Page 69 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

BUSINESS

my passion for my own people.
There’s always this joke that coastal
For too many people, business and/or work are entities that they people are lazy – and it’s true,
see as separate - to a small or great extent - from themselves, sometimes they are – but what I
their purpose or destiny. But, as Rizichi’s life clearly illustrates, learnt from my journey with the
that couldn’t be further from the truth, and until her Msingi was Lord is that the laziness is spiritual.
restored, and things made whole and put in order in and around It’s an apathy that the enemy has
used to dampen down a people
her, there could be no fruitful pursuit of business. Read journey who had treasure, who God had
of restructuring in God’s Executive Playbook. For, after all, what purposed to be great. These were
does it profit a man indeed, that he should gain the whole world, kingdoms that used to flourish, that
but lose his soul? used to trade with foreigners, not
just their own people, they used
to trade inland and out to the sea.
And so I went through a process
where God showed me what it
Tell us about yourself and three brothers, two from a Zim- was that I needed to deal with, the
your rich Afrikan heritage. babwean mother and one from a foundations that I had to deal with,
I’m Rizichi Munyazi Rudo Githinji. Ugandan mother. in order to be able to become the
I say I am a global child because When people talk about tribal- person that I am today.
I’m half-Kenyan, half-Zimbabwean ism or their own single culture or I am very passionate about Afrika.
insularness, I can’t relate to that,
Rizichi Githinji lived in England from my univer- because that’s not how I grew up. heritage. I want to see not just my
Our brand celebrates our Afrikan
and I was born in England and later
We grew up being able to explore
own heritage celebrated, but help
sity years up until 2014. My dad is
our own and other people’s cul-
others to celebrate their own heri-
from the Chonyi community, which
tures. My parents included us in
tage, whichever way and in whichev-
is part of the Mijikenda culture,
appreciate my heritage and people
Founder, Rizichi’s Creations and Director, RMM Global from Kilifi in Kenya and my mom their work, which influenced me to er form they capture themselves or
their products.
is from the Shona community
as well as other cultures. Our family
Rizichi means ‘gift from God’ and
from Zimbabwe. I’m married to
a Kikuyu from Kenya. I was not was brought up to think about our Rudo means ‘love’. My mandate
brought up with tribalism and my community, think about our family is to be a gift of love to the people,
brothers and I grew up speaking and family building. So, it’s from which is really what Jesus was sent
English because our parents spoke my parents’ passion for the people to be. So, if I’m to carry that, then
to each other in English. I’m the and showing us that we have poten- I’m to show love and to be a gift to
firstborn and only girl and I have tial as coastal people, that birthed whomever He has me cross paths
WWW.MSINGIAFRIKAMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 8 | SEPT/OCT 2020 69