This week's entrepreneur of color spoke with Amplify’s Tamora Isreal.

Meet Amadou Kane, an entrepreneur and humanitarian who has built a successful and thriving business from the ground up that has been in operation for over 20 years. Butu International, located in the Cape Cod mall near the movie theater entrance, is an African art store that sells handmade jewelry, African statues and masks, African clothing, musical instruments, hand weaved baskets, natural products, and other accessories. “We offer African products, lots of handmade products. Most of them are from West Africa.” Butu International opened and flourished in Brockton and recently expanded to Cape Cod in late 2020.

Amadou Kane was born in Senegal, Africa and immigrated to the United States in 1991 to build a better life for himself and his family. After five years of hard work at odd jobs Amadou saved up enough money to bring his family to the United States; his wife, children, mother, brother, and sister. In 2002 the family built Butu International in their basement. Mr. Kane’s vision has created generational wealth for his family. His cultural exchange practices have built a lasting business model that expands from Senegal, Africa to right here on Cape Cod.

Amplify: What does Butu International offer?

Amadou Kane: We offer African products, lots of handmade products. Most of them are from West Africa. We do clothing, we do musical instruments, basket weaving and that's what we're doing.

Amplify: What inspired you to get into this business?

Amadou Kane: I'm originally from West Africa. This is our culture, definitely, this is what we do.

Amplify: When did you start your business?

Amadou Kane: In Hyannis? Last Christmas, 2020.

Amplify: How often do you go back home to Senegal?

Amadou Kane: I go once a year but since the Covid, I haven't gone back since 2019. The money we are making over here, we're helping people over there. I think my daughter (Hawa) showed you the pictures when she was there last in 2019. We furnished schools, we're building markets, we're helping villages, and that's what we do.

Amplify: Did you encounter any obstacles when starting your business?

Amadou Kane: Yeah, it's always hard, any kind of business to start is more difficult. It's like anything else. Financially we had a problem when starting it, we didn't have any resources when we started it. I started with a job working at night and building the business (Butu International) in the basement. We don't have a lot of resources but we have to grow with the business day by day, every day. And that's how we get ready. We dealt with obstacles and now we move forward.

Amplify: Have the recent events and the country's financial climate affected your business?

Amadou Kane: Yeah, it's affected, everybody. My personal business, family, everything. You know, Covid affected everything. I'm not the only one but we have to deal with it. With the Covid, there's no festival, no fair. Usually, that's the main thing we do. We go outside and meet people. That's always the good thing about the business but with the Covid everything was shut down. What we have to do is to get to the mall and keep going.

Amplify: Where do you see your business in five years?

Amadou Kane: We're trying to promote African culture which a lot of people don't know about. We've been in business for a long time. It’s not easy with the resources we have right now. In five years? We are on the Cape right now. If they have another opening to go to another mall, I would do it. The bottom line is to show our culture. For people to know what we have and what Africa is all about.

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Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ButuInternational
E-mail amaduks64@gmail.com