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ORAL HISTORY

Constant Ngouala

A native of Congo Brazzaville, in 1999 Constant Ngouala was pursuing a chemical engineering degree when civil war forced him to flee to neighboring Gabon. “That was not easy,” he says. “Many people suffered.” As a refugee the government forbid him from working and continuing his studies. Because of this, he turned to farming as a means of survival before applying for asylum through the American embassy. Then, in 2009 he boarded a plane for Houston. “When they told me I was going to Texas, I was happy because in my country we know that Texas is a place where there are many farmers,” he recalls. “For me, I said, ‘I will be a farmer one day in Texas.’”

Years later this dream has been realized. In addition to leasing his own vegetable farm in the suburb of Santa Fe and selling his produce at the Urban Harvest Market, he works as a master farmer with Plant it Forward by sharing his knowledge with newly arrived refugees. It’s important for him to do this as he knows from experience that orienting others has the power to benefit his adopted country as a whole. “America is a good place,” he says. “There is peace here… Refugees they come not to seek for money. They come for peace.”