The Bukasa family fled troubles in the Democratic Republic of Congo seven years ago, arriving in the New South Wales city of Wollongong on humanitarian visas.
Dad Hyeronime “Bouk” Tshindngi remembers thinking the coastline was beautiful and peaceful, but it was the food in the supermarket that surprised the family.
“It was a shock, we could get potatoes in the shop, but no potato leaves,” he said. “For us it was a bit hard.”
Bouk started planting traditional African vegetables in his backyard to provide his family of seven with familiar flavours as they settled into a new city and country.
They shared the produce with friends and neighbours, but demand for products like cassava leaves and bitter berries soon outgrew the patch, so he decided to lease an urban farm from Western Sydney Parklands.
“The first year, I ploughed the soil and I did not get anything, because I was thinking it was like in Africa … every day there is sun and rain, but here it is very hard,” he said.
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2020 threw another challenge his way, Bouk lost his job as a truck driver during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Bouk, Marie Paul and their two youngest sons Christian, 15, and Kevin, 18.
Lucy Murray
He redirected all his energy into the farm and the fruits of his labour are now evident – he’s grown enough to wholesale to six grocers.
“[The coronavirus pandemic] helped me to look after my land and it is getting better, much better,” he said.
“I have enough vegetable to supply now, it will be my first experience, but I know it is going to work. I am full-time here now.”
Bouk refers to this tractor as his “old lady” as she was built in 1965.
His teenage sons reluctantly agreed to help out on weekends, between basketball games.
“He’s always asking us to come and help and when he asks you can’t resist, because you know how hard it is to take care of this big farm by yourself,” said Kevin, 18.
A community hub
Bouk also sells direct to the community from the farm gate, which is the preferred option for many of his customers.
They come and sit for a while, reminiscing about their homelands.
Fatma Mansaray and sister Abie Kallay immigrated to Australia 20 years ago from Sierra Leone.
Customers Abie Kallay and Fatma Mansaray will use the potato leaves and cassava leaves they purchase in a meat stew with smoked fish and beef.
Lucy Murray
“It takes us back home, it reminds us of what we used to do. It is a blessing, this place in Australia gives us the opportunity to still remember back home,” Fatma said.
“It is really important the kids come and see how we interact. Everyone talks about their stories from back home, they way grew up, how we used to go to the farm and pick up stuff,” said Abie.
Abie Kallay prepares these two traditional Sierra Leone stews every Saturday for her family and leftovers usually last all week.
Lucy Murray
Popular plants like sour leaves, cassava leaves and potato leaves only grow in summer, so the plan for 2021 is to build greenhouses, so the family can grow produce all year round.
The hope is to provide migrant families with a connection to culture every day.
“This is an opportunity for us to be part of this multicultural country and to give what we have,” Bouk said.
