Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, on the southern coast of Côte d’Ivoire is the bustling hive of economic activity that is Abidjan. From the humble beginnings of a small fishing village, Abidjan grew to be a thriving city not least for being the terminus of the Abidjan-Niger Railway. Once the nation’s capital from Independence in 1960 to 1983, Abidjan, retained the status of both being the economic capital and largest city in Côte d’Ivoire. *Diomande Mamadou is unapologetically in love with shoes. His vocation in life as a cobbler is one, he wears with pride, aplomb and faith in the possibilities that exist on the continent for creativity.Ruth meets with Diomande at his shop on 71 Roeland Street in Cape Town. In a classic case of the climber going to the mountain, Diomande’s dedication to his craft means that he only steps away from the shop to eat. His vibrant energy is immediately evident and Ruth revels at his retelling of his life story from when he discovered he loved shoe making.Diomande Mamadou’s journey to Cape Town was not a direct route and that only makes it more intriguing. His street-smart nature in Lagos and Johannesburg, safely landed him in Cape Town. Having grown up in his beloved Abidjan, close to the ocean and bustling streets, he knew he wanted to be close to the ocean and in the CBD.The passionate dedication to growing his own shoe label initially took Diomande to the outskirts of Cape Town, to Langa. As the fates would have it, his mentor was already planning to leave South Africa and was willing to sell both his premises and the stock to Diomande. Through trial and error and research to establish where the best sources of leather and exotic skins such as crocodile, ostrich and snake could be found, Diomande not only refined his craftsmanship, but he also built a clientele. When he finally found a shop on Long Street, Cape Town’s famous longstanding vibey street, Diomande was ready to make his mark.Lady Luck was smiling broadly on Diomande Mamadou, and his Gladiator Sandal went from the shop window and onto the Silver Screen with hundreds of pairs in 10,000 BC. Now known to the film industry, requests for Bespoke Shoes from Hollywood notables Morgan Freeman and Leonardo Di Caprio and others opened the door to local celebrities, locally based discerning clients with word-of-mouth recommendations drawing in tourists and foreign based clients.Now in 2025, Diomande Mamadou is as driven as he was when he first fell in love with leather as a teenager. Comfortable measuring feet and stitching together beautiful skins, his vision to have a world-renowned shoe shop is not only undimmed, but also in play. His faith in Africa as a creative juggernaut in the near future is palpable in his conviction.Ruth comes away energised from the conversation, delighted to have captured this unique story on Wasafiri Africa. Once again, another conversation is enlivened with the possibilities that exist in Africa, and adds to the urgency to believe and take hold of the future.Twendeni. Africa is ready. About Diomande | Diomande Shoeshttps://diomandeshoes.com/about-diomande/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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