Country that has an AK-47 Gun on the flag – What does that tell you about its people? Let’s find out. Joining us is Stella Jaqueta, a supply chain professional based in Mozambique. We delve into the paradox of possessing mineral riches yet ranking as one of the world’s most impoverished nations. We also discuss how Coca-Cola and FMCG brands have managed to permeate even the remotest rural markets. Additionally, we provide insights into tourist attractions in Mozambique. This fledgling nation achieved its independence from Portugal quite recently.
Personal Highlights:
– Cashew nut fruit is consumed much like candy.
– Intriguing details about the flag.
– Exquisite beaches, but do individuals with darker skin enjoy sunbathing?
– Africa is not one; borders complicate the supply chain.
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/75LTOE5qqkec64SVFWly9l?si=XZHahBgPSh-yuHUt5p_mhw
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/81-mozambique-ak-47-flag-rich-resources-poor-reality/id1616391906?i=1000624967164
Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/wHAgMFilD20
Transcripts:
Tanmay Shah (00:00.452)
Come again, what did he say?
Stela Jaqueta (00:02.151)
I was saying like we are like beginning actually recording.
Tanmay Shah (00:06.082)
haha yes let’s go hello everybody we are going to Mozambique today and joining us is Stella how are you doing
Stela Jaqueta (00:20.419)
Great, Hanmei, how are you doing? Thank you for having me on your podcast. It’s such an honor and privilege to have to be here.
Tanmay Shah (00:28.706)
Thank you for joining. I was looking forward to speak from a person from Mozambique for a very long time. I used to play rugby. One of my team members was from Mozambique. After that happened, yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (00:41.648)
Really? Ah, nice.
Tanmay Shah (00:45.686)
He had come here as a student. So, yeah, it was a college team. That’s how.
Stela Jaqueta (00:51.923)
I can imagine, but yeah, I’m here.
Tanmay Shah (00:57.916)
and let me share my screen and show you like when I was since I was small what is the word I relate to? Check this.
Tanmay Shah (01:14.05)
There’s a fruit called Mozambique in India, which means sweet lime. So it’s called Mozambique. And that’s so close to your country’s name, Mozambique. So Mozambique. So.
Stela Jaqueta (01:25.777)
Ah ha ha!
Stela Jaqueta (01:29.995)
Yeah, I like that it’s a sweet lime. So it’s like a mixture of sweet and sour.
Tanmay Shah (01:37.011)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:40.911)
Absolutely. Sweet people.
Stela Jaqueta (01:41.616)
Great! You learn something new every day.
Tanmay Shah (01:47.286)
And yeah, this is from Myanmar. We are going to Mozambique. Here it is.
to the north of South Africa and touching the Indian Ocean
Where are you joining us from? Maputo or which region?
Stela Jaqueta (02:04.767)
Yes, I’m joining. Yes, I’m from the capital city of Maputo. So here’s where I’m joining from.
Tanmay Shah (02:12.194)
Yes, this is Maputo. All right, let’s… Oh yeah, I’ve seen those colors. They’re so turquoise blue in color. It’s really amazing to see.
Stela Jaqueta (02:16.651)
Beautiful beaches! Beautiful beaches. Hahaha!
Stela Jaqueta (02:24.78)
Aina. Yes. Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (02:30.09)
So what is your most favorite part about your country?
Stela Jaqueta (02:37.343)
I know it’s cliche, but the people from Mozambique are warm. You know, you can feel it when you arrive. Like even people who have been here, who have been, let’s say, expats, tourists, like they look forward to coming to Mozambique because the people are warm, they’re welcoming. It’s a very, how can I say, it’s a very loving feeling among the people, you know? We do have our problems.
but which country doesn’t have its problems. But one of the things that I really enjoy and I love, and I know I’m biased, I know I’m biased, but the people of Mozambique are just the best. They are there.
Tanmay Shah (03:17.266)
Amazing! Really nice to hear! They are… So it proves the point, right? Sweet Lime, Sweet… Like Mozambique!
Stela Jaqueta (03:26.553)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (03:28.458)
people of mosambique are like mosambique lets go
Stela Jaqueta (03:33.933)
A nice catch.
Tanmay Shah (03:36.618)
This is the turquoise beach that you’re talking about. You have a lot of sea life and good place to snorkels there, right?
Stela Jaqueta (03:43.399)
Yes, yes, there’s private islands as well. There is just like, imagine, I think it’s 2,300 kilometers of coastal land. So you can imagine it’s beaches everywhere, coastal prawns, like imagine the seafood, just imagine the seafood. It’s amazing and to die for.
So, like if you’re listening and if you ever wish to come to Mozambique, this is your opportunity. Like a sun maze displaying right there, it’s like top notch in terms of activities, be just to relax. If you just want a serene, peaceful place to relax and enjoy yourself, this is the place to be.
Tanmay Shah (04:31.442)
It’s so scenic and so beautiful. And you said fish. What is your favorite food?
Stela Jaqueta (04:33.948)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (04:40.971)
Well, my favorite food or like the country’s favorite food? My favorite food. I don’t know how to explain it in English, because again, our official language is Portuguese. But I love I love caril de mendoine. I don’t know. It’s like peanut curry. But it’s not like the same way.
Tanmay Shah (04:45.898)
But, tell us but.
Tanmay Shah (04:56.589)
Huh?
Stela Jaqueta (05:09.171)
You may think about it, you know, with vegetables. I like peanut curry with vegetables. It’s very nice. I love it. I really love how the grilled chicken is done because there’s a special seasoning that goes in. Frango as a Bixiana. If you are right there and you’re like, what? Just Google it, frango as a Bixiana. You be my, like, when you come and you go to a restaurant, please ask for frango as a Bixiana. You’re welcome.
Tanmay Shah (05:37.986)
Can you spell it? I’ll just show the audience right away.
Stela Jaqueta (05:41.347)
Yes, as F-R-A-N-G-O and then dash A dash Z-A-M-B-E-Z-I-A-N-A. I know it’s a long word.
Tanmay Shah (05:45.48)
Mm-hmm.
Tanmay Shah (06:08.794)
Is this the right option?
Stela Jaqueta (06:15.459)
Let’s see.
Stela Jaqueta (06:20.739)
Google correct me if I was wrong.
Stela Jaqueta (06:26.275)
There you go. Yes, that’s…
Tanmay Shah (06:29.098)
So it looks like…
Stela Jaqueta (06:32.351)
with some chili that chicken with some chili my friend it’s amazing so
Tanmay Shah (06:44.142)
roasted chicken with peanut gravy You’ll forget peanut butter after having peanut gravy it looks like
Stela Jaqueta (06:48.336)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (06:53.251)
Yes, you’ll forget about it. You know, a lot of the a lot of the fast foods because like, yeah, people do fast foods here, but it’s not like this. This is like home, you know, like comfort food, you go to a restaurant and you ask for that. So this is this is amazing. So whoever tries this, they’re always like wanting for more. So I’m proud of those dishes. I’m proud to be recommending them.
Tanmay Shah (07:10.633)
Mmm.
Tanmay Shah (07:20.416)
Even.
Stela Jaqueta (07:22.496)
hehe
Tanmay Shah (07:22.898)
Even though I’m hungry, I mean, even though I had my dinner, I’m feeling hungry looking at this.
Stela Jaqueta (07:30.284)
I don’t blame you, even I’m starting to get hungry.
Tanmay Shah (07:35.418)
Couple of other fun facts that I searched was if Mozambique is the Name, country’s name which is the longest, it has the most alphabets in it
Stela Jaqueta (07:47.26)
Really?
Tanmay Shah (07:51.531)
Not just that.
Stela Jaqueta (07:51.743)
Yeah, and I would think and I would with the same I think it has a lot all of all of the vowels, right? A, E. Yeah, it has all of the vowels in the name. Yeah. And yeah, it is a unique name. I think it was given and I don’t want to make a mistake here. I think it was an Arab merchant who came who first arrived.
Tanmay Shah (07:59.39)
Yeah!
Tanmay Shah (08:07.39)
nickname.
Stela Jaqueta (08:18.395)
in the island of Mozambique, like up north of Mozambique, in an island, and then since they were trading spices at those time, so they named the island after him. So that’s why the country also got the name of this Arab trader, yeah.
Tanmay Shah (08:36.782)
Hmm. And it’s very interesting to see a country get its freedom so late, like in 1975, right?
Stela Jaqueta (08:46.651)
Yeah. It’s it.
Tanmay Shah (08:49.842)
And from Portuguese, you have been a colony of the Portuguese.
Stela Jaqueta (08:54.102)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (08:55.682)
How do your parents look at it or what are their memories from that time? Before and after independence.
Stela Jaqueta (09:00.959)
Well, my parents, yeah, and I have, I think, two sides, because like, for example, my dad was born like in, after 1960, so he was still born when Mozambique was still a colony. And the thing is that he went to study outside of the country, so even during those battle moments or war moments that were occurring, he didn’t participate much in it because he was studying outside of the country.
And then also my mom was born like almost like when 1971. So it’s like close to 1975. So she was a baby. So she did it. I was like, she didn’t understand I can say, you know, up until independence was claimed. So it Oh, those ones are, you know, those ones are OG. I like I remember them telling me stories of like, they would hide in the bushes.
Tanmay Shah (09:44.674)
What about your grandparents?
Stela Jaqueta (09:56.223)
Because also after the independence, there was the time of reconstruction, but also there was the 16-year war, the civil war inside Mozambique. So it was still war up until 1992. So they would still run and go and hide, go and fight safety because the different political parties were fighting against each other for power.
So it was a difficult time, but it’s amazing to see how they’ve survived and now they’re thriving out of it. You know, it’s been, it’s a story to tell, I can say. And I’m glad that I don’t have to live in a country that is war-torn, you know? And I appreciate it in a whole nother level.
Tanmay Shah (10:34.114)
Mmm.
Tanmay Shah (10:45.29)
Yeah, we were just talking in the previous episode with guests from Myanmar. Burma, there’s a civil war going on. The longest running civil war. But Claire, I’m so glad that you have come out of it and it’s been a piece for more than 20, 30 years. That’s nice. And that brings me to another point. I guess this is the only flag which has a gun on it. AK-47.
Stela Jaqueta (10:50.873)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (10:54.206)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (11:02.225)
Yes.
Stela Jaqueta (11:08.883)
A gun.
Stela Jaqueta (11:14.231)
Yes, that’s the only country that has a car in it
Tanmay Shah (11:20.032)
Why? What does it mean?
Stela Jaqueta (11:22.983)
Well, it’s I don’t want to speak to the people on behalf of the people who did it. You know, I think they had their great reasons to having it. But I think it’s a symbol of strength, you know, that we will defend our country against. That’s part of our anthem. You know, we will defend our country against enemies, against foreign forces. So if they come against and toward our peace.
Tanmay Shah (11:44.61)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (11:52.191)
We will show them guns. But you know, it’s yeah, I think it’s from that. It’s a symbol of strength to say and a symbol of like we will. We are there for each other and we will defend our country at the best of our abilities. The same way that we have the I think what is what’s it called? This instrument? The other one is an axe. No, it’s not an axe.
Tanmay Shah (11:54.56)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (12:15.326)
Yeah, the farming, it’s a farming instrument to plow. It’s called a plow, I guess.
Stela Jaqueta (12:19.387)
Yes, yes, that one symbolizing agricultural land, which is huge agricultural opportunities here, a huge like production of macadamia peanuts that is exported all throughout, you know, going to different European countries and outside of Africa as well. So there’s a lot of, yes, so like peanuts here, it’s peanuts.
Tanmay Shah (12:41.058)
Peanuts. Did he say peanuts? I love peanuts.
Stela Jaqueta (12:50.539)
in the true sense. So yeah, it’s great opportunities for agriculture and also studying and yeah, so that’s where I think it’s the vision behind. Yes, which
Tanmay Shah (13:00.578)
There is also a book here. There’s a book and then there’s a sort of a communist star. So yeah, book along with guns and blah.
Stela Jaqueta (13:08.713)
Yeah.
The book symbolizes studying education so that we will protect and invest in the education of the country that remember this was a flag that was drawn during those times where our forefathers they were dreaming about these things you know and they wanted to put this message forward to the whole world to see that we are a nation that is investing in education that wants the best.
Tanmay Shah (13:29.574)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (13:38.303)
you know, for our youth to grow and grow in the knowledge and wisdom. So this was their dream. And right now we are living the dreams of our forefathers to have independence, to be able to study whatever we want to study, to be able to choose whatever we want to choose, independent, regardless of where we were born or of our past. So, yeah, we are living their dreams.
Tanmay Shah (14:05.854)
and your colors on the flags are very similar to that of South Africa
Stela Jaqueta (14:13.413)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (14:14.262)
Do you have the Zulu people in your region also? Because I believe these are the colors of the Zulu people.
Stela Jaqueta (14:23.187)
Yeah, you know, like if there is the ban to people. So if you think about it, Southern Africa, it’s kind of, our languages are kind of similar. You know, you can, like you can speak a certain language. For example, Rwanda, which is one of the language, local languages spoken here in Maputo, right? Someone who’s coming from South Africa, they can take a little, they can understand a little bit.
you know, the main parts or the main, the main crux of the conversation. So our languages are quite similar in that sense. So that facilitates as well, because we are part of the whole community, like SADC, you know, the development region. So we are one, like I don’t want to say one of the same, but yeah, we are like cousins and brothers and we are together in this.
Tanmay Shah (15:15.542)
You know you mentioned Ubuntu? Ubuntu is a operating system like Windows. Did you know that? Ubuntu. Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (15:25.023)
Really? Nope, didn’t know. Now I… Yeah…
Tanmay Shah (15:30.39)
That’s what came to my mind when I first heard that. How many languages you speak?
Stela Jaqueta (15:38.327)
I speak mainly two languages, which I’m not proud of. I’m not proud. I’m not proud of it. I could speak more. Because it’s not something that I pride myself on saying because in terms of speaking the local language, I was not exposed to it while I was growing up. And it’s not something that is taught in the schools.
Tanmay Shah (15:46.335)
You’re not proud. Why?
Stela Jaqueta (16:04.683)
So when you go to school, you’re either learning Portuguese or you learn English, and now you have other schools here, like French school, like Italian school, so you can learn those languages, but the local language, the vernacular, it’s not been taught, it wasn’t taught at schools, and my friends as well, and at home as well. So we weren’t.
Tanmay Shah (16:24.138)
Yeah, what language do you speak at home? What language do you speak with your parents and grandparents?
Stela Jaqueta (16:28.587)
Portuguese? Portuguese.
Tanmay Shah (16:31.247)
Even your grandparents speak in Portuguese.
Stela Jaqueta (16:33.743)
Yeah, I know that’s why I’m saying like I’m not proud of it.
because sometimes they switch to their local to the local language i’m like oh lord i don’t know
Tanmay Shah (16:41.954)
How?
Tanmay Shah (16:50.35)
So we have this segment about languages. Glad we’re talking about it.
What would you describe? How would you describe something as beautiful? Or if you want to appreciate something in your language, how would you do that?
Stela Jaqueta (17:05.602)
Describe something that is beautiful. Muito bonito. Oh, você é muito bonito.
Hahaha!
Tanmay Shah (17:14.942)
Alright. One… One more activity. Can you please close your eyes for us?
Stela Jaqueta (17:20.399)
Yeah. Okay.
Tanmay Shah (17:24.738)
Think of your favorite memory.
Stela Jaqueta (17:27.68)
Mm-hmm.
Tanmay Shah (17:33.298)
and describe to us in your own language.
Stela Jaqueta (17:40.64)
Bye.
Relaxation, a beach-side capella, over a shade, with a refreshment, a sprite and some salty
Stela Jaqueta (18:12.029)
Hahaha!
Tanmay Shah (18:13.458)
Wow, that was Portuguese, right?
Stela Jaqueta (18:15.751)
Yes, that’s Portuguese.
Tanmay Shah (18:19.32)
What did you mean? Now please translate that to us in English.
Stela Jaqueta (18:21.847)
Ah, what if I was saying something indecent? Ha!
Stela Jaqueta (18:31.723)
Okay, no, I was not, I was not, I was not, just for record. But what I was saying is being in the lying dormant in the beach, like with a Kapalana, which is like a cloth that we use, like all the women use. So extending like, you know, like a mat. So with a shade and having some snacks and a sprite. I’m not advertising, but yeah.
Tanmay Shah (18:35.051)
Ha ha ha.
Stela Jaqueta (19:01.44)
Hehehehe
Tanmay Shah (19:03.222)
Talking about beach and laying on the beach, how is your attitude towards sunbathing that’s very popular for the white and the light skinned people when they come to the beach? How is it?
Stela Jaqueta (19:14.471)
Yeah, not for me. Like I said, I need to have shade. If I don’t have shade, then we’re not going to talk. I’m going. I’m packing up. So for me, if it doesn’t have shade, like I remember the last time I went to the beach, I went for my birthday. And like I was like, I need to bring shade. I cannot just lie in the beach the whole day and burn. No, no, no. And I’m doing a skin treatment. I can’t just be burning out here.
my skin I need to preserve.
Tanmay Shah (19:43.244)
I’m
And what is the fun activity that localites do on the beach? What is fun for them on the beach?
Stela Jaqueta (19:53.535)
Well, you know, I don’t know their names and they have like funny names. I think it’s one of them you’ve even mentioned snorkel. And then there’s like beached. OK, I’m going to describe. It’s not as if that’s the right way of saying it. So bear with me. Sea dive.
Tanmay Shah (20:13.862)
You can tell the name in the local language and describe it. Okay, yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (20:17.831)
I don’t even know in the local language. I don’t even know their name. I just like know that sport. Yeah, exactly. Like sea dive, sea fish.
Tanmay Shah (20:20.925)
C-dive!
Stela Jaqueta (20:28.814)
What else do they do? Oh, boat rides. People love that, love doing that.
Also entertainment in the beach because there’s people who are selling stuff, people who come and you know just dance you know for some coins. So that’s usually what people like to do at the beach and relax. And some of them they love drinking in the beach so that’s a sport or an activity.
Tanmay Shah (20:58.518)
We share another thing in common. Vasco de Gama had come to your place and then come to India and become the first European to travel these places.
Stela Jaqueta (21:07.927)
Hmm. To travel. Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (21:14.478)
We had a person from Portugal with us on the show. We also have somebody from Brazil very soon. So we’re talking about these Portuguese colony, even Angola. So there’s a part in India, very small, tiny place, couple of tiny places which have been colonized by Portugal. Portugal, but they don’t, I don’t think anybody speaks Portuguese in that. It’s just the culture or what their religious sentiments have.
Stela Jaqueta (21:25.58)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (21:34.491)
by Portugal yeah
Stela Jaqueta (21:44.047)
I actually know someone. I know. He is actually like, I think his wife is from India and she comes from the part that speaks Portuguese. So yes, yes.
Tanmay Shah (21:57.903)
Oh Goa, she’s from Goa?
Wow.
Stela Jaqueta (22:02.935)
So, and the story was very, like, pretty amazing. So, like, you met her there. Oh, she’s from there, yes. So, yeah. Exactly, so they speak Portuguese, and like, perfect, eh? Perfect Portuguese, so.
Tanmay Shah (22:12.837)
He met her in Goa and they spoke in Portuguese
Ha ha.
Tanmay Shah (22:23.41)
Talking about Goa and the images I saw, one more thing is common is the cashew nuts. You get the ca- I see the cashew nuts only in Goa and India and the next time I saw that was in Mozambique.
Stela Jaqueta (22:28.756)
Mmm.
Stela Jaqueta (22:35.967)
Yeah, you see it’s part of it connected.
Tanmay Shah (22:41.218)
I’ve never eaten the fruit. How is the fruit like?
Stela Jaqueta (22:45.251)
uh what’s it called um in portuguese you call it cashew um i don’t know what’s it called in english i forgot it’s yeah really cashew apple yeah because it does look like an apple it’s sour if and sweet yeah it’s sour and sweet like uh the
Tanmay Shah (22:54.146)
Cashew Apple
Tanmay Shah (22:58.771)
I guess it’s called Cashew Apple
Stela Jaqueta (23:12.343)
the earlier you take it out it’s very sourish and you if you stain your clothes like if when you have a bite of it and if the juice runs like it can stain your clothes and it can and can remain i don’t know if that’s a myth but yeah it’s difficult to take the stain out of the cashew apple but it’s the more the more to the rotten side the sweeter it is
Tanmay Shah (23:32.214)
How?
Tanmay Shah (23:39.566)
And the seed is outside, right? The cashew nut. The seed is outside the fruit.
Stela Jaqueta (23:43.023)
Yes, it comes it’s like this and then it becomes the cache like this.
Tanmay Shah (23:49.878)
So how is it like eating the fruit because you don’t have to remove the seed. You just eat it. Like how do you eat cashew nut fruit?
Stela Jaqueta (23:54.639)
Yes, it’s like, it’s like eating, it’s like eating a magnum. That’s the best example I could give. Yes, so like you have the whole stick, so imagine the cashew is the stick, you know, it’s tough, it’s, and then you read the surroundings, yeah.
Tanmay Shah (24:01.334)
Magnum ice cream?
Tanmay Shah (24:09.821)
Oh, yeah.
Tanmay Shah (24:14.382)
That’s such a good example, explanation. Hold the cashew as a stick and eat the fruit as a magnum or a choco bar as we call it. Wow! That’s such a cool fun fact. Okay, I’ve got some images of cashew nuts.
Stela Jaqueta (24:16.313)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (24:20.239)
Yes. Exactly.
Stela Jaqueta (24:32.419)
Well that’s a new one, can’t shoot.
Tanmay Shah (24:32.715)
And yep.
Tanmay Shah (24:36.774)
So do you like the cashew nut gravy also? Because that’s something very common here.
Stela Jaqueta (24:42.083)
yes that’s the one i love show me if it’s the right one because sometimes i’m like is did i see another right yes you see you eat it like a magnum so that part is like outside and then you just eat the surrounding
It’s called Cashew Apple.
Tanmay Shah (25:03.095)
I guess.
Let’s ask.
Stela Jaqueta (25:06.439)
yeah but you see the yellow the yellow ones are the soury ones and the like reddish or pinkish are like more sweet
Tanmay Shah (25:13.917)
Red ones.
Mmm, that’s another cool fact. Eat the red, red cashew fruit.
Stela Jaqueta (25:20.011)
Yeah.
but i really eat it hey i don’t you don’t just find it anywhere it’s fine i should
Tanmay Shah (25:27.674)
Yeah, that’s another crazy fact about it because you cannot transport it. It gets bad really fast. That’s what I’ve read.
Stela Jaqueta (25:36.239)
Yes, yes, it does. Like it can get rotten like this. So you need to eat it like quickly. And you don’t find it now. I’m realizing now that as I’m having this conversation with you, you don’t just find it anywhere. Like even in the supermarket or in the flea market, you don’t just find anywhere. But I love.
Tanmay Shah (26:00.534)
So you don’t find it, even if it grows there, you don’t find it in the supermarket. You have to have it in the farm.
Stela Jaqueta (26:05.139)
Yeah, big, yeah, or you have like your local, you know, farm or you know, you have a connect that will sell you to you, but you don’t just find it anywhere. Maybe, probably it’s more common in the provinces that are being produced because here in Maputo, I do not think we produce that, the cashew. So that’s more.
Tanmay Shah (26:30.079)
In India they make
From the fruit they make a liquor called Feni in Goa, the place you’re talking about. So that’s where the whole of the fruit is used in. But I’m really looking forward to eat the fruit now. Ha ha.
Stela Jaqueta (26:39.121)
Mmm.
Stela Jaqueta (26:47.679)
Hahaha!
Tanmay Shah (26:51.326)
and you should try the Mosambi.
Stela Jaqueta (26:54.107)
Yes, we should exchange. If we could send it online and be like, whoop, and then receive it from your side. Up to creating that.
Tanmay Shah (26:56.854)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (27:00.778)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (27:06.014)
Yeah, talking about sending things online and moving things around, you’re in the supply chain. So tell us more about it.
Stela Jaqueta (27:13.159)
Yes. Well, it’s a passion of mine since I chose it in 2015, because I knew I wanted to do something related to business before I chose a course in my university years. And I was like, I don’t want to do business management, or I don’t want to do stats. I don’t want to do economics. So I saw the option. It was even called
BCom option, which is business commerce, bachelor’s option, supply chain management. It wasn’t even like, you know, a whole thing. Like, oh, okay, let me try this on. And I went on also to doing research. I was like, hmm, this is an interesting area. You’re dealing with procurement, you’re dealing with logistics, you’re dealing with distribution, you’re dealing with clients, you’re dealing with supply. Like I’m like, hmm, this should be an interesting area.
And I did my bachelor’s, I did my honors, and I did my master’s all in one take. Like, boom! In five years I finished everything. So…
Stela Jaqueta (28:21.607)
What? Oh, I can’t hear you. I’m mute. Yes.
Tanmay Shah (28:28.106)
What drives your passion in that? You love it so much that you have even started a podcast on that.
Stela Jaqueta (28:34.243)
Yes, my passion really is to see the development of the African continent through supply chains. And I believe that in order for me to see the development of the African continent, we need to get supply chains right. We need to get the logistics right. We need to get our partnerships, our different countries working together in that sense. Because one of the things that…
even as I was doing my research during my honors degree, is that we face the same challenges, but we are not sharing in terms of knowledge and expertise. So for example, it doesn’t make sense for me, and it’s something that has been complained a lot. Like someone from, let’s say the US, it comes to JoBurg, to Johannesburg.
and they get a visa for like six months, but it’s difficult for a guy from Nigeria coming to South Africa or coming to Mozambique because the visa process is extended like it’s crazy. You know, it doesn’t make sense for someone from another, let’s say London or England coming to Kenya has an easy visa process, but for someone from the other African country to have a difficult time moving around the same continent. So these are the kind of issues that.
with supply chain, with the agreements, with the policies, it can be changed and we can become one and developing that says, yes. And I believe and I’m completely for and it’s something that I will fight for the rest of my life for one Africa, for us all to be united because we are, we will be a force to be reckoned when we do that.
Tanmay Shah (30:06.584)
in Africa.
Tanmay Shah (30:22.526)
Let’s go, I totally believe that. You’re such a young population and it’s a whole continent and it’s huge. It is rich in resources. You have got so many qualities and good people there. So definitely if you all think alike and come together, I believe it’s possible.
Stela Jaqueta (30:28.107)
Yes. Yes!
Stela Jaqueta (30:43.095)
Yeah, and it’s up to us, the youth. I think if I’m not mistaken, the median age, it’s like between 15 to 17. That’s young, young teenagers, you know, representing Africa basically. And if we don’t invest in that education and taking it to another level with our youth, then what’s it going to be in the next 10 to 50 years? You know, so, yeah, I’m saying hopefully we will.
Tanmay Shah (31:13.826)
So your dreams and passion are more like from a development perspective, like a politician or a leader. How is that related to supply chain? Because when you think about supply chain, the first thing that comes to my mind is transportation of goods from one to other place.
Stela Jaqueta (31:33.687)
One point to another, you know. Yes, I don’t I wouldn’t consider myself to the point of even being a politician. But someone has told me that I am an idealist in that sense. But why do I say for me, the development really originates on getting the basics right. You know, like moving your products. I had an episode recently and we were talking about
border issues, you know, called border congestion. You know, it doesn’t make sense that for you to move your products from South Africa to, let’s say Kenya, you have to stop 11 times. Like really, we are in the same continent, you know, and the border congestion is so much sometimes to the point of staying days, the merch stays days in the road because it’s waiting for custom clearance, you know?
And even within going to different regions and even within the same regions, the timing it gets to moving the products, it can be a lot. So in that sense, transportation issue becomes a problem. You can’t develop if you don’t get the infrastructure of transportation right. But that also is the same with infrastructure. Is the infrastructure there, technology in order to process the custom clearance, the products, because now you have
Suppliers from different countries, they have different technologies. OK, you can say to one supplier, oh, I use SAP, my system is integrated. The other one is paperwork based. So how are you going to connect this to, you know? So it’s getting these basics right within the supply chain that we can move on as an economy as a whole. And that’s why I’m passionate about promoting and telling the challenges that are out there in the supply chain and how some of them.
actually overcame those challenges so that you don’t feel like you’re the only one who has transportation issues. You’re not the only one who’s having a supplier issue or supplier integration or technology integration issue. There’s a lot of African countries that are facing the same problem. So why not learn from each other? So that’s why I love it. Starting from supply chain.
Tanmay Shah (33:52.15)
Talking about borders, do the countries have borders like wired fences and walls or how is the situation there?
Stela Jaqueta (34:02.644)
I can speak for all countries, but no, it’s not like that, like higher fences. For example, like because here, I’m just going to give an example of SADC, right? We have agreements in place. We are economic zone by itself. So we have preferential, Southern African Development Community. So.
Tanmay Shah (34:19.062)
What is sadic?
Tanmay Shah (34:24.998)
Okay, so it’s a group of Southern African nations.
Stela Jaqueta (34:27.511)
Exactly, exactly. So there is trade agreements in praise, preferential trade in praises. So we know how to deal with each other, you know, how the goods roll. So for example, in terms of certain goods moving between countries, it’s easier, the process, the custom clearance is easier because of the agreements that are in place. Not to say that it’s perfect, but there has been steps taken towards optimizing.
the whole custom clearance process. So it’s not like hard fences, like, no, don’t come here. Even though there’s a lot of people who come illegally, but at the end of the day, they are brothers and sisters. As I say, most of the weekends, we are really welcoming, like warming, which I don’t think also we should, like hard fences, wires, and everywhere. Like, come on, at the end of the day, these are people, if they are running from their country, it’s not because they choose to.
You know, there’s a reason.
Tanmay Shah (35:26.518)
What are the g-
In these customs or transportation, what are the goods that have the most problem?
Stela Jaqueta (35:38.427)
I wouldn’t be able to say which goods have the most problems, but the ones that move often and I would say creates a lot of congestion are the minerals. Because a lot of minerals are coming from South Africa, a lot of goods are coming from South Africa to Mozambique, and they use the port of Maputo as well as one of their main hubs in order to deliver goods to other.
African countries or even other nations abroad. So there’s a lot of contests and sometimes like, there’s this road, which is the main road really. It can be full of trucks. You just know that, hey, to travel from point A to point B, it will take you hours because the trucks are in the road. There’s a lot of minerals being moved. So those are the ones that I would say not problems, but.
They cause a lot of congestion because it’s commodities. You’re dealing with commodities and there’s no trains at the moment moving. It’s mainly the trucks that are doing the flow of these commodities.
Tanmay Shah (36:46.422)
I would prefer to be in a ship congestion more than a truck congestion.
Stela Jaqueta (36:52.544)
I know for us it’s like it takes hours sometimes they’re like they have to create two lanes like the truck lane and the civilian lane in the road because the trucks they just get so, so busy.
Tanmay Shah (37:09.202)
And when they come to your port, is there the customs issue there also the supply chain issues on the sea ports as well?
Stela Jaqueta (37:17.927)
Yes, yes, because it’s the whole clearing system, you know. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of investment that has been made as well, and I need to applaud for that. There’s a lot of investment made in the ports of Maputo, the ports of Nakala and the ports of Beira as well, which are the three main ports of Mozambique that have a lot of traffic. So a lot of investment has been made in terms of clearing those processes. But
It’s still, you know, in that development stage, it’s become world class. But a lot of development has been made. So there’s still the clearing that needs to happen.
Tanmay Shah (37:48.841)
Mm.
Tanmay Shah (37:57.022)
I wonder if you have so many minerals and resources and they go outside the country, get manufactured and come back to you as finished products. So why don’t like we should think of more ways to have industries which why do you hide your face like that?
Stela Jaqueta (38:16.387)
you’re not the only one because everybody says that. Like we know, like it’s something that we know, you know? And, but it’s, I’m gonna take an unpopular route when you don’t have a strong hand in negotiation. And let’s say, I’m gonna give an hypothetical example, right?
Tanmay Shah (38:46.226)
You don’t have a hand but you got guns Even on your flag, so?
Stela Jaqueta (38:47.141)
Uh.
Stela Jaqueta (38:52.779)
Maybe we should use them, but no. But it’s the head in the negotiation because a lot of the companies that are coming to extract them, you know, it’s like we are coming to invest, we are coming to extract, but it’s going to take time in order to invest on the training. They do invest on the training, but it takes time to train the people in terms of knowing how to extract and building facilities here.
So they’re like, let’s just take to where it already is established, you know, and abstract the process. But I know I’m giving a poor example, but I know that it’s something that we all say here. And I think it’s like with all the African countries, not just Mozambique, with all the African countries, that’s like, yo, guys, it’s time for us to produce ourselves, to have the manufacturing for ourselves, you know, instead of
taking the resources to be produced and then be sold back to us, it doesn’t make sense. You know, it’s ludicrous, but it is what it is.
Tanmay Shah (40:00.97)
Yeah, we spoke about the same thing in the DRC episode. She was also explaining and urging that promoting entrepreneurship and more innovation, I think would lead to that. And in minerals, which are the top minerals that Mozambique produces or exports?
Stela Jaqueta (40:05.609)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (40:24.479)
Now we have the felinci that is being exported. The natural gas, we have the graffiti, diamonds, coal, precious stones as well. So those are the main minerals I would say and then there’s like the smaller ones, which I don’t recall now at the moment.
Tanmay Shah (40:47.138)
So what contribute to more of your GDP, the jewelry, jewels, or the minerals required for industries?
Stela Jaqueta (40:58.683)
I would say also the aluminium which has been contributing to the GDP for the longest because the manufacturing plant is right here so that one has been there for a long time there’s the gas also kitchen gas I don’t like to say kitchen gas but okay it is what it is yes so it’s being produced in yampan as well it’s contributing a lot
Tanmay Shah (41:19.009)
LPG, Liquified Petroleum Gas
Stela Jaqueta (41:28.043)
to the economy and the FLNG now, which it’s something that it’s started to produce since last year to be exported. So that one is like, we’re all like, yay. The FLNG liquefied natural gas, floating liquefied natural gas. Yes, so that’s where, that’s the big hope, I would say.
Tanmay Shah (41:43.243)
What is that?
Tanmay Shah (41:51.106)
Hmm
Stela Jaqueta (41:57.643)
that will bring a lot of rap in you.
Tanmay Shah (41:57.975)
Beautiful.
and
What is the name of your podcast?
Stela Jaqueta (42:06.651)
Your African Supply Chain Podcast. Yes.
Tanmay Shah (42:11.006)
Let’s go. Yes. What do you discuss on your podcast? What is the theme of your show?
Stela Jaqueta (42:14.897)
Yes.
Stela Jaqueta (42:20.619)
So my podcast, I discuss all things African supply chain, really. And what I love about it is that I have different guests with different experience, people that, some of them very well known in the industry, leaders in the industry, not only in Africa, but globally. They have a voice. So they have the experience. They have the voice. So all things African supply chain, that’s it. As the name says.
your African supply chain.
Tanmay Shah (42:54.358)
So the people who want to cross borders in their car and travel like for tourists also would that be applicable?
Stela Jaqueta (43:02.672)
Yeah, sorry.
Tanmay Shah (43:04.77)
For the people who want to go on a road trip in Africa, should they listen to your podcast? Because then they’ll know which countries has more restrictions and border controls.
Stela Jaqueta (43:16.633)
Yes, they should listen to my point. And they will know about the trends that is happening in the African supply chain industry. They will know about what different African supply chain leaders are thinking and only that globally as well, what are the trends that are happening. So, and some.
Tanmay Shah (43:38.751)
What is the trend in Africa right now if you could give an example?
Stela Jaqueta (43:43.483)
Right now, it’s the whole point of African free continental trade agreement. So that is there’s a lot of aspects that are coming into it because it’s the whole point is to join the African market. And a lot of conferences have been created. There’s a youth conference as well in order to bring people to understand to the point of creating a single African market and what does that mean?
And that also touches on supply chain. It’s something that I’ve broadcast on my podcast to discuss. And I always go back to this topic because it’s really a passion of mine. Because after would really take, it’s the promise and the implementation that will bring together what we’ve talked about, bringing Africa together, One Africa. And in the business sense, it’s not just Kumbaya, but it’s practically bringing businesses and supply chains together.
and working together to develop our economies. So that’s a topic that I’m really passionate about in my podcast. And I think it’s a trend as well in the African supply chain community.
Tanmay Shah (44:52.79)
When I was searching for guests from Mozambique, this industry was pretty dominant on LinkedIn, which the people working, professionals working in supply chain, why is that so? Why is supply chain such a popular and topic of interest amongst people of Mozambique?
Stela Jaqueta (45:15.811)
Yes, because think about it, we have three major ports. So and we are a country that is connecting and we are supplying to the African in landlocked countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana. So we supply goods to these countries, right? So a lot of logistics takes into account, takes into place.
Bear in mind that a lot of the people who are doing supply chain, it’s not because they went to school and study supply chain, that came later on, they fell into it. And I think it’s with a lot of people in supply chain, they fell into supply chain and they fell in love with it, not because it was something premeditated. So a lot of people here, they have that, like, okay, procurement, we need to buy goods and we need to import goods, so how do we do that?
We need to deal with the transportation issues. The roads are not at its optimal stage. How can I organize my transportation in that sense? How can I optimize? How do I connect and take my goods to a very remote area? You know, like for example, you can find Coca-Cola anywhere. Even in a village, you’ll find Coca-Cola, but that took what supply chain at its optimal.
So yeah, it’s in that sense, people had to learn to do it in order to distribute the product.
Tanmay Shah (46:39.534)
There’s a whole movie on Coca-Cola landing in a tribe. God must be crazy. Have you seen that movie? Have you seen it? So there’s this tribe which is completely remote. They don’t have a lot of connection with the cities and all that. And suddenly a Coca-Cola bottle they find on the land. Maybe somebody threw it out of the plane or something. And it is just there.
Stela Jaqueta (46:46.787)
I’ll watch that. No, no, not yet. No. All right.
Stela Jaqueta (46:59.608)
Mm.
Tanmay Shah (47:09.442)
And everybody wants to use it. Some people make sound with it. Some people use it for some other thing. And it starts creating tussle and fights between them. Like one Coca-Cola bottle divides the whole tribe. And there are a lot of fights and all on this. And then one person goes and just throws that bottle away and like, this was the root of all. It’s a good, funny movie also to watch.
Stela Jaqueta (47:20.545)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (47:25.969)
Yes!
Stela Jaqueta (47:37.111)
Okay, God is not crazy.
Tanmay Shah (47:39.344)
God must be crazy.
Stela Jaqueta (47:41.635)
God must be crazy. Okay, I’ll have that out. Mm-hmm.
Tanmay Shah (47:44.295)
God must be crazy to drop this bottle here.
Tanmay Shah (47:49.642)
But how? I wonder what is, like we all know about Coca-Cola doing these branding stunts and they spend the most on marketing and branding of their bottles. But how has it been able to reach such small and rural villages, even in South Africa? How did they develop a taste for that? What have they done for the supply chain so that it reached all these places?
Stela Jaqueta (48:19.695)
It really starts with the vision. And one thing that I like about these FMCG companies, right, like Coca-Cola or Unilever, it’s like they’re producing for the masses and they don’t take a very… They have the vision, but they apply it locally. What’s the condition locally? Because they use all means of transportation. If it’s road, they will use road. If it’s bicycle.
they’ll use bicycle. If it’s drones now, they will use drones as long as the product gets there. If it’s doing small hubs and having people doing informal trade, how to distribute in that sense and mobile payments, they will do it. They’re willing to go that extra mile in terms of understanding who their consumers are, where they are, and meeting them at the point of need. And I believe that starts with
understanding who your customers are. And I think also with like these big companies is that they get the first mover advantage. They were the first ones to get there. They were willing to go that far. And the moment they went there, everybody now it’s like they’re loyal to it because that’s the only brand that actually reached out to them. And a joke that we always say is Colgate. So Colgate, I think it was like a first mover.
Tanmay Shah (49:27.957)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (49:46.527)
in Mozambique and to the point that people now are like even if they see another brand, another toothpaste brand, no I want Colgate you know they can buy even a different brand but they will say that brand is Colgate.
Tanmay Shah (50:03.51)
Yeah, yes, it has gained that much recognition. Yeah, they call bottles Bisleri in India and all biscuits as Parleji. That’s how the brand should aim, right? You should have your brand so powerful that it just becomes a generic name for anything. Like Google as for search, just Google it. People don’t just search it even if you do on a binge or some other websites.
Stela Jaqueta (50:07.491)
So yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (50:17.397)
Mmm.
Stela Jaqueta (50:29.687)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (50:33.042)
In supply chain, what are the main concerns or what are the problems you’re trying to solve?
Stela Jaqueta (50:42.494)
but I’ll just pick like three or two
Tanmay Shah (50:45.714)
Like, what?
a person working in supply chain what do they get paid for?
Stela Jaqueta (50:55.775)
They get paid to putting down fires.
Stela Jaqueta (51:03.463)
I’m just being real with for all. If you’re a supply chain professional, you know exactly what I mean. At the moment, it’s putting down fires because on my experience as well, we’ve had to put a lot of down fires because it’s issue that arise at the moment. No, no, not literature fires, sorry. When I say putting down fires, it’s problems that arise.
Tanmay Shah (51:19.734)
No, are you talking literal fire? Are you talking about literal fires?
Maybe like a go down?
Stela Jaqueta (51:32.251)
You know, because it’s like you solve one issue here. Okay, it’s transportation. Oh, your supplier is having problem with this. It’s not delivering on time. Oh, and then you have custom clears, which is delaying your products to come in the countries. And then you have to deal with another issues like multiple issues. You have to be able to juggle them at the same time. And when you think about it now, and I’m talking about like in Mozambique, it’s one guy doing.
Tanmay Shah (51:51.778)
Mmm.
Stela Jaqueta (52:00.275)
you know, taking care of all of these. You may find like the same person who is in procurement is the same person who is managing the supply, is the same person who is managing customs, is the same person who’s managing the distribution. So it can be quite hectic. So, and when you’re managing like these different areas, fires or problems, they’re doomed to happen. But I would say the main problems that in supply chain, just in general that they’re dealing with is the
supplier development, supplier engagement, innovation. You know, not every day we’re having new technology coming up. Like how does that impact on our job? Like chat GPT, the other AI tools that can be used in supply chain. And it’s people can get a little bit like confused. Okay, ooh, today’s this more is that like I’m still trying to deal with my SAP, you know? They’re still trying to do with their ERP systems. And do you have another?
are the technology available to them? And machine learning, how that’s going to impact the way we do our work, the way we structure our distribution or our supply chain. And another one which is critical is the supply chain is global, but it’s becoming very local. Because with COVID-19, we saw that, that globals are having a long chain of supply chain. When one link breaks, it breaks the whole thing.
So it was very difficult for companies to deliver their products and to source their products. So now the strategy is taking it local. Yes, they have a global vision, but okay, let’s see it regionally. Can we get the products that we can get regionally? Can we get the manufacturing regionally rather than just having a long supply chain? So these are the problems that supply chain professional now are dealing with and they have to solve.
Tanmay Shah (53:40.695)
Hmm.
Tanmay Shah (53:49.07)
Yeah, it’s interesting to see whatever food we eat, whatever things we have. You wouldn’t have had that if it wasn’t for supply chain. Everything comes from different parts of the world. Even smallest to smallest food grains come from some other place. Like imagine what things would you get just from a hundred kilometer radius? And imagine you just had to survive on that.
Stela Jaqueta (53:55.775)
and you take it for granted.
Stela Jaqueta (54:00.674)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (54:12.853)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (54:16.236)
Imagine. Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (54:18.338)
So you can’t do pretty much anything. So you need supply chain and lot of transportation and free moving of goods is needed.
Stela Jaqueta (54:27.805)
Yeah, exactly.
Tanmay Shah (54:30.41)
What is one thing you would like to change about your country?
Stela Jaqueta (54:35.575)
Hmm, I have to be careful with this one. But I’m saying like I have to be careful in this one. I don’t want to go for the obvious, but I think one. All right. Imagine. But one thing I would change, and I’m not talking about top down, I’m not talking about politicians only is the fact that sometimes we’re too we’re too complacent.
Tanmay Shah (54:39.555)
Sorry?
Tanmay Shah (54:47.102)
You don’t understand the revolution.
Stela Jaqueta (55:05.947)
we are too acceptable of things that we shouldn’t be acceptable of. And we are too chilled for things that we shouldn’t be chilled or, you know, should be restless about it. We should, you know, start and say, no, enough is enough. And the thing is we can be complaining and we’re not doing anything about it. So if that’s one thing I would change is that complacency and really to rise up everyone.
Tanmay Shah (55:30.998)
from the government or from the people in general?
Stela Jaqueta (55:34.459)
everyone, you know, because the government can do things and then the people can be acceptable.
Tanmay Shah (55:38.736)
Can you give us an example of what is the problem with complacency? Like an example.
Stela Jaqueta (55:45.675)
I’ll give you a hypothetical because I don’t want to start a revolution. But like, for example, in terms of, let’s say, minimum wage, you know, minimum wage, given that the condition of the society with inflation, with prices, minimum wage could rise up in order to sustain that type of lifestyle, you know, because we are living now.
day by day things are just getting more expensive, but wages are not getting higher, you know. So people sometimes, if I’m not mistaken, it’s like between, okay, I don’t know how to convert that in dollars, but I think would be like $100? Yeah, around $100 per person.
Tanmay Shah (56:22.014)
What is the minimum wage in… What is the minimum wage in Mozambique?
Tanmay Shah (56:40.022)
Per what month, yaar? Day.
Stela Jaqueta (56:41.807)
Yes, per month, per month, if I’m not mistaken, like $100 to like $120, but it doesn’t go over that. So, and the lifestyle just keeps getting expensive. That’s, and one thing I like about it is that people like a very entrepreneurial, it’s like, I can have my wage, but I need to have a business on the side, I need to have something in order to sustain because life is getting expensive. But also the government, you know, they could
Tanmay Shah (56:49.495)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (57:11.499)
do something about it, but because we are not like, no, you guys, you know, we can be complaining, but then it’s the whole thing of the stand. And, you know, because we are very peaceful people and starting to make a whole strike confusion, it can be quite tough for us. So yeah, if there was one thing I would change.
Tanmay Shah (57:33.718)
Amazing, okay.
What?
Tanmay Shah (57:43.67)
What is your favorite wedding ritual?
Stela Jaqueta (57:47.477)
A what?
Tanmay Shah (57:50.122)
What is your favorite wedding ritual? One wedding ritual that happens only in your community.
Stela Jaqueta (58:00.415)
Hi. In my community, I think it’s the next day of the wedding, where I’m not sure if it’s only my community, but I think it’s something that I’ve only seen here, where you have the, is Dauchi, what you call that thing of like, where the groom’s family gives like a gift, like, you know, money to the bride’s family to take her in.
I forgot the name. There’s a name, there’s a dowry, yes. So there’s a dowry day, and then there’s the white wedding. We call it a white wedding. Where it looked like gown at the church, you know, that whole party. And then you have this next day, which is called Shigyan, which is now the bride’s family is giving the girl, the bride to the groom’s house.
Tanmay Shah (58:28.599)
Dory
Stela Jaqueta (58:56.279)
So that party is organized by the Grooms family. So it’s like their handover. I can say like we are giving our girl to you. Yeah. Yes.
Tanmay Shah (59:06.059)
You’re exchanging.
Tanmay Shah (59:10.402)
First Dowery and then the Bright.
Stela Jaqueta (59:15.041)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (59:15.094)
You know in India it used to be the other way. I was talking this with, there’s lemmas also on the South African episode. But in India, in the olden times, now it is not that prominent, probably in rural areas. But the woman’s family gives to the man.
Stela Jaqueta (59:23.729)
Mm-hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (59:37.211)
oh yeah well i’m gonna be guilty i’m not sure if it was a good representation i watched uh brazilian soap opera and it was about india so i remember yes i know this they relate to like brazil is like champions in soap opera brazilian mexican
Tanmay Shah (59:50.638)
Brazilian Serb Opera about India. How is that? Tell me more.
Stela Jaqueta (01:00:04.619)
Mexico and all the whole Colombia, they’re really masters of that. Yes, they had a soap opera. They were relating, it was called The Journey of India. And it was relating, showcasing the Indian culture, like, for example, the dowry where the bride’s family is the one that pays and they need to choose. And then there was the whole part of the case, right, the subdivisions.
like this is from a higher case than the other one so the other ones were despised because they were not part of that so it was that portrayal really and then they then that family came to brazil and they like started to become more liberal yeah
Tanmay Shah (01:00:53.79)
So they were filming this in India or they set up everything in like
Stela Jaqueta (01:00:57.283)
I think they did like a both, like they started in India and then they went back to Brazil.
Tanmay Shah (01:01:02.626)
Hmm. I was thinking why would that be the case for who gives whom and it turns out it’s maybe because of scarcity There were lesser women and more men in your olden days That’s why this relation and in India it was the opposite probably more women than men
Stela Jaqueta (01:01:12.407)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:01:23.1)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:01:24.866)
So but it is having a negative impact. Now women have become much lesser and there are problems in the Northern states where people don’t find bride to marry. So there’s a whole crisis about that.
Stela Jaqueta (01:01:36.148)
Mmm really wow you must come to Mozambique there’s a lot of women
Tanmay Shah (01:01:39.199)
Yeah, I mean.
Tanmay Shah (01:01:45.346)
So when you hear…
When… What is your first reaction when you… Okay. What is the first impression that comes to your mind when you hear India?
Stela Jaqueta (01:02:02.643)
When I hear India, I think about the roads. The roads that have been showcased. Because like when they want to showcase India, they show how the tuk tuks, you know, and then the cars and then like they’re all coming together. So usually when like it comes in the news, it’s like cars like this, people coming and then the animals like.
Stela Jaqueta (01:02:32.323)
I’m guilty, I’m guilty, I’m guilty. Ha ha ha.
Tanmay Shah (01:02:37.506)
So imagine how good is the supply chain there. Everything works, even though it’s a chaos.
Stela Jaqueta (01:02:42.007)
But it is like good like you in supply chain, hey, they’re like the best. So solving problems is in the nature.
Tanmay Shah (01:02:49.96)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:02:55.434)
Talking about the supply chain and roads in India, India is doing a really good job at that with the GST system of taxation. When, so India is as big as Europe and there are states which are as big as countries. So they have their own rules and when trucks have to pass through them, they have to pay taxes. And they have used this amazing technology and tools that I would believe will help you if you study there. So they have these tags.
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:01.027)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:10.045)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:13.952)
Mm.
Tanmay Shah (01:03:25.122)
fast tags for people who want to pass through the tolls. So you don’t even have to stop. We just, there’s a machine that will just scan your tag and the amount money will be deducted from your account.
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:29.064)
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Tanmay Shah (01:03:40.71)
It just keeps moving and I’m pretty sure there’s equivalent for commercial goods also You can do that as a search thing because what works here probably it can work there also. There are a lot of people here Yeah
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:45.46)
Hmm
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:50.551)
I’m gonna get work here.
Stela Jaqueta (01:03:54.993)
and have a look at that.
Tanmay Shah (01:03:59.162)
What is your favorite traditional festival?
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:06.579)
I have a traditional festival. I just I really love the holidays. I really love the holidays. Like we have a couple of them like September now. I don’t have a traditional holiday I per se. Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:04:11.17)
Sorry?
Tanmay Shah (01:04:21.738)
Not holiday, not holiday, a community event where people come together and have a good time or something that has been traditionally been celebrated.
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:25.271)
Fet.
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:34.132)
No, I don’t have to be honest.
Tanmay Shah (01:04:37.216)
You’re a very city person, I believe.
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:39.303)
yeah I was like my whole life I’ve lived in town so
Tanmay Shah (01:04:45.738)
But even in cities, your family might be having something unique. Like what do you do? What is the time or the event where the whole family, your relatives and everybody comes and meets? And what do you do?
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:51.317)
Yeah!
Stela Jaqueta (01:04:58.251)
when it’s a birthday. Really? Yeah, in a wedding or a funeral. So those are the times. So otherwise, more than that, it’s really because it’s a birthday when we all come together and it’s generally like this. I think more if you go to the rural areas where there is festivals celebrating Kanyo, which is like a local drink, alcohol beverages.
Tanmay Shah (01:05:00.334)
When it’s your birthday and a wedding.
Stela Jaqueta (01:05:27.219)
So when it drops or when the fruits start to show, there’s a whole festival that happens within the inner, I think it’s the province of Gaza, that have this festival to celebrate the fruits and then people come and they drink that local beverage. So it’s to celebrate the culture per se. And even if you go further up, like in the center in the north, there are,
different festivals that happen, like different cultural dances where the people come together. Unfortunately, I have not been exposed to those cultural festivals, but they are definitely there.
Tanmay Shah (01:06:08.418)
I want to show some couple of photos that we usually do. When I searched for culture in Mozambique, this is what came out. Do you have any idea what is put on the face and why is it?
Stela Jaqueta (01:06:21.391)
Yes, that’s musiru. So it’s like, it’s taken out of, I don’t know how to explain, but it’s something like cement, but it’s not cement, please. It’s taken out of a tree where people put it in the face and that’s for beauty. And it’s a very good exfoliator. Let me just tell you that, you know, this L’Oreal needs
Tanmay Shah (01:06:47.507)
Exfoliator.
Stela Jaqueta (01:06:49.011)
Yeah, like L’Oreal needs to study this, to be honest. It’s natural, it’s organic, so it’s more of a culture. It’s also as a beauty mark skin treatment. So, yes, a lot of women, a lot of them, they use this for their skin treatment.
Tanmay Shah (01:07:07.554)
for the audio listeners, there is a white paste and there are designs done throughout the face with that and as she says it’s derived from a tea. And there’s another version of this, there’s a whole face covered with a yellow pigment of sorts. Is this also the same thing?
Stela Jaqueta (01:07:13.172)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:07:29.219)
Yes, it is the same thing. Because sometimes depending on the way it was prepared, you know, it can have that different effect.
Tanmay Shah (01:07:40.206)
and these are the other images of the tribes and locals so colorful
Stela Jaqueta (01:07:44.635)
Yes, yes very colorful.
Tanmay Shah (01:07:51.959)
Wow.
Stela Jaqueta (01:07:57.359)
Very colorful and if you see there, they’re all wearing Kapulana, which is the traditional, like if you think of a Mozambican woman, if you want to display that’s it. Kapulana. Yes, that’s the African print. Like you can even show the last one. I saw a lot of ladies there wearing that.
Tanmay Shah (01:08:08.386)
Kaplana. Let me…
Tanmay Shah (01:08:21.406)
Let me pull it up quickly.
So is that a cloth wrapped around?
Stela Jaqueta (01:08:28.458)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:08:32.391)
It’s the cloth curve. Yes, wrapped around the waist.
Tanmay Shah (01:08:32.482)
Kaplaana.
Tanmay Shah (01:08:40.006)
Is this what you’re talking about or is there another image?
Stela Jaqueta (01:08:44.291)
Let me show it. No, that’s for the time.
Tanmay Shah (01:08:47.446)
This is… This looks like Kenya from the symbol but anyways, Kaplanam Women of Mozambique
Stela Jaqueta (01:08:51.459)
Yeah. Yes.
can put Kapulana, C-A-P-U-L-A-N-A.
Tanmay Shah (01:09:06.614)
Hmm… This…
Stela Jaqueta (01:09:07.887)
Yes, yes, that’s Capulana. What is wrapped around their waist. Yes, the women can go around. And it’s said that if you’re a good woman, you must walk with a Capulana in your back.
Tanmay Shah (01:09:14.666)
Mmm.
Tanmay Shah (01:09:28.034)
So do you, how often do you wear one?
Stela Jaqueta (01:09:34.716)
Aha! Good question. I do wear it, but when I’m at home, sometimes when I’m at home, and sometimes when, like, for example, certain places requires you to wear it. For example, if you’re going to give your sentiments to someone, your condolences to someone, you go there with a kapilana.
at some places like if you’re going to cook, especially like in the rural areas, you can’t just go to cook with your pads on or your shirts or your t-shirt or your shorts on. No, you need to wear a kapulana in order to cook. So yeah, it’s very cultural, very symbolic.
Tanmay Shah (01:10:16.726)
Beautiful as well. I had one question. I was looking at these photos. I’ve seen many Africans wear t-shirts. How did t-shirts get into the culture? Like in traditional it has become a part of the traditional days
Stela Jaqueta (01:10:29.311)
You see those ones, those ones, it’s because it was political party, hey? Like it’s freely because the ruling party is freely. So that’s because of probably during election season, you see a lot of t-shirts distributed. But it’s we love t-shirts, you know, they are practical. But if you see a lot of like red and with the I’m forgetting the stick.
Oh, I’m forgetting the name of that fruit. I’m forgetting. It’s not a fruit. I don’t think it’s a fruit. I think it’s a plantain, to be honest. Coin! Coin. Because the symbol of the political party is a corn stick.
Tanmay Shah (01:11:03.394)
Fruit.
Tanmay Shah (01:11:18.266)
Oh, okay. Yeah. Corn is, is it staple? What is your staple food? Like what is eaten by everybody?
Stela Jaqueta (01:11:19.766)
Mm-hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:11:34.719)
That’s a food that everyone, like it’s staple. It’s corn flour cooked with water. It’s like pop. I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it.
Tanmay Shah (01:11:36.918)
What is that?
Stela Jaqueta (01:11:46.891)
Have you heard about pop? Yeah, it’s really corn flour, water, and then you cook it until it becomes really like a pasty, and then you put more flour, it becomes very doughy. Yes, it becomes very doughy. And then you eat it like that with a curry. Perfect.
Tanmay Shah (01:11:47.07)
You’ll have to check it out.
Tanmay Shah (01:12:08.386)
Can you spell it?
Stela Jaqueta (01:12:18.295)
But it’s something that is not an eaten in Mozambique, but like South Africa as well. And in different, it’s original food, I can say.
Tanmay Shah (01:12:27.731)
Mm.
What I can see is dumb deer.
Stela Jaqueta (01:12:35.34)
dumb.
Tanmay Shah (01:12:36.994)
Yeah anyways you get an idea of it.
Stela Jaqueta (01:12:39.472)
Yeah. Or pop.
Tanmay Shah (01:12:41.634)
What? Pop, all right.
Stela Jaqueta (01:12:44.611)
Mm.
Tanmay Shah (01:12:50.154)
What is the best reason for tourists to visit? Like, what would you say people who are planning to come to South Africa or Africa, why should they come to Mozambique?
Stela Jaqueta (01:13:05.903)
Did they see the beaches, the pictures that you showed? Like it’s pretty amazing and you’ll be very well welcomed. There’s no one that comes in here that I’ve seen like they don’t have a really good time and they don’t enjoy themselves. They don’t have a great time together. It’s a great place to also come with your family. Not only, it’s not only about the beaches but you also can have safaris here.
Tanmay Shah (01:13:09.357)
Uh huh.
Stela Jaqueta (01:13:34.551)
You can go on safaris, you have wildlife vests, because we have the Limpopo Gorongosa National Park that has a variety of things. I’m not saying they have the big four. So big four or big five? I think it’s big five. So they have a lot of variety. There’s a lot of variety here. It was a big, a lot of places to really disconnect from a lot of the fast life pace.
to more of connecting with yourself or with your loved ones. So if you’re looking for that, peaceful, calm, and a great, great time. Mozambique is to be.
Tanmay Shah (01:14:13.998)
How is the… How is the peace situation there? Is everything fine or are there still… eruptions or revolutions happening there?
Stela Jaqueta (01:14:27.111)
Well, there is a ter- There were- Now it’s no- It- I think it has died down, but I don’t wanna take-
Tanmay Shah (01:14:33.426)
I’m asking from the point of view is, is it safe for people to come there right now?
Stela Jaqueta (01:14:39.599)
Yeah, it depends. It depends which region, which region, which region they come because they have been, of course, the terrorist attacks in the northern part of Mozambique because of the oil and gas industry that is developing there. So that has delayed also in some investments, some foreign FDIs commitments to Mozambique because of the terrorist attacks. But
Tanmay Shah (01:14:42.486)
depends on? depends on what?
Uh huh.
Stela Jaqueta (01:15:09.547)
situation is getting more controlled but in terms of safety general looking at the other provinces is it’s actually I don’t see any complaints here like it’s a very it’s a chilled country and I might be biased to say that but in my opinion for it’s a very chilled country to visit.
Tanmay Shah (01:15:32.562)
You’re a city- city-dweller.
Stela Jaqueta (01:15:36.131)
I am.
Tanmay Shah (01:15:38.191)
What?
Tanmay Shah (01:15:42.746)
When I searched for fun facts of Mozambique, one of the fun facts that kept coming was it is the third most poor country of the world.
Why is that so?
Stela Jaqueta (01:15:58.627)
That is a question I ask myself every day as well, Tanma. Because it’s, and it saddens my heart because we have so much in terms of resources, in terms, like I think we have everything to be one of the top economies of Africa. Like among the top three, no cap. Like it’s…
And for me, it doesn’t make sense. But you know, it all starts with leadership. If you can have all the money in the world, but if your leadership is not at its best or might not have the best of intentions at heart, you’ll lose that money just like that. So not only talking about, even over, like not only to mention corruption and all of that, but it starts from top down.
really and in an and not only government but also in all places of authority because I don’t I don’t like to blame government only because government is reflection of the people so maybe we need to look inward rather than also pointing fingers sometimes.
Tanmay Shah (01:17:14.358)
what do you think is the missing link? Is it at the top level or people there’s a lot of corruption you see? What are the where does it drain out because just exporting so many important minerals. There is so much gas oil and gas which is also there. There should be wealth right? But where does it distribute or where does it escape from?
Stela Jaqueta (01:17:44.039)
Yeah, I don’t want to say people’s pockets, but recently there was actually a whole, it was a very big case. It was a court case for they arrested some of the government’s officials that were part of the debts because at the moment we’re still paying a debt.
to the investors because to investors outside, because the money that was, you know, we borrowed money and then we did not pay and to buy like boats, but then these boats didn’t appear or they are not up to the standards. So it’s like investors are now what? Like, I want my money back, so now we have to pay them back and then, and these politicians, they have millions and millions stacked outside of the country.
Tanmay Shah (01:18:14.658)
To whom?
Stela Jaqueta (01:18:43.071)
and invested in foreign assets, housing, buying condominiums here. So there was a lot of money that was circulating at that time. And a lot of money is coming in and out, that I can tell you of. Where it’s being invested, let’s look together because I’m also very curious.
Tanmay Shah (01:19:11.062)
What are your relations with Portugal?
Stela Jaqueta (01:19:15.511)
Well, we have, I think, a very strong relationship with Portugal. There’s bilateral agreements, if I’m not mistaken, as well with Portugal. It’s very there’s a very high Portuguese population as well here in Mozambique, because, again, we’re also a colony and.
Tanmay Shah (01:19:35.426)
So they have settled here. You have the white Portuguese settling in Mozambique. Is that what you said?
Stela Jaqueta (01:19:40.311)
Yeah, we do have, we have Portuguese people here that have businesses as well. Yeah, there’s a great, like a very good population of Portuguese here. Brazil? Yeah, there are, there are, but I don’t think as much as the Portuguese.
Tanmay Shah (01:19:52.338)
And with Brazil…
Tanmay Shah (01:20:03.686)
I’m asking because these are one of the top spoken languages and we speak mostly English and we get to watch a lot of American shows from UK, shows from UK and we also produce a lot of movies and films which are in English. So you must be getting to watch a lot of movies and series that are made either in Portugal or in Brazil. Like what goes on your TV?
Stela Jaqueta (01:20:18.72)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:20:25.075)
In Brazil, in Brazil, like there was the time of soap operas. I think now people are not much into soap operas. Now we watch series. Now we go on Netflix and all of that. Because we’re also very much interest but influenced by American culture in that sense and for culture and with the spread of internet and people having mobile devices. They’re not.
behind by what the TV tells us to watch. Before, if you wanted to watch entertainment, it was like after the news, you sit down, you watch your soap opera and you have your day. Now we can binge watch. Now we have it all on our phones. Now we have Netflix. Yes, Netflix and chill. So now it’s a whole different scenario in that sense. So, and that’s coming with the youth, I can say. So we’re not only bound by Portuguese content.
Tanmay Shah (01:21:07.015)
Netflix and chill.
Stela Jaqueta (01:21:20.875)
but now we are very much exposed to the English content from America, UK, and different other. Also Colombian, Spanish, Spanish soap opera. So there’s a variety of it.
Tanmay Shah (01:21:37.174)
Do you have those dances coming in as well? Like… Salsa, Bachata or Samba
Stela Jaqueta (01:21:43.879)
Yeah, we do have local dances. We do have, we have Maraventa, which is very much Mozambican. We have panza. What else can I get? Shekumbadza. There’s a lot of local dances in here.
Tanmay Shah (01:22:03.362)
So these local dances are couple or pair dances or are they standalone? Separate, separate.
Stela Jaqueta (01:22:11.099)
stand alone really yeah like you just dance in your own groove at your own time
Tanmay Shah (01:22:12.922)
Okay.
Tanmay Shah (01:22:19.51)
That’s another… I’m thinking how to show the dance. Yeah, that’s a good idea. Maybe next time onwards we can do an arrangement where you can show the dance to the viewers who are watching the video.
Stela Jaqueta (01:22:30.954)
I don’t want to disappoint. Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:22:36.831)
No, no, I’m not asking you. I mean, just like from the internet. I mean, if some guest is interested, of course, that would be amazing. We had a live performance. We had Des playing guitar for us in the South African episode. So why not?
Stela Jaqueta (01:22:40.508)
Yes.
Stela Jaqueta (01:22:44.308)
Yeah, super.
Stela Jaqueta (01:22:51.235)
Really? That I can’t look at until dance. Hahaha!
Tanmay Shah (01:22:57.638)
If you could transport yourself anywhere to the world, where would you go?
Stela Jaqueta (01:23:03.815)
New York. I would go. I’m a city girl. I’m saying I would go to New York. I’m a city girl. So everything that is like city-wise, I would transport myself to New York, to the Big Apple. Yes, maybe because I consume a lot of content from there in terms of financial markets and all of that. But I would really love to visit and just to do like this. And I’m in New York.
Tanmay Shah (01:23:09.698)
Sorry?
Tanmay Shah (01:23:34.698)
Let’s go. What are the biggest challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Stela Jaqueta (01:23:44.639)
In life.
Tanmay Shah (01:23:47.466)
Whatever you consider challenging, work, life.
Stela Jaqueta (01:23:52.055)
Um, I, well, I’ve had to come out of my cocoon a lot of times where I was a bit shy as a person. So even to speak, it was like, it was a problem. But I overcame that because I’m like, okay, one of the things that I, how I overcame is because of practice, I had to be exposed.
And that started even at school, like projects, presentations. I was like, OK, you know, I need to speak. And that came with practice. And now I for me to talk, it’s natural, regardless if they are the president of this country or they are the president or if they are a little a janitor. I can speak to anyone at the same time. So but that came with practice, you know, even in hosting the podcast.
uh it took courage from me because I’m like wow I’m only 26 I’m on I was 25 when I was like I’m only 25 year old I’m just getting started in this industry what am I gonna be talking about you know who am I to have that voice in supply chain you know but I overcame that fear of not feeling qualified of not feeling worthy of
of the calling, I can say. And the more I practice, the better I got, the better I got, the better I got. So for me at the moment, to overcome challenges, sometimes we see it as a big bad wolf, but if you’re constantly seeing the big bad wolf, you will lose the fear for it. So, yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:25:34.69)
Hmm.
Tanmay Shah (01:25:40.062)
So what do you want to do next? Like what is your.
most passionate thing about life. Do you have any goal as such or you are exploring and discovering as you go?
Stela Jaqueta (01:25:54.371)
I’m exploring and discovering. One thing is, as I said, I want to go on a global level and be that in consultancy, be that in podcasting. And I want to have that broad view, you know, because I believe that we are citizens of the world when we shouldn’t be bound. Like, yes, you are born in India or you’re born in Mozambique, but that doesn’t need to be.
Tanmay Shah (01:26:15.778)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:26:23.819)
the only thing that defines you, you know. And we are meant to explore this world and to influence this world. Like now you’re influencing me, I’m in Mozambique, you know. So you came out of your own country, of your own shell, of your own culture to reach out to people to different parts of the world. It’s the same way. So for me, that’s my passion. That’s what I’m looking towards. So things on that sense, things on that path, that’s what interests me.
Tanmay Shah (01:26:53.726)
Yeah. And as you’re just speaking, I was wondering, we can learn so much through podcasting. Suppose if you start getting guests from all kind of countries, whether they are having problems, more problems than Mozambique in the transportation or somebody has solved those problems, you will get a good idea from every country has something to share in that field. So I’m looking forward to episodes on that. Now we’ll get to the signature round.
Stela Jaqueta (01:27:04.227)
Hmm.
Tanmay Shah (01:27:24.835)
What happened?
Tanmay Shah (01:28:05.154)
Hello.
You’re on mute.
Stela Jaqueta (01:28:13.487)
Yes, I need to switch on my headphones, earphones because my headphones switched off. Let me just disconnect to my headphones. One minute.
Tanmay Shah (01:28:18.553)
All right.
Tanmay Shah (01:28:59.318)
What sport is most popular in Mozambique?
Tanmay Shah (01:29:09.728)
Yes.
Tanmay Shah (01:29:13.986)
Can you hear me?
Hello.
Tanmay Shah (01:29:20.827)
Oh, you’ll have to change.
Tanmay Shah (01:29:32.29)
Uh, Stella?
Tanmay Shah (01:29:40.406)
Mute, mute.
Tanmay Shah (01:29:54.995)
Yes.
Tanmay Shah (01:30:11.242)
You’ll have to sign out and come back in again. See, you remember the option of choosing the earphones?
Tanmay Shah (01:30:21.694)
No, you’ll have to log out and come back, like refresh the page.
Tanmay Shah (01:30:29.675)
No.
Stela Jaqueta (01:33:13.918)
Hi Tanmay, can you hear me?
Tanmay Shah (01:33:20.883)
Yes, you’re back.
Stela Jaqueta (01:33:24.001)
Yes, my earphones.
Tanmay Shah (01:33:24.182)
Tellar returns.
Stela Jaqueta (01:33:27.557)
it just doesn’t it’s not working my earphones it’s just but i click the option of i’m not using headphones
Tanmay Shah (01:33:38.858)
Yeah great, so it’ll prevent the echo.
Stela Jaqueta (01:33:42.266)
Yes. So it doesn’t have.
Tanmay Shah (01:33:43.594)
Cool. So we are on the signature round. Tell me three people living or dead that you’d like to have lunch with.
Stela Jaqueta (01:33:57.869)
Hi, living or dead, I would love to have lunch with someone on my shell, which was I can see hero here in Mozambique who led the liberation against the Portuguese. I would really love to hear from him his perspective of how Mozambique is now compared to what his vision was against the Portuguese colony.
Tanmay Shah (01:34:16.607)
Liberation with the what?
Tanmay Shah (01:34:23.088)
Mm-hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:34:24.749)
I would love to have a lunch with Mary Barra, which was, I think she still is the GM, if I’m not mistaken, of General Motors, because her story, I even read her book, it really inspires me. I would love to have her in terms of women, like she’s a woman in supply chain who
despite all odds she came to be like the first female, if I’m not mistaken, in the automobile, like to be, to reach that echelon in terms of position. And the third person that I would love to have lunch with. Hmm.
is maybe Ellen Musk?
Tanmay Shah (01:35:10.014)
Elon Musk, okay.
Stela Jaqueta (01:35:11.818)
He’s an interesting person. I just love how he is… he doesn’t care. Yeah, he doesn’t care. Like, he’s not bound by people’s opinion.
Tanmay Shah (01:35:22.771)
And he was…
Yeah, I love his drive.
Stela Jaqueta (01:35:27.52)
You know, unless it’s through his bitch.
Tanmay Shah (01:35:31.114)
I love his inner drive and of course how about his confidence and how he doesn’t care about others. And also fun fact is he was, he grew up in your neighbors. He was in South Africa.
Stela Jaqueta (01:35:37.985)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:35:42.469)
Yeah, exactly. I started it in his hometown.
Tanmay Shah (01:35:47.948)
Oh, Joanna’s book.
Stela Jaqueta (01:35:51.641)
in Pretoria, which is close by.
Tanmay Shah (01:35:53.575)
Okay. There is a second part to this question. What question would you ask them? So what question, what one question would you ask Elon Musk?
Stela Jaqueta (01:36:06.413)
Did you think, like, did you always had this vision before, like to where you are right now, was this always what you wanted to do or where you wanted to be, would you, have you imagined this to be the path that you would take to reach, you know, to be the richest man in the world or did you just stumble upon it? And I think it describes it in its book, but I haven’t read it yet, so.
Tanmay Shah (01:36:34.362)
I have read it, I have been following him also. I believe he had this drive and this mission 20 years ago. Even when he was young, he had a sort of idea about doing something in sustainable energy or space. So he’s been pursuing that consistently, no matter what. And the best quote is, if something is important enough, do it even if the odds are against you.
Stela Jaqueta (01:36:44.161)
Bye.
Stela Jaqueta (01:36:51.158)
Hmm
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:01.106)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:37:02.178)
So he just does it. That’s amazing. Yeah, glad. Thanks to you for reminding me that.
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:05.793)
do it even if that odds.
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:10.99)
Yeah, you’re welcome.
Tanmay Shah (01:37:11.694)
What question would you ask Mubarak?
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:16.46)
Uh, sorry? Who?
Tanmay Shah (01:37:18.326)
The second person you named?
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:20.265)
Ah, the Marybara. How did you manage it all? Because she was in a very, very demanding industry. And she still had a family. And she still managed to do everything excellently, I would say. So as a woman, how did you manage to balance it all? And not be guided by knowledge? Because sometimes,
Tanmay Shah (01:37:45.016)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:37:49.505)
People think that they should put you in that position just because you’re a woman. No, but because you have something to prove, because your work speaks for itself. And that’s one thing that she, she emphasized in her book, like her work spoke for herself. So it was not because she was a woman that she got to where she was, but because she worked really hard to it. So for me, like how
Tanmay Shah (01:38:11.054)
Hi always.
I always wonder about working women, like how do they achieve such great heights in spite of having kids and like taking care of the jobs and kids at the same time.
Stela Jaqueta (01:38:14.699)
Yeah, yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:38:21.921)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:38:25.541)
Yeah, so it’s for me it’s something that I’m curious to ask her.
Tanmay Shah (01:38:33.57)
Hmm. Yeah, let me know what you ask. And what would you ask the first person you named?
Stela Jaqueta (01:38:41.305)
his vision looking at Samora Marshall.
Tanmay Shah (01:38:42.53)
Can you repeat his name?
Tanmay Shah (01:38:49.867)
What is one question you would ask?
Stela Jaqueta (01:38:50.193)
Yes, I would ask like when he was liberating Mozambique and looking at it now, was this the vision that he had in mind or not?
Tanmay Shah (01:39:04.85)
His vision is quite clear on the flag. Don’t you see man?
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:05.26)
Yeah.
Ah, ha, ha!
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:13.999)
Right? Guns. Books.
Tanmay Shah (01:39:19.372)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:39:24.055)
Yeah, and farming, yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:24.673)
And applaud, guys.
Tanmay Shah (01:39:28.322)
Did you have an armed rebellion? How was that? Was… How was the liberation? Was it armed? Did you… Like… Gone to war with Portuguese?
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:35.153)
Yes, it was. Yeah, it was armed.
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:42.22)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:39:43.006)
And then there was another armed civil war sort of, right?
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:46.205)
Yes, another armed one. Yeah, we’ve been dealing with guns. A case.
Tanmay Shah (01:39:50.366)
Now is it a democratic government? How is it? What kind of government it is?
Stela Jaqueta (01:39:55.921)
Yeah, it is a democratic now. It’s mainly run by two major parties, political parties, Freljim and Murenamu. So they are the major ones and then you have the smaller parties, depending on the region, you know, but those are the ones.
Tanmay Shah (01:40:10.602)
You mentioned one of the party’s symbol is a corn. What is the symbol of the other party?
Stela Jaqueta (01:40:14.454)
Yes.
I think it’s an eagle, if I’m not mistaken. Yeah, I think it’s an eagle.
Tanmay Shah (01:40:20.999)
Egu.
Alright. Is Eagle a popular bird in Mozambique?
Stela Jaqueta (01:40:28.793)
Funny enough, no. We don’t see eagles.
Tanmay Shah (01:40:30.506)
What is a national bird?
Stela Jaqueta (01:40:34.157)
Do we have a national bird? I see. I don’t think there is a national bird, but I don’t know their name. I just see them a lot, really. It’s like this small one.
Tanmay Shah (01:40:50.206)
Lockets and rings. Okay spiritual connotations I believe.
Stela Jaqueta (01:40:54.017)
It’ll be quite delicious as well if you eat it.
Tanmay Shah (01:40:56.458)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:41:02.414)
Do you… what do you think about art? What does art mean to you?
Stela Jaqueta (01:41:02.689)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:41:10.089)
Well, art is very abstract. It really depends on who is seeing it. And with art, for me, there’s no right or wrong answer or interpretation of it. And for me, that’s why I think with poetry, you know, because poetry as well is hard. I had a hard time in school there because I’m a very black and white person.
And for me, I see things in zeros and ones.
Tanmay Shah (01:41:41.424)
Abstract is difficult.
Stela Jaqueta (01:41:44.153)
Yeah, abstract is difficult. It’s like open interpretation, but in business as well. It’s really open interpretation. It’s really how you see it. But I had to adapt my… Sorry? Yeah, you need both of them. So, for me, art is really what makes, for me, a country beautiful. It makes a culture beautiful. You know, it just makes it beautiful, I can say.
Tanmay Shah (01:41:53.462)
But you need both kind of people We need both the kind of people
Stela Jaqueta (01:42:14.017)
Yes, you have the hard chords, but then it just makes it beautiful. It makes it colorful. It makes vibrant.
Tanmay Shah (01:42:20.266)
Next question. Ready?
Stela Jaqueta (01:42:23.699)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:42:24.31)
How to make money
Stela Jaqueta (01:42:27.953)
in Mozambique.
Tanmay Shah (01:42:30.746)
in general. It’s open-ended questions, objective questions.
Stela Jaqueta (01:42:36.513)
there is the abstract part. But I think in our days, you make money by adding value. And for example, I’m just gonna give an example here in Mozambique. A lot of people are making money by being intermediaries in terms of finding, if it’s finding cars for people, finding houses for people.
assisted them finding houses, assisting people to rent their houses, giving them trainings as well. So I think with now how to make money, it really is answering to the people’s need. What is their need? For example, even editing CVs, it’s a way of making money. People have busted CVs, you would think, if you would imagine. Because…
Tanmay Shah (01:43:18.774)
Hmm.
Tanmay Shah (01:43:30.739)
In Telly Diaries.
Stela Jaqueta (01:43:30.805)
People don’t know, even LinkedIn, optimizing LinkedIn, that’s a business, you know? So, but that’s all about what? Finding the opportunity where there are people, they do need assistance with that. So it’s about you having the eye to see it and the willingness to invest.
Tanmay Shah (01:43:48.506)
I was all, I totally agree with you. And the internet and platforms like Fiverr, Upwork or Freelancer have made it so easy because we are expanding team at this podcast and it’s so nice to get people around the world for helping out in all the things, whatever things you need.
Stela Jaqueta (01:44:05.204)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:44:09.674)
What is the best advice you ever received?
Stela Jaqueta (01:44:17.313)
best advice I’ve ever received.
Stela Jaqueta (01:44:22.153)
Be consistent. It’s short and simple, but be consistent. Even when it doesn’t look like nothing is happening. And that for me was a lesson, especially when I started my podcast. And sometimes you’re like, you want to see something that my mentor told me. Like you are very much driven to wanting to see numbers first.
Tanmay Shah (01:44:32.472)
Mm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:44:49.305)
or wanting to get that viewership up, you know, we as podcasters, we attempted on that. But one thing she told me from the beginning is that focus on quality and focus on content. And that’s exactly what I did. So I wasn’t really caught up on the numbers. Up until today, I’m really not caught up, hard caught up on the numbers, but I’m hard on the content.
Tanmay Shah (01:45:11.305)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:45:17.365)
I’m hard on learning and adding value, because I believe that if you add value, then you will never run out of opportunities, I could say. Even for my podcast, I’ve managed to go to conferences to attend places that I wouldn’t otherwise be if it was not via the podcast, but because I continued. I pressed on even when it seemed like nothing was happening. So…
Tanmay Shah (01:45:33.666)
Mm-hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:45:46.669)
Being consistent is the best advice. The hardest thing, but the most rewarding thing to do.
Tanmay Shah (01:45:52.862)
Absolutely. And yeah, it has many benefits and many things compound. And like you said, you admire Elon Musk. He has also been very, very consistent with his core beliefs and thoughts. What is on your bucket list next?
Stela Jaqueta (01:46:07.986)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:46:14.442)
I really want to do skydiving. I think I should do skydiving but it I did I did um what you call that thing that does this no really that one it’s no yeah that one no I cannot I need to do skydiving first and see if I don’t die first then
Tanmay Shah (01:46:25.506)
bungee jumping with a rope with a rope on the legs
Stela Jaqueta (01:46:40.509)
And then I’ll do bungee jumping. I’m forgetting the name. I’m remembering Portuguese and now I’m just like… It’s that machine where you go like to and then you go up and down. You see it. Roller coaster! There you go. Yes, recently I’ve only done recently really roller coaster. I was like, oh my gosh, but I wanted more.
Tanmay Shah (01:46:48.954)
Express, explain it, explain it.
Tanmay Shah (01:46:55.851)
Rollercoaster.
Tanmay Shah (01:47:07.197)
haha
Stela Jaqueta (01:47:08.873)
It’s the adrenaline, right? That kicks in. And at that moment, and then you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m gonna die, but I didn’t die. So I think I should do skydiving. And then next step is bungee jumping. That’s if like, I really don’t love my life, but honestly, guys.
Tanmay Shah (01:47:24.146)
Imagine as you’re seeing I was just imagining you do a sky dive you jump from the plane You sky dive and then go deep sea dive like in one jump
Stela Jaqueta (01:47:36.009)
What? No way!
Tanmay Shah (01:47:41.28)
You can do both in Mozambique at the same time
Stela Jaqueta (01:47:42.869)
Imagine! My soul would leave my body. It would just leave my body. Imagine! Me directly to the sea and then swimming with… No! One thing at a time!
Tanmay Shah (01:47:56.673)
So you’ll have to be wearing those fins and goggles and have that medical oxygen tanks when you’re jumping to the skydive. So yeah, you disconnect the parachute and then go to swim with the fishes.
Stela Jaqueta (01:48:07.117)
I don’t…
Stela Jaqueta (01:48:12.057)
Yeah, that’s too much adventure for me. You know, I think you should do like one thing at a time. Like focus, if it’s skydiving, you focus on skydiving. If it’s sea diving, like you focus on that. You know, step, not combining things. And then when things go wrong, and then you jump into the sea with the sharks, they are, no, thank you.
Tanmay Shah (01:48:14.627)
Ha.
Tanmay Shah (01:48:19.767)
Haha
Okay.
Tanmay Shah (01:48:35.789)
what if you land on a shark so you’re gonna
Stela Jaqueta (01:48:38.585)
Imagine right into their mouths.
Tanmay Shah (01:48:43.478)
Now, you could land on their back also, then you’d become a shark rider or a whale rider. Ah, heh.
Stela Jaqueta (01:48:49.833)
Yeah, that’s so that’s you even know that that’s a hypothetical. That would never happen. They will eat you alive right there. You’re meat there. And then you what? You took your life just because you wanted to try something new.
Tanmay Shah (01:48:54.079)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:49:05.942)
It’s fun to think and contemplate. I guess the Red Bull guys should listen and these are ideas for them. You could try.
Stela Jaqueta (01:49:14.113)
These are ideas for the marketing campaign. We’ll have the ideas. We just need to run these ideas so that if they steal it, we know where to claim.
Tanmay Shah (01:49:25.824)
Exactly, we need to patent it.
Stela Jaqueta (01:49:29.197)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:49:29.63)
What gets you excited about the future?
Stela Jaqueta (01:49:34.709)
It’s the young people. And I think we are so innovative now that we are very smart and we’re getting smarter. Like each time we’re getting smarter and smarter. And that’s what really gets me excited to see young people standing up and doing what they really like to do it. Not because their mom.
Tanmay Shah (01:49:56.599)
Hmm.
Stela Jaqueta (01:49:57.837)
their dad told them to do that or to study that, but because it’s really what they love, being in arts, being in business, being in music, like they can do whatever they wanna do and they’re earning a lot of money by being themselves. So that’s why I’m excited.
Tanmay Shah (01:50:14.574)
How do you see yourself from 10-20 years?
Stela Jaqueta (01:50:19.013)
Oh, that question in 10, 20 years. I sit myself, I’m like, Stella, where do you…
Tanmay Shah (01:50:23.678)
Are you open to the option of not being in the supply chain or are you sure that you’re gonna be in the supply chain for the rest of your life?
Stela Jaqueta (01:50:33.293)
The way things are changing, hey, I can’t say that I’ll stay forever or if I will not. My wish is to stay. I love supply chain and I think there’s so many opportunities around it. But who am I to say what’s going to happen in the next 10 years? The way things are like we would imagine COVID, you know, and it changed all of our lives. So.
Tanmay Shah (01:50:54.578)
In supply chain, what do you find as fun? Like what is the best thing you enjoy at your job in supply chain?
Stela Jaqueta (01:51:05.165)
connecting with people. Because supply chain is also about people connecting with people from different places. You get to talk with suppliers, you get to talk with service providers, you get to meet people from different cultures, you get to interact with different teams from all over the place, from all over the globe. For me, one of the beautiful things about supply chain is collaborating with people from anywhere.
So that’s the fun part.
Tanmay Shah (01:51:37.546)
What do you like to do for fun? In general?
Stela Jaqueta (01:51:43.441)
I have a whole scenario in my head lately. What I’ve been lately. Like I have a whole scenario in my head lately, what I do, what I consider fun, because I don’t have a lot of these moments. That’s why I’m gonna say that this is my fun moment. I love Friday nights, just sitting in my bed with some packets of chips and watching a series. That.
Tanmay Shah (01:51:46.562)
Sorry?
Stela Jaqueta (01:52:12.561)
is heaven. That, that, because I don’t have those moments. Like weekends are so hectic. Like I’m working or I’m working on my business or I’m working on the podcast. Like I’m always doing something. There’s always a commitment during the week, events and meetings that I have to attend to. So it’s quite hectic and I don’t get to do that often. So for me just to stay at home.
Tanmay Shah (01:52:40.686)
chill and Netflix is the way.
Stela Jaqueta (01:52:41.817)
that corner like just like that’s it that’s happened that’s happened
Tanmay Shah (01:52:45.474)
Drop everything and relax. So in your weekly job, are you working for a company or are you providing consultancy? What is the work like?
Stela Jaqueta (01:52:57.757)
Yeah, I’m working as, I do have a day job. I work for an oil and gas company. And yeah, I’m part time also do podcasting. And I am also an editor for like CVs and optimization of LinkedIn. So, yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:53:18.678)
Ah, so that’s what you’re saying, the how to make money ideas. Oh, I get it. What? So give us some tips on optimizing LinkedIn. One tip.
Stela Jaqueta (01:53:31.941)
One thing that people forget is…
Stela Jaqueta (01:53:38.969)
Okay.
Stela Jaqueta (01:53:42.897)
not putting a picture of themselves. You think that’s standard? Yeah, they don’t put pictures of the, some of them, they don’t pick pictures of themselves. Like, how are we gonna discover? How will we know that it’s you, you know? Might be dodgy. I don’t accept people who don’t have pictures of themselves. Like when they send the connect. Exactly. So people, if you’re listening and you don’t have a picture,
Tanmay Shah (01:53:45.342)
not putting a picture of yourself.
Tanmay Shah (01:54:00.63)
How will you know if you’re human or AI?
Stela Jaqueta (01:54:10.941)
on your LinkedIn, please go put something.
Tanmay Shah (01:54:12.906)
What is the most strange? What is the strangest profile you found on LinkedIn?
Stela Jaqueta (01:54:19.905)
Hey, I’ve had to redo a whole LinkedIn, hey? Like from top to bottom. The person didn’t have any connection and like nothing. Like it’s as if the person, you know, when people create fake Instagram accounts to just follow other people or to stalk them. Yeah, I felt like that person had created their LinkedIn like that. Like there was nothing.
Tanmay Shah (01:54:43.931)
Oh.
Stela Jaqueta (01:54:46.869)
I had to do the whole thing, you know, from scratch.
Tanmay Shah (01:54:49.226)
You know what? For me the most strange and surprising profile on LinkedIn was when I was searching for Somalia. There were literally pirates there. Their profile has graduated from the pirate school of Somalia. Skills, hacking, kidnapping, extortion.
Stela Jaqueta (01:55:14.525)
You are lying. You are lying. No way!
Tanmay Shah (01:55:16.962)
Their photos with AK-47 on the… Yeah, you check it out, it’s so funny.
Stela Jaqueta (01:55:26.189)
I guess I haven’t found that.
Tanmay Shah (01:55:30.466)
Crazy. Okay, what is your favorite movie?
Stela Jaqueta (01:55:36.245)
I don’t have a favorite movie at all. I don’t have a favorite.
Tanmay Shah (01:55:37.754)
You like to binge you must be having something favorite.
Stela Jaqueta (01:55:42.653)
Like I binge once and I’m done. Like, for example, what I’m watching. Let me just say what I’m watching. I don’t usually watch movies. The last movie I watched was what? I think it was Fast and Furious. That was the last movie.
Tanmay Shah (01:55:56.226)
So you watch more of series. What do you watch when you’re chilling on Friday?
Stela Jaqueta (01:55:59.285)
Yeah, I’m very much of a see you. I love watching billions. I love watching the blacklist. I watch on the American series. I think it’s easier for me to find them as well.
Tanmay Shah (01:56:17.942)
What is, do you read? What is your favorite book?
Stela Jaqueta (01:56:22.509)
Currently I’m reading a book about supply chain leadership by Radu, Palamario and Nat Alik. It brings a lot, it brings different supply chain leaders from across the globe and talking about their supply chain experience, their supply chain leadership tips. So that’s a nice book that I’m reading at the moment.
Tanmay Shah (01:56:46.402)
Fantastic. Thank you so much for being our show guest today. It was so nice to learn about Mozambique and supply chain. And you’re such a jolly person. We had a good laugh today. Thank you for that. Any parting word for the audience?
Stela Jaqueta (01:56:58.26)
Yes.
Stela Jaqueta (01:57:05.644)
For me, the parting words is that life is too short and I know it’s cliche, but life is really too short for you to be not living your true potential, your true dreams. If you told me 10 years ago, I would be doing podcasting, I’m like, what is that even? But look at me now.
So never be, never think that you’re too young to do something or you’re too old to start something. If you want to do it, just do it and don’t think about what other people will say or they tell to you. So you live your own life, you are in your own lane, you are the pilot of your own life. So that’s my parting word.
Tanmay Shah (01:57:53.074)
Amazing, thank you. How was your experience today as a guest?
Stela Jaqueta (01:58:00.841)
time. I had a great time really. The questions I’m like none of them I knew it beforehand. So I was like I need to wing it. But it was a joyful experience. I really enjoyed myself. It was a challenge, like not a challenge but it was a good challenge for myself you know to think on the spot to say rather really I think you know not having a whole pre-rehearse rehearsed.
answer but really go with the flow so I really enjoyed it.
Tanmay Shah (01:58:36.238)
Thank you. Thank you so much for joining in. Best wishes to you. And your podcast is gonna be definitely the world’s best podcast on supply chain. So anybody of you watching who’s interested in supply chain or it comes up in a conversation with a friend, recommend them to Stella’s podcast, which is called Your African Supply Chain. Isn’t it? Let’s go.
Stela Jaqueta (01:58:48.493)
Thank you.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:02.005)
Yes, yourafricansupplychain.com
Tanmay Shah (01:59:04.466)
If you want the world to see it, you’ll have to change the name, you’ll have to make it global.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:11.301)
right like your global supply chain but just now i’m focusing on i want them to see africa in a different light yeah i want them i want the world to see africa in a different light so
Tanmay Shah (01:59:13.354)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:59:16.886)
You’re focusing on Africa? Then go ahead, do it, do it.
Tanmay Shah (01:59:25.054)
Absolutely, let’s go. Let’s go Africa, one nation. I wanted to say a point. I was seeing a reel on Instagram, that person, a politician was saying, all the European countries have this Europe and they have this free trade agreement and everything moves so easily and smoothly everywhere. But Europe wants Africa to have borders and restrictions among themselves.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:31.769)
this.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:47.871)
Yeah.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:52.386)
Yeah.
Tanmay Shah (01:59:53.622)
So he was like, we should unite.
Stela Jaqueta (01:59:55.141)
And that’s what we’re fighting against. That’s what we want to unite. If we get to do to be to have an agreement, just like the European Union. Yo, a lot.
Tanmay Shah (02:00:14.327)
Ta-da!