African scientists are leading the next wave of innovation and research on black skin and hair

For decades, the innovation and formal research on products for black skin and hair was limited on the global stage as beauty brands multinationals focused their research on caucasian skin with only slight modifications to products for potential customers with darker skin.

But in recent years, there has been a sharp rise in African beauty brands or African diaspora niche brands that have organically built a customer base providing products made for those with black skin and hair. With Africa’s beauty and personal care market estimated at $11 billion in 2017, the continent is being seen as a major growth frontier for majors including L’Oréal and Unilever pursuing increasing activity in the region.

In 2013, L’Oréal acquired the Kenyan company behind Nice & Lovely, a well-known mass-market skin and hair brand, for an estimated $17.6 million. The next year, L’Oréal bought Carol’s Daughter, a business that was started by Lisa Price in her Brooklyn, New York kitchen in 1993, but was valued at $27 million at the time of acquisition. A few years later in 2017, Liberian-born Richelieu Dennis, the founder of one of the best known black skin & hair brands, Shea Moisture, sold his New York-based company Sundial Brands to Unilever. At the time of sale his company was estimated at a whopping $240 million.

While acquisitions of brands serving black people in and outside of the continent is part of the growth strategy for global players, the other key pillar is research and innovation. This month, L’Oréal awarded three leading African scientists its African Hair & Skin Research grant award. The three research areas—post-acne hyperpigmentation in Dakar, the impact of air pollution on human skin in Nairobi and the prevalence and types of hair loss in Lagos are extremely relevant themes in deepening the understanding of unique challenges faced by black people when it comes to skin and hair.

Nairobi’s particulate matter is 70% above the maximum recommended level according to the WHO and this trend is seen in many developing cities. The issue of hyperpigmentation—the darkening of parts of the skin, mostly resulting from acne is a much more prevalent issue for dark skin types than for light skin. Hair loss in the form of traction alopecia, is considered one of the most common forms of hair loss in black people and results from hair being pulled too tight and too long. It can be caused by braids, wigs or weaves.

The need for increased innovation and research here can’t be overstated. Africa accounts for 25% of skin problems, but only 1% of global research output (across all fields.) Black hair and skin is indeed different in so many ways that there is little surprise that products from mainstream brands never fully catered well to black people’s needs.

Click here to read the full article on Quartz Africa.

The most unusual ways many African countries got their names

The concept of nation states in Africa is only a bit over a century old, arising after the 1884 Berlin Conference and the subsequent Scramble for Africa by European superpowers of the time. It is therefore not surprising that the names of most African countries are remnants of a colonial legacy.

Nearly every country on earth is named after after one of four things—a directional description of the country, a feature of the land,  a tribe name or an important person, most likely a man.  For the most part, Africa mirrors this trend with a few exceptions. The stories of how African countries got their names ranges from the more mundane, to the fantastical and sometimes even the mind-boggling.

Cameroon, a country that has the complicated legacy of first having been colonized by the Germans, then later partitioned by the French and British, was actually named by a Portuguese explorer in the 15th century. Coming across  the Wouri river, one of Cameroon’s largest rivers, he renamed it, Rio dos Camarões (shrimp river,) for the abundance of shrimp in it.  The name stuck and evolved to become the country name.

Another 15th century Portuguese explorer would find his way further West where either the mountains that looked like a lion’s teeth or the impressive roar of thunderstorms would lead him to name the place, Sierra Lyoa (lion mountains.) In time, the name would change to Sierra Leone.

Centuries later, another mountain would yield a country’s name in East Africa, when the British came upon an imposing snow-capped mountain that the Kikuyu people called Kirinyaga (Where God dwells.) As they struggled to pronounce, Kirinyaga, they called it Mt. Kenya – the country would be named after this mountain.

Click here to read the full article on Quartz Africa

Africa’s tourism industry is now the second fastest growing in the world

Some 67 million tourists visited Africa in 2018, representing a rise of 7% from a year earlier, making Africa the second-fastest growing region when it comes to tourism, after Asia Pacific.

African countries are now reaping the benefits from positive policy changes coupled with increased investments in the sector, that have made it a more attractive destination for tourists.

In Ethiopia, for example, relaxing visa restrictions while improving flight connectivity has seen Addis transformed into a regional transport  hub, even overtaking Dubai as the world’s gateway to Africa. This has resulted in Ethiopia becoming Africa’s fastest growing travel country, growing by 48.6% in 2018, according to  Jumia Africa Hospitality report,

Business visitors numbers in particular have received a boost from business-enabling reforms from some governments that have seen the potential in diversifying the sector. Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa have undertaken initiatives to position themselves as locations for conferences and exhibitions.

Click here to read the full article on Quartz Africa.

Kenyan politics is a boys’ game, but women are fighting hard for their rightful seat at the table

When footage circulated last week of a Kenyan lawmaker, Hon. Zuleikha Hassan, being kicked out of parliament for coming in with her baby, reactions across the country were mixed, but mostly muted. A home emergency left the Kwale county women’s representative with no one that she could leave her five-month old baby with.

It’s a conundrum that millions of nursing mothers face daily around the world—a choice between their jobs and taking care of their babies. Hon. Hassan took her baby, Mwanabaraka, with her to work as a bill was being discussed that she felt was important for her constituents.

In the video voices of some male politicians can be heard shouting, “You have to chase her!” Several female lawmakers and a few male ones appeared to come to Hassan’s defense, but eventually she and her baby were forced to leave parliament.

The act, which took place on the last day of world Breastfeeding Week, could not have been more timely. In 2013, Kenyan lawmakers had actually passed a bill requiring Parliament to put aside a room for breastfeeding mothers, but six years later this has not happened. In a parliament that is 76% male, such an oversight is not all that surprising.

To access full article on Quartz Africa, click here.

Who Are the Black-Painted Mandinga Warriors of São Vicente's Carnival?

Tens of thousands of people gather in early March every year in the island of Sao Vicente for Carnival. As one of Cape Verde's 10 islands, its major claim to fame is as the home of the legendary singer Cesaria Evora who was known as "The Barefoot Diva" and almost always performed with a bottle of Cognac on stage and a cigarette in her hand. Though it is now the second largest island in the country in terms of population and the unrivaled capital of culture in the country, it was mostly uninhabited until the mid to late 19th century.

One of the most breathtaking sights from the Sao Vicente Carnival is that of The Mandingas. While they are a common sight throughout the festival, the day fully dedicated to them is the final day of Carnival known as The Mandinga Funeral/Carnival Funeral. The carnival funeral is an occasion for people to honor their black ancestors while also mourning the end of the festival. Greased completely in oil and tar, donning sisal skirts and carrying spears, they are a sight to behold as they transform themselves into Mandinga warriors. Everyone follows them from the relatively poor neighborhood of Ribeira Bote as they carry two black coffins with some in the crowd donning similar attire. The crowd chants, sings and dances while the Mandingas call out, "Harrrrrrryaa!" The parade through the streets lasts all day culminating in the sunset burial of the coffins in the ocean. The crowd is worked into a frenzy as the drums beat louder and a sort of orgiastic, other-worldly energy takes hold of the crowd. Some people jump into the ocean following the coffins.

Throughout the carnival I was very curious about the Mandingas. While I had not witnessed anything disrespectful in their behavior when they were covered in tar and wearing their costumes, the only reference point I have for such attire is blackface. I needed to get to the bottom of it and understand the motivation behind their costumes. I also wondered, "Can it be blackface if you identify as being black or part black?" To seek answers I turned to the legendary Cape Verdean dancer and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of Mindelo, Antonio Tavares. In addition to all his accolades he is also an expert on the Mandinga history in the Sao Vicente Carnival. He asserts, "This is not blackface. We are a people who have been cut off from our African roots, suffering from an identity crisis. The Mandingas allow the youth of Sao Vicente to reclaim our African heritage and pay homage to this heritage." The battle cry from the Mandinga crew "Harrrrryaaa!" he has discovered from his research to be a mispronunciation from a song by the legendary mid-20th century Jamaican-American musician, Harry Belafonte. Antonio continues, "In his song, he is telling black people to "Hurry up!" as the revolution is coming."

Unlike some of the other Cape Verdean islands, Sao Vicente does not have a history of people being enslaved there given how late it was inhabited. However, as people came to Sao Vicente from other Cape Verdean islands, other African countries (of course in addition to people from parts of Europe,) the slavery legacy is still a part of people's history. The majority of Cape Verdeans and people in Sao Vicente identify either as being black or creole (mixed white and black).

To access the full article on Okayafrica, click here.

As measles spreads, should African countries issue health travel restrictions for Westerners?

The first headline of 2019 that really brought my attention to the anti-vax movement read: Measles returned to Costa Rica after five years by French family who had not had vaccinations. I thought the choice of words could have been stronger as the image it left me with was one of a homecoming event except what was being received was one of the world’s most contagious viral diseases that has no specific treatment.

Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, major measles epidemics occurred almost every two to three years resulting in 2.6 million deaths a year. I continued reading the article about the French boy who brought measles to Costa Rica searching for the part of the article that would mention the new travel alert that had been issued by the country against French citizens or at the very least a mention of tighter travel restrictions for his country people. I am sure that would have been mentioned had this unvaccinated boy come from Guinea, Kenya or India. The headline would also have been something more menacing, perhaps: The African boy who started the Costa Rica measles epidemic.

In an almost apologetic tone, the article continued, “It is unclear why the five-year-old French tourist had never received a measles jab.” I was impressed by the presumption of innocence for a family that had intentionally chosen not to vaccinate their child against a highly contagious, dangerous disease. There were also no mentions of the travel bans I was so eagerly waiting to see as someone whose relatively weak passport makes me relish the few moments when someone else’s passport privilege is checked.

To access the full article on Quartz, click here.

Carnival in Sao Vicente, Cape Verde

The streets of Mindelo in the island of Sao Vicente in the North of Cape Verde come alive for the first weeks of March every year for Carnival. Sao Vicente is one of 10 islands in Cape Verde, best known as the home of the legendary musician, Cesaria Evora.

The country’s second largest island in terms of population has gone from being a mostly uninhabited island until the mid to late 19th century to becoming a cultural powerhouse attracting thousands of visitors to the country each year.

Officially, carnival in Mindelo, Sao Vicente lasts a week, but locals will tell you Carnival fever begins as early as the end of the previous year. While Sao Vicente’s population is 80,000 people, the league which organized this year’s carnival (LIGOCSV) gave an unconfirmed estimate of as many as 50,000 additional visitors to the island for the carnival. This includes visitors from all the other nine islands in Cape Verde in addition to international visitors and press. The estimate is based on the fact that as early as end of December 2018, most hotels and other accommodation were fully booked. All flights to Sao Vicente were full.

This is the second year the Carnival in Sao Vicente has been organized by the league. It is all part of an ambitious plan to professionalize the carnival bring in more revenue for the country.

To access the full article on Quartz, click here.

First days in Lome!

First days in Lome! It was a great Dakar-Abidjan-Lome flight where I bumped into my amazing Ghanaian writer friend Ayesha Harruna Attah who lives in Popenguine....Please please get your copy of The Hundred Wells of Salaga. We got to sit together all the way to Abidjan, laugh, tell stories, video call her cute little baby and eat lots of chocolate at the Abidjan airport.She was on her way back home to Accra then to Lagos for Ake book festival.

I got into Lome at 9:30pm on Thursday night. Was a relatively quick process of getting my 7 day visa on arrival ($35) with option of extending for free if I go to immigration office..an option I pursued given I was crossing road borders into Ghana, Benin and back to Lome. For the millionth time in my travels, I had forgotten my yellow fever card. I had to pay for that. Immigration folks were so friendly..The guy who was writing my new yellow fever card for me asked me if anyone was meeting me at the airport and gave me his phone to call him....The guy who was helping me with the trolley also joyfully offered me his phone to call my friend. I let him know that I had already contacted him. Meeting my friend was great! We're actually quite close now though we've never met in person. We met on Instagram in mid 2017 and have been talking since. Our plans to link up before in ATL or NY (where he lives) never materialized, but we've constantly been in touch. He's Togolese-Congolese and left his banking job in NY to start up Wezon (a travel company looking to serve the African market by providing home rentals, car rentals, guides, tour packages etc.) We greeted each other like old friends. In short, talking to strangers sometimes, might just be the right thing to do....We met up with his amazing girlfriend, swung by his place to say hi to his dad and then me him, and his friend went out for a drink. In the morning we swung by a market Le Marche de Cacaveli to check out the shop of a friend of his (Adjoasika Na Mawu) who used to be a lawyer and left her job to focus on Made in Togo textiles plus some processed foods. Her stuff was lovely (of course i really really really needed another skirt:-)...plus I got to also try out artisanal Togolese chocolate - Chocotogo.. It was quite delicious.... On a side note, at the Abidjan airport, I had also tried out some artisanal Ivorian chocolate ..Mon Choco. I'm loving all these locally produced West African chocolate is also part of a collective of Togolese businesswomen focusing on locally made/sourced textiles, cosmetics and processed foods. They are part of the people whose stuff we will get to sample in Kpalime.

We then left the market to swing by the home in Lome where his dad grew up. Just before getting into the house, we were called across the street by a lady who runs a small food place..it was her daughter's birthday.... maybe 15th or so judging from her appearance and they were on day one of three of street partying. The family had made sandwiches and bought drinks (beers, sodas etc.) which they were inviting anyone passing by the area to partake. That's how we ended up in this street party....yep... such generosity I'm experiencing in Togo! There was a mini-twerk contest at the street party. Lots of great jams were playing including Togo's very own Toofan.

After that we checked out the home my friend's dad grew up in, swung by the beach for a drink and to watch the sunset. At 6pm, it was pitch dark. Can you believe the sun goes down that early in Lome. We went to a restaurant, picked up some food to go, went back to my friend's dad's place (where we were staying.) More food came into the mix. My friend set up a Togolese meal fit for a queen. I ate and ate and ate till I couldn't stand up. As I was passing out on the chair, he was explaining to me what everything was....White sweet ugali (ablo), plantains (amadam), yellow spicy ugali (djenkoume), full grllled tilapia in onions and tomatoes, yovo gboma (egusi), adokoin (fried oysters in a deep fried tomato sauce.. We were to go out partying after that...some place near the beach. Everyone decided to take a one hour nap, from which we woke up the next morning...Next stop…Off to Kpanime.... waterfalls and cooking fest.

Melania Trump's Africa visit

There isn’t much that distinguishes Melania Trump’s recent Africa type trip to the continent from previous ones of other Western celebrities or VVIPs. The right photo-ops have of course been taken—solemn photos in the shadows of Ghana’s slave castles, adorable moments with baby elephants in Nairobi, kissing African babies, and being pictured with as many African children as could be squeezed into such a quick trip.

We Africans have watched from the sidelines with mild amusement or a complete disinterest as we play along with the whole performance wondering what the purpose is.

The most newsworthy item of the whole trip though was the US first lady’s “colonial chic” safari outfit that she donned in Kenya (white shirt, jodhpurs, riding boots and of course the offensive pith helmet.) With not much by way of content to inspire the African and international media, some have focused on the ambivalence about her trip. Another key question among fellow Africans I’ve spoken with has been—what was the purpose of her trip? And who was the intended audience? No one seems to know. With little else to talk about, most of what has been written about her trip focuses on her fashion choices.

Perhaps though, this is a moment to focus on the complete irony of this trip in the light of what the Trump administration represents and does. Melania Trump visited quite a few countries that were definitely on her husband’s list of shithole countries. As she lays a wreath at the slave castle in Ghana promising never to forget the hardships of slaves who were shipped across the Atlantic, Trump continues to attack their descendants when they kneel during the national anthem during football games to protest against police brutality, particularly toward African Americans, and racial oppression.

As the first lady gets playfully bumped by baby elephants at the elephant orphanage in my hometown of Nairobi, one can’t help but contrast this with the president’s own sons (Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump’s) hunting trips to Africa where they get to bump off some wildlife. It also doesn’t help matters that the Trump administration recently lifted an Obama-era ban on elephant trophy imports from Zambia and Zimbabwe.

With her final stop in Egypt —one of the African countries with the highest Muslim populations, one cannot help but think of her husband’s Muslim ban.

As Mrs Trump kisses and hugs black and brown children, one contrasts this scene with that of the Trump Administration taking brown children from their families at the US borders.

To read the full article on Quartz, click here...

Why swimming in Lake Tanganyika, Burundi needs to be on your bucketlist

Taking a dip in the longest freshwater lake in the world can be both dangerous and thrilling. If you search “swimming in Lake Tanganyika,” one of the top results is about a 70-year-old man-eating crocodile named Gustav. But there is much more to Lake Tanganyika — which is 410 miles long and runs across Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Zambia — than hungry reptiles.

In the west of Burundi, in a remote and isolated town known as Rumonge, the shores next to the Blue Bay Resort are covered in white sand. The area is free, thankfully, of crocodiles and hippos. Lake Tanganyika is in the western branch of East Africa’s Rift Valley and is surrounded by mountains that make the views — both in and out of the deep water — spectacular. You might just forget that you are in a landlocked country. With fishermen in rowboats in the distance, it’s like time is standing still.

Jumping off the pier into the bluest, clearest (non-crocodile-infested) waters is a refreshing break from the heat. The water is the perfect temperature, rejuvenating but not too cold, and so clear you can see to the bottom of the lake without the sting of salt in your eyes. The water is very calm — no waves or tides. There are more than 350 fish species, 250 of which are rare cichlids, most of which can only be found in Lake Tanganyika.

Located an hour’s drive from the capital city, Bujumbura, this idyllic area is sheltered from the political instability that has dragged on since April 2015, when the country’s president, Pierre Nkurunziza, clung to power for a third term, defying the country’s constitution. Still, things have improved and tourists are returning. “This year, the political situation has been very calm, good for our business and we are getting back on our feet,” says Joseph Furaha, Blue Bay’s executive manager. By 2016, most international tourists had stopped visiting Burundi, but political and constitutional solutions are being sought and there has been a reduction in protests. Most foreign nationals still need to apply for visas before arriving in Bujumbura; check with authorities before planning a visit.

Check out my full article for Ozy here.

Vogue Africa?

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On a recent visit to Lagos for a fashion show, veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell called on leading global fashion magazine to start an Africa edition and it’s sparked a bit of debate in Africa’s fashion circles about whether the region really needs Vogue or if Vogue needs Africa. There’s also been some talk about Africa designers and followers doing more to support homegrown fashion publications.

One thing that people on all sides of the debate seem to agree on though is that fashion in Africa is a vibrant, diverse space that does not get enough recognition for how it has influenced global trends. Those who are for Vogue starting an Africa edition believe that it will give the continent’s fashion industry the global visibility it deserves to foster its growth.

Those who are apprehensive about the move fear that Vogue will represent African fashion in a way that only exoticizes and fetishizes African fashion but to the benefit of the West without any real benefits accruing to the cultures and designers who have been responsible for creating and growing Africa’s fashion legacy.

Either way, Vogue would be playing catch-up as African fashion is alive, well and constantly reinventing itself. All one needs to come to this conclusion is simply walk through the streets of Dakar, Addis, Lagos, Nairobi or Accra or “visit” them on Instagram. The appeal of the fashion publication that Anna Wintour revolutionized and the fact that Vogue UK now has a British-Ghanaian editor (Edward Enninful) who is keen to diversify the publication—and in fact masterminded the 2008 all black Vogue Italia top-selling edition—might still not be enough reason for us to believe that a Vogue for Africa is what we need.

Check out my full article for Quartz Africa here. 

The practical guide to traveling around Africa if you’re African

After I wrote an article early last year on the struggles of traveling in Africa on an African passport, I was overwhelmed by the reactions from other Africans who could relate to my experiences.

At the time I was in the process of planning a four-country Francophone West Africa road trip and only sheer wanderlust and love of my continent kept me pushing along to get the visas. Just around that same time, the African Development Bank (AFBD) released its inaugural Africa visa openness report that confirmed it was easier for North Americans and Europeans to travel in Africa than it was for Africans. I was not surprised.

There have been some positive changes in the past year. According to the second edition of the AFDB report, it has become easier within the past year for Africans to travel within the continent. At least a third of African countries have liberalized their visa policies in the past year and this trend is expected to continue. Most African countries have either gone up in the visa openness scores or remained at the same level as before.

Even as visa restrictions are reducing on the continent, there is much to be said about the actual process when one needs a visa.

Other good news is that what the naysayers said would happen with increased intra-African travel (increased crime, terrorism, influx.) has not come to pass. Seychelles—which is classified as a high-income country—has no visa requirements for any Africans and this has been in place for years.

Rwanda, another forerunner in visa openness, offering visa on arrival for almost all African countries, saw a 22% annual growth in African tourists from 2015-2016, but only considered 0.045% of all visitors as suspicious individuals. In 2015, a quarter of all tourists visiting Mauritius were African. Africans are traveling in Africa despite the challenges.

To read the full article, click here -> Quartz

Traveling on an African passport, the Motorola T190 life in the world of i-phones

I had spent close to a week in Bangladesh presenting and participating in the Dhaka Literature Festival in November 2015. After the trip I took a few days off to tour Singapore and Malaysia—both of which I fortunately did not require a visa in advance. My return flight to my hometown, Nairobi, would transit through Istanbul. There was an unavoidable 24-hour layover that the airline would compensate me for in the form of a five-star hotel room during my long wait. I got to Istanbul—exhausted and eager to get to my nice cozy hotel room, shower, and sleep off my jetlag before my long trip to Nairobi.

Airline officials assured me that all I needed to do was get my one-day transit visa for Turkey from a little machine. The first question on the screen read “Are you a citizen of the USA, UK, Germany, France… Chile, South Africa?”

I am a Kenyan citizen.

“Are you holding a valid visa for USA, UK, Germany… Chile, South Africa?”

Uhhmm. No. I am generally issued 10-day visas, two-week visas, one-month visas for certain countries if I am very lucky.

The next message on the screen read, “Unfortunately you are not eligible for a transit visa.” Just like that, I realized that my Turkey experience would be lived at the airport. I got back to the information counter sad at the realization that a valid Chilean visa was more readily accepted than my Kenyan passport.

I was led to a huge football stadium of a bedroom—filled with other black people, brown people, and some Arabs – those of us passport undesirables. I was shown my makeshift bed, given a pillow and a thin blanket. “You can stay here ’til your flight, tomorrow.”

It made me think of all the indignities I and so many other Africans suffer at the hands of immigration officials.

Full article available on Quartz. 

Highlights from Writivism festival in Uganda

As a new writer on the scene, I have been quite fortunate to attend a few literature festivals in the past years. Every time I hear of a new festival, my heart skips a beat as I wonder how to get myself invited. I cherish these opportunities to meet with like-minded individuals, expand one’s networks in the writing world and get to discover really amazing books that I might otherwise not have come across. Of course it goes without saying that also the opportunity to get signed copies of books from amazing authors I have only seen on TV or read about in magazines and newspapers is an obvious bonus to the whole experience.

While I still need to write lots more about my time at Writivism Uganda a few years back, here are some few highlights:

Room 124, Minister’s village: The Kenyan in me ended up having a room party the first night in Kampala – and most other nights. I recall looking around my tiny room at one point and seeing Mukoma wa Ngugi, Pa Ikhide, Renee Edwige Dro and Donald Molosi. I remember thinking how happy I was to be in such great company. What had started as a tiny room party with Moses Kilolo and Ndinda Kioko had morphed to become a party with great literary giants of the continent – all in my tiny room – 124.

Re-enactment of Jennifer Makumbi’s commonwealth prize winning short story “Let’s tell this story properly” by high school students: I get very flattered when someone quotes a line from my novel “Of goats and poisoned oranges.” I could only imagine what was going through Jennifer Makumbi’s mind as high school students got on stage at the Kampala national theater to dramatize her most famous short story. It was beautiful to see contemporary African literature being brought to life by high school students in the country of her birth – Uganda

Today it’s me – a Motswana playwright and director bringing to life the story of Ugandan musician and HIV/AIDS activist Philly Lutaaya: If someone told you that an actor and playwright from Botswana spent 4 years writing a play about a very beloved and tragic figure from Uganda, learnt to sing all his songs in Luganda, picked up a Ugandan accent, spent time with his family to fully understand the man that was Philly Lutaaya – what would you do? You would likely want to see this play. Watching an African honor another African from a different country in such a respectful manner, telling his story with an African voice was simply inspiring. Be warned though – when you plan to watch Donald Molosi’s play “Today it’s me,” carry lots of tissue with you.

Sessions under trees at Maeesha gardens and at Makerere university: While Maeesha gardens was extremely hard to find, having sessions on Afrofuturism under an open sky (Renee Edwige Dro, Rachel Zadok, Ikhide Ikheloa, Moses Kilolo), blogging masterclasses (James Murua, Nyana Kakoma). The sessions at Makerere held historical significance given this was the exact same venue where Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Bloke Modisane, Robert Serumaga and other greats attended the first conference of Anglophone African writers. Sitting in the same venues where these literary giants sat and having sessions such as “From the bedrooms of African Women” by Nana Darkoa, “What do oil resources mean to African writers” by Richard Ali, Writing an African historical novel by Jennifer Makumbi – was simply surreal.

A night of intense debates at 822 Terrace: I will always laugh when I recall this night. They switched off the lights and we never left. They stopped selling drinks and that did not chase us away. When writers talk, we talk and talk. Sometimes it gets heated, but as long as the group is respectful, everyone leaves as friends even if they don’t share the same opinion on various topics. 

Last days in Comoros

It was a Friday. We had lots of morning meetings then I came back to the hotel around midday as everyone went to the mosque for prayers. After lunch, I decided to go to the bank to change money. I was running out of local currency. There was a super long line at the bank. All of a sudden a guy came into the banking hall and spent half an hour or so yelling at another guy. We all just watched – no one came to pull him away or kick him out. A lady later whispered to me that it was an altercation between employer and employee. The employee had checked his account and had not yet been paid in full.

I got back to the hotel only to realize I had actually not changed enough money. I was off by a factor of 0. Oh boy! Who was going to go back to the bank? I went to the hotel reception to see if they could assist me. Quite coincidentally there was a gigantic guy sitting at the bar throwing back some whiskys (on a Friday afternoon – do you boo boo.) Spyros heard me asking the bartender about changing money at the hotel. Spyros turned out to be a half Greek – half Tanzanian clove trader who was more than happy to take my dollars and give me Comorian francs. I changed 400 USD with him and I was really impressed by how quick it all was – and what a fair deal he had given me.

The next morning we were leaving Ndzouani to head back to Grand Comores (Moroni). The airport was hectic. Everyone was rushing to us giving us packages to take to people in Ndzouani. Comoros kept on reminding me of what the world was when we all trusted each other. My gut instincts is – stranger at the airport giving me a package – wants to make me a drug mule. My travel companion though happily took everyone’s package. One of the packages was from an old man. It was an envelope containing his passport that needed to go to the Malagasy embassy in Ndzouani – and money. Just how trusting are people? I can never imagine giving someone my passport.

Today again we had the same female pilot from Malindi. Saturday was a work day for us in Comoros. I was struggling getting used to this system. By the end of Friday, my body generally crashes and I want to have “me” time for the weekend – not have stakeholder interviews. Our morning in Ndzouani started with Government meetings that took almost 3 hours.

Lost in translation. I remember on our drive to the Government meetings, our car was booming Eamon’s “F*** you” None of my travel companions was Anglophone – as such none of them seemed to realize what the lyrics were. I find it quite hilarious how curse words can only be fully appreciated by those who speak the language well.

After that my field work was officially done. I found a lovely hotel and had a 4 hour lunch – including a beer or two.

I left Moroni for Nairobi the next day. It had definitely been an interesting time in Comoros.

The school at the top of the mountain and other scholarly tales

Today was an early day. We were up and about by 7am distributing surveys. Surveying a third of the schools in a country (albeit a small one) is no mean feat. Something had been getting on my nerves for a while and I finally told my travel group about it. We would be driving with a plastic bag for trash. Whenever we would get on the main road, the local consultant would just chuck the trash out of the window. Juste comme ca. I HATE littering. How don’t people connect in their minds the link between their individual actions and a polluted environment. If you are reading this and you are the type who throw trash anywhere other than a dustbin – stop it! You are not being a good citizen on the world. The group was so surprised that I thought littering was a big deal. People – we can do better.

Anyhoo, one of the schools we visited today was on the top of a mountain. We drove up as far as we could then we had to get out of the car and walk up the rest of the distance. I died a thousand deaths – it was crazy hot, I was in a work suit and I HAAAATE elevation. I’m done with mountains. I’ve been done with mountains for a long time, but they are not yet done with me. I got to the top of the mountain huffing, puffing and sweating buckets. It was not a pretty sight. Thankfully I was in flats – I only wear heels for field visits when we have Government meetings in a known part of the capital city. Otherwise I assume there might be lots of unplanned walking.

Finally we got to the top of the mountain. The people there were an interesting mix. This mountain was on the side of Comoros closest to Madagascar. As such, some of the people there looked Malagasy.

On our way back down the mountain, we gave two people a lift.  It turned out they were going to try and make their way into Mayotte for medical treatment using a pirogue. Can you imagine what types of problems it creates having a little piece of Europe right next to you? One poorcountry next to another that has the same people but is much wealthier and has all the amenities of a Western nation.

The next series of schools for the day were an interesting mix. There was one very remote one – when I took a few pics and showed the kids, they ran away – believing it was magic. That is how remote this area was – the kids had never seen a digital camera. I stopped taking pics as it got disruptive.

We went to pick up surveys in 10 other schools we had delivered them to and not a single one had been filled. Sigh. We got to schools where the Director could barely converse in French – and the surveys had been in French. Schools where barefoot children would run in and out of the director’s house like it was their mother’s kitchen. I concluded that corporal punishment doesn’t happen in Comoros (a good thing.) You would have caught me dead in primary (or high school) just sauntering into the headmaster’s office like that. Hell would have frozen over and some serious caning would await you (especially in primary school. High school was mostly for hot slaps that left your ears ringing.)

You just might bucket in paradise....then eat yummy fish to make up for it

This was one long day that started in Moroni. I was ready to get to the hotel and sleep, but this was not the case. We got to the next school and there was a proper baraza here. Everyone was sitting outside under tents, dancers welcomed us, we were dressed in mushaino (glitter ribbons.) An announcement was made about the project we were working on. I was called to the podium and gave a 2 minute speech about our project – as best as I could without any preparation. Some prayers started and ended the meeting. Though I didn’t quite understand what was going on, I was able to understand a little more when people mixed French and Shikomori. For my benefit they called the English teacher at the school to the podium to give a speech in English. It was so unfortunate. His speech in English was worse than my speech in French – and he was the English teacher….An interesting thing I noted was that in Comoros most of the school directors were women. I remember looking it up later and realizing that though the island is still plagued by issues such as child marriages, girls not being educated as much as boys etc, in certain spheres of society there is more equality among the sexes than one would expect.

On our route home, we passed by the Ylang Ylang forest from my previous post. It was magical – even at that late hour and after a physically exhausting day. Driving through the mountains though was a bit scary as the roads are very narrow and full of turns – at each turn, the driver would hoot to alert other drivers that we were coming. I think the reason we didn’t see any accidents though was because in Moheli the number of cars I saw during that full trip would not fill a small mall’s parking lot. The island also does only have less than 50,000 people. 

We got to our hotel at 8:30pm and it was a wonder – not in your typical way. There was no internet. Gosh – I am clearly a millennial if that was my first complaint….The toilet did not flush. There was a bucket of water by the toilet to flush it. The showers had no water – there was another bucket of water for showering.

Dinner was amazing though - despite all the other challenges. I had fish and potatoes for dinner. After dinner, when we got to the doors of our rooms – the local consultant hugged me goodnight. It was very strange, but I chose to assume that this was a norm in Comoros. 

Little red riding hood in Comoros

The first and only time I ever flew business class, was to Comoros.  This was because on the day I needed to get to Comoros – all economy flight tickets were sold out. It was a 7am flight to Moroni via Mayotte. At that time I wondered, “Where on earth is Mayotte?” I was so upset when I discovered that Mayotte was in fact in Africa and was still a French territory. When we learnt about the Scramble for Africa and colonialization, why did they leave out the chapter about some African territories still being held by European countries? In Mayotte, obviously there was no getting out of the airport – as we were now in France (though still in Africa…) and I didn’t have a Schengen visa. Oh, I almost forgot – in business class – you get offered champagne – even at 7am – I could not resist:-)

The plane announcements were a bit different. The pilot mentioned we would be watching a certain movie – then proceeded to list the cast – Bette Midler….the director…I don’t remember. I got to Moroni and the weather was lovely. I got out of the airport and jumped into the first cab I saw. Ahmed, the driver was really friendly. He had spent some time in Nairobi and Zanzibar – he spoke perfect Kiswahili. We had a few minutes of small talk, then he jumped straight into the question many Comorians ask a few minutes after meeting you, “Are you married?” I am beginning to think the world-over, questions such as marital status, age, number of children etc. are the first things most people want to know about strangers, but we have been taught it’s impolite to ask such questions without knowing someone well. I say this because the more I travel, the more I realize that what “we” consider appropriate is not the same everywhere. I say “we” because even that needs to be questioned. Who am I talking about when I say we? Kenyans? Africans? Africans who have lived abroad? That’s the thing with culture – it is not static and there are so many sub-cultures even within what might be considered the dominant culture.

I needed to change cash. I told Ahmed about it – expecting we would go to an exchange bureau, but instead we ended up at an Indian owned supermarket – the owners changed money for me behind the counter. As we drove through Moroni, I kept on waiting to see the real city center – somewhere perhaps with many high rise buildings, supermarkets etc., but this did not quite happen at any point. 

I got to my hotel and the view from it was stunning. Comoros had such great natural beauty – I kept on wondering how it could be so stunning, but not be a tourist attraction. There is so much potential in Comoros as there is in many other struggling nations – if only certain major issues could be resolved. Around 2pm I was called from the reception to meet with my project team-mates. I was in very casual clothes – I  got down and the team instantly said we needed to go visit the client. I was a bit mortified as I didn’t have a chance to change into more formal clothes. I survived though – I think the client assumed I had just flown in. It was more of a courtesy call – rather than a real visit. I was able to converse in French enough to not look absolutely ridiculous, but I had an awkward moment when the client needed to give me a phone number. Has anyone ever been given a phone number in French? This is what this number will sound like.

731-96-74 = Seven hundred thirty and one. 4 times 20 and 16. Sixty plus fourteen….

In short, it is absolute rocket science. Someone starts reading out the numbers and you realize you just can’t keep up or understand. After various tries, I just humbled myself – gave them my notebook to write it in.

Also the client kept cracking jokes – I joined everyone in laughter – though I only understood a fraction of what he was saying. The challenges of languages you’re not perfect in.

After the meeting, I went back to the hotel. In Comoros, we had hired a local consultant to help me navigate the islands – I would be traveling around the country. Our project entailed surveying about a third of all the primary schools in the country. I was to cover the islands of Moheli and Ndzouani with the local consultant, while my Francophone colleague would cover the main island – Grand Comores/Moroni. Me and the local consultant were mostly conversing in a mix of French and Shikomoro (which has some similarities with Kiswahili – about 20% of the words are Kiswahili ones, though with some interesting variations. For example “Lala unono” means goodbye in Shikomori, but in Kiswahili it means sleep well. Fundi means repairman (carpenter, mechanic, plumber etc.) in Kiswahili but in Shikomori it means teacher. I am always fascinated by how language changes over time. I had noticed that the only other people staying at the hotel – were high ranking military officers from the African Union troops. I could tell they were all from different countries as I overhead conversations in Portuguese, French, English etc. in a variety of accents. I went to my room in the early evening, but my door wouldn’t open. One of the army generals passed close to my door and saw me struggling. Quite coincidentally he was Kenyan – General Githinji. He must have been in his mid 60s.  I thanked him and got in. A few hours later, my room phone rang. I was surprised – who was looking for me in the evening?

“Hello! Wanjiku. Ni General Githinji. Ndina kawine guakwa. Uka ukude kawine mum”/ “Hello Wanjiku. It is General Githinji. I have some wine in my room. Come have a sip.”

Funny thing was – I would actually have killed for some wine right around then. I had not realized how hard it would be to get alcohol in Comoros, but this little red riding hood – knew the big bad wolf was not luring her to his room for wine. I was not born yesterday.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m about to sleep. I have an early morning flight. Have a good night General Githinji/Big bad wolf trying to lure me with candy...."

The new musical trends taking over Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Africa

Dancefloors all over the continent are rocking to a new beat – unlike that of previous decades, this new sound is a homegrown one. Africans are increasingly listening to and dancing to African music. What makes this trend even more exciting are all the cross-country collaborations that are bringing musical genres and cultures to other countries. Whether it is Angolan zouk kizomba dance classes in Accra, Kenyan comedians speaking in Nigerian pidgin or Anglophone/Francophone collaborations, one thing is clear – our music is traversing borders in a way that our people might not yet be able to.

In Francophone Africa, there is no ignoring the power and influence of Ivorian Coupé-Décalé. A literal translation of Coupé-Décalé is “to cheat” and “run away.” Having originated in Parisian night clubs in the early 2000s, brought to the French capital by Ivorian DJs, the music initially celebrated Africans who were living the migrant dream, they had struggled as most migrants do and eventually make it -  many times through illegal means. The popularity of the music grew at the time of the first Ivorian Civil War (20002 – 2007) when a dispirited population needed to believe in the migrant dream – of escaping challenges back home and finding fame and fortune abroad.

Coupé-Décalé is extremely percussive featuring deep bass and repetitive minimalist arrangements. Vocals of most songs are usually about looking forward to a better future (e.g. Oudy 1er’s“Never give up”) about enjoying life despite its challenges (e.g. Molare’s “Sauvagement”, “Tu es fou elle est folle”), about an ideal pan-African existence (e.g. Serge Beynaud’s “okeninkpin” and “Kababléké”) and to a lesser extent about making money and living thegood life (e.g. Jodi’s “Beaucoup d’argent”, Dj Arafat’s “Gbinchin Pintin”) – this is in contrast to Nigerian afrobeats where the theme of making and “chopping” money seems to be more central to the theme of enjoying yourself, dancing, letting loose etc. In Ivorian Coupé-Décalé it is clear that dancing comes first, the popping of champagne bottles, the expensive cars and the fancy houses are merely a backdrop for the enjoyment.

When it comes to lyrics, Coupé-Décalé favors simple repetitive lyrics that match well to a dance. There is also an acceptance of a variety of voice types (almost mostly male)– from the raspy sounds of Dj Arafat and Debordo Leekunfa (“Shake your body”, “Apéritif yamoukidi") to the harmonious melodies of Serge Beynaud (“Talehi”, Mawa Naya” “C nous les boss”,) Shado Chris (“J'S8 Jahin Pret”) and Bebi Philip (“Move”, “Balaumba”, “On Va Piétiner”). Most Coupé-Décalé songs have a unique dance that quickly spreads throughout clubs in Abidjan and eventually to other cities. It is a typical sight to have hundreds of people all lined up in a club in Abidjan facing the mirror (as most people dance facing a giant mirror on the dancefloor) dancing for hours to a Coupé-Décalé set in perfect harmony. Coupé-Décalé is to be danced to and lyrics such as “Bougez/move”, “Levez les mains/raise your hands”, “Avancez, Reculez/ Move forward, Move back,” are quite common.  Though extremely quick dance music dominates the Coupé-Décalé scene, special mention must be given to artists who are challenging the status quo. Female musician Josey is managing to get continuous airplay with her slower catchy tunes mostly focusing on love and heartache (“On fait rien avec ca”, “Diplome”.) One thing is for sure – Coupé-Décalé will make you dance – whether you understand the lyrics or not.

From Lusophone Africa (Portuguese speaking countries) – Zouk Kizomba is working its way across African dancefloors and radio stations. Dominated by artists from Angola and Cape Verde, this sweet, seductive sound is winning converts, even if only a small fraction of the continent speaks Portuguese. Kizomba is the evolution of an Angolan dance genre from the 1950s – semba and its marriage with a Cape Verdean musical genre – Passada. Cape Verdean immigrants to France in the 1980s encountered Compas – a musical style from Dominica, French Antilles, Martinique and Guadeloupe. They incorporated its beats and rhythms to it and this musical genre got imported back to Cape Verde – not difficult to do for a country where more of its citizens live outside the country than inside it (Cape Verde.) The music spread through Portuguese speaking countries and when it made its way to Angola, it had the effect of slowing down the tempo of semba dances. Today this musical genre is famous in lusophone Africa and beyond and goes by various names including zouk kizomba, kizomba etc.

Stylistically kizomba has a slow, insistent, sensuous rhythm created via electronic percussion. It is danced accompanied by a partner, very smoothly, slowly and sensuously. There are frequent simultaneous hip rotations between dance partners, particularly in the quieter refrains of the music – and quiet refrains are quite common in kizomba. This is a dance for lovers. The main theme of zouk kizomba is love, longing and loss.

Contemporary kizomba musicians and songs to watch out for are: Cape Verdean, Netherlands based musician Nelson Freitas (“Rebound chick”, “Miúda Linda”, “Something good”, “Simple girl”), Angolan C4 Pedro (“Bo tem mel”, “African beauty”, “Spexta one”, “Robocop”), Congolese Kaysha’s kizomba remixes of US hits (“Diamonds”, “Drunk in love”, “All of me”), Cape Verdean, France based Jennifer Dias (“Sorry remix”, “I need you so”, “Viens danser”, “Reste avec moi” and “Femmes Fatales 5”.) You will definitely fall in love with kizomba and its enchanting beats and the angelic voices behind the music.

Last and definitely not least is music from Anglophone Africa. Nigerian afrobeats has taken over the continent resulting in several cross-country collaborations (J. Martins featuring Dj Arafat “Touchin Body”, Diamond featuring Davido, “Number one”, Diamond Platnumz Ft Mr Flavour “Nana”) and interesting remixes that cut across language barriers. Modern day Nigerian afrobeats clearly marks the country’s cultural dominance on the continent. First Nollywood, now the music – Nigeria is quickly determining what is considered as contemporary African culture. The influence of contemporary Nigerian music has gone even beyond African borders to the West. D-Banj’s “Oliver Twist” and “Fall in love” are as much at home in clubs in Lagos, Kampala and Durban as they are in London, Boston or Amsterdam. Davido & Meek-Mill’s (“Fans mi”), P-Square and Rick Ross’ (“Beautiful Onyinye”) – Afro-beats, hiphop collaborations are now becoming commonplace.

Nigerian afro-beats was initially typified by the presence of the talking drum, but electronic music is increasingly replacing traditional percussion instruments. Nigerian afrobeats is now best known by the use of some key elements – Nigerian pidgin, modern Ankara outfits (Tiwa Savage, Chindinma, Yemi Alade etc.) In terms of themes, the overarching one is wealth, fame and fortune (Davido ft. Olamide “The money”, P-Square ft. Don Jazzy “Collabo”). Sub-themes are (i) Religious gratitude for fame and fortune (Koredo Bello’s “Godwin”, Yemi Alade “Na gode” and Wizkid’s“Ojualegba”) (ii) Love mostly ending in a grand engagement or marital bliss, wealth, fame and fortune (a grand wedding with breathtaking views, Bentleys in the background, private jets landing, speedboats carrying champagne and dollars, foreign violinists is usually required for this.) e.g. Flavour Ft. Chidinma “Ololufe”, D’Banj’s “Fall in love”, Flavour “Ada ada”, Davido’s “Aye” and Tiwa Savage’s “My Darlin’.”

Of course there are some outlier songs and artists in the Nigerian afro-beats sphere, though the typical song that crosses the continent tends to follow the three main themes above. Credit has to be given to Nigerian afro-jazz/soul musician Omawumi for “If you ask me”, tackling the issue of incest and abuse. A song that will not soon be forgotten is Yemi Alade’s “Johnny” on dealing with serial philanderers. We cannot forget the strong neo-feminist stance of Tiwa Savage’s “Kele kele love” or the absolute dance-ability of Burna Boy’s “Yawa Dey” or Patoranking’s “Mywoman.”

No matter what one’s opinions are about the subject matter of the music, we do have to accept that it is an exciting thing indeed to see Africans embracing music by our own people, in our languages, telling our own stories. This is part of a larger cultural trend seeing Africans looking inside to reclaim what we might have lost. As the Sankofa bird symbol of the Akan tribe reminds us, “It is not taboo to go back to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”

Beyond the Africa Visa country openness index – what are the barriers to Africans traveling to other African countries?

The African Development Bank (AfDB) recently put out an Africa Visa Openness report – the first of its kind – assessing how easy it is for African travelers to visit other countries on the continent. For me, this report could not have been more timely.  I am a Kenyan citizen. At the time I was in Ivory Coast jumping over very many huddles as I tried to obtain the necessary visas that would take me on a road trip from Abidjan to Bobo and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, to Lome in Togo, to Cotonou and Ouidah in Benin and finally get me back to Abidjan in good time to catch my flight back to Nairobi. I cannot fully explain the incredulous looks on the visa officers’ faces when I said I was not visiting friends or family in those countries but simply traveling as a tourist. “Then you need to show us confirmed hotel bookings if you cannot provide all these documentation from your host.” At this point I should mention that not only was my non-existent “host” in those countries required to send me an invitation letter, proof of their residency in the country, but these documents had to be signed and stamped by a high ranking police officer based in their home area. I wondered, “Hotel bookings? I am traveling by bus, how could I possibly know what exact dates I will get to these cities, how long I will stay etc.” I definitely did not mention I was planning to couchsurf in the different cities. I quickly learned that as an African traveler that there is no room for spontaneity – when traveling you need to have every single aspect of your trip planned.

I have traveled to 42 countries worldwide, 16 of them in Africa. I can claim to be an unofficial expert on visa affairs. What surprises me the most is that having made my peace that I will almost always be treated with a certain level of suspicion when traveling outside the continent, especially when I claim to be traveling simply for wanderlust – not as an economic migrant or a refugee, and not helping my cause in any way by being a single African woman – a segment I have increasingly began to understand is considered a flight risk, I thought my travel experiences on the continent would be easier. I was ready for my continent to embrace me with open arms and tell me “We trust each other, even if the world doesn’t trust us.” I hate to admit it, but actually traveling within the African continent as an African is not any easier. Even the African Development Bank agrees, stating “North Americans have easier travel access to the continent than African themselves. North Americans require a visa to travel to 45% of African countries, can get visas on arrival in 35% of African countries and don’t need a visa in 20% of African countries. Africans on the other hand need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries, can get visas on arrival in 25% of other countries and don’t need a visa to travel to 20% of other countries.”

While the requirement of having a visa and all the documentation that needs to be provided is highly restrictive, I chose to focus on additional factors that would make a middle class African more willing to go to Dubai, London or Paris on vacation rather than immediately thinking of going to another African country. This is a great loss to the continent as it means collectively we are not yet benefitting from the “Africa rising” rhetoric if huge proportions of tourist spending is not used within the continent.

Cost of visas – From my experience traveling, costs of visas to some African countries are unbelievably high. A one month multiple entry visa to Ivory Coast is $125 for a Kenyan. My visas to Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin ranged between $65 - $120 each for one month visas (single entry in some cases.)

Duration of visas – Most African countries are still only willing to give one month single entry visas to other African visitors (with a multiple entry visa for that same time-frame almost being twice as expensive.) Given all the hurdles one has to cross to obtain some of these African visas, the least that can be expected is not to have to go through the same process every time someone travels to the same country again.

Ambiguity of visa processes – Google any telephone number for an African country you know little about, but would really love to travel to. It is highly likely you will not find contact details for their embassy in your country (perhaps they do not have an embassy in your country.) If they do have an embassy in your country, it is very likely their website was last updated before the new millennium. Try calling the number on the website and it will likely not go through or you will get a message that the number no longer exists. Send an email to the general email address on the site and it will likely bounce back. You will have to go in person and even then you might arrive and have the guard tell you they only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am – 2pm. Eventually you might give up and decide to travel elsewhere.

Inflexible bureaucracy – Many times the consulates have a check-list that they will not make any compromises on. When applying for my Beninois visa at the consulate in Abidjan, they needed my airline ticket. I told them I would be traveling by bus and they asked for my bus ticket. When I mentioned that would be the 5th or 6th long distance bus of my trip – and as such I did not yet have it and would have to book it along the way, they insisted I purchase my first bus ticket (Abidjan to Bobo in Burkina Faso) and bring it to them before they could process my application. How does me having a bus ticket from Ivory Coast to Burkina Faso, prove I won’t disappear in Benin? I’m not quite sure, but they somehow think it does.

The remaining set of factors, I describe as the chicken and egg factors. Perhaps they are the way they are because there is not enough intra-African traffic moving between the countries, or perhaps there is minimal intra-african traffic because of these factors.

Flight costs – It is sometimes said as a joke, but at any given point it is much cheaper (50-70% cheaper) to fly to Europe, the UAE and sometimes North America than it is to fly within the African continent. A quick internet search for flights, and you will find return flights at over $1000 from Nairobi to Maputo, over $1200 for Nairobi to Dakar, Nairobi to Zanzibar $300. A similar search for flights and you will find return tickets from Nairobi to Dubai for $350, Nairobi to London - $600 and Dakar to Paris - $600. Coupled with the visa challenges, it is easy to see how even well-traveled Africans might just not be well-traveled on the continent. Traveling round our own continent is a labor of love.

Shortage of tourist facilities – While tourist facilities are really well developed in some African countries, the reality is that in others they are severely lagging behind. It is not surprising given some of these countries have not historically been seen as tourist attractions and have rarely been visited by tourists. In many cases the main interactions such countries have had with foreigners is with aid workers, NGO employees etc. As such a tourism industry has not developed – facilities will be poor and overpriced in many cases. If it was however easier for people (including Africans) to travel to such countries, one can envision a scenario where an entrepreneur would then put in the necessary facilities to attract tourists. Even if one is trying to travel cheaply and stay in hostels, you quickly realize that “hostel” in Africa is rarely synonymous with hostels in other regions that have a backpacking culture – Europe, South America and Asia. It is noteworthy though that even in the most challenged of African countries, there is likely natural beauty, history and culture around which a tourism industry could be developed. A few years back I spent a few weeks in the Comoros Islands. I was equally amazed by how beautiful the country was, how unique the culture was but also dismayed that this country that could likely be compared to Seychelles in natural beauty, is one of the poorest in the world.

So what are the solutions? The African Development Bank report states them well: (i) Visa on arrival for Africans – Progress is being made in some countries e.g. from last year Kenyans are able to get a visa on arrival in Lagos for $25. (ii) Visa free regional blocs – Those largely exist in SSA in West Africa (ECOWAS), East Africa (EAC) and Southern Africa (SADC). The next step after this is moving to reciprocity for regional blocs – essentially if all one needs is a single visa to enter ECOWAS region even if from a different region e.g. EAC or SADC, this would greatly improve the current system. If another African travels to East Africa shouldn’t they be able to go the Maasai Mara in Kenya, visit the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania, attend a gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda and swim in Lake Tanganyika in Burundi all on the same visa? The Schengen visa is a model we can build upon – thinking as a region rather than as a country. (iii) Multi-year visas – 5-10 year visas requiring the candidate to leave every 6 months or so would go a long way in encouraging repeat trips. Even at a substantial cost, many would be willing to forego all the hassle of applying for visas to the same countries every few months. (iv)Promoting positive reciprocity and opening up on visas unilaterally – Several African countries have already taken this up and we should see it happen on a larger scale. Seychelles offers visa free travel to all African citizens. Senegal recently got rid of visa requirements for most nationalities. Rwanda is one of the two most visa open countries in Africa (second to Mauritius). The effects have been positive with increased trade, tourism and investment in the past few years. GDP growth increased to 7% in 2014 and tourism revenues rose by 4% to USD 305 million. In 2013, the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that Kenya would eliminate visas for African states on a reciprocal basis and there has been progress on this. (v) Simplifying visa processes and (vi) Improving access to information online and in different languages.

The continent needs to capitalize on ways to increase intra-african travel with the aim of fostering unity and understanding and increasing trade and investment. On the demand side, there is no shortage of Africans who would love to see our continent with our own eyes. 

 First published on Suluzulu, republished by Quartz and World Economic Forum