain was the "soft belt", as it was then called a cultivated land belt that was the border with the former Yugoslavia. I sat down and took some soil and stuttered with myself; "Albania, never let me go." Both sides have kept their word. I usually come to Albania twice a year and two weeks before I leave I start counting the days like that little child who a few days before his birthday asks his parents: "How many nights does he have to sleep, for the birthday to come". And when I get out of there, that feeling of emptiness in my stomach haunts me even for a few days here where I am until the routine of the day does its job.

19 years in Albania, 22 in Austria and almost 9 years in Kenya I would summarize in a single pardon: I like Austria and Kenya, while I love Albania. I wish one day to return back that soil that I took from Albania.