Away from Africa

Ms. Ngurungunda pounding aromatic herbs Ever since I saw a video about Herero women and their distinctive way of dressing years ago, I had hoped to one day see them in real life. When I finally did, they were every bit as captivating as I imagined—but what struck me even more was how much I learned about the Herero people, their history, and the broader Bantu cultural heritage across Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the facts I learned was that the first genocide of the 20th century was committed against the Herero people. Germany had colonized Namibia in 1884, often using deceptive agreements. The Herero and Nama were pastoralist communities, but as more German settlers arrived, their land was systematically confiscated. In response, the Herero rebelled—and the consequences were devastating. Between 1904 and 1908, an estimated 80% of the Herero population  was killed.* Ombu Village, Namibia In May of this year, I visited the Ombu Herero Cultural Village in northern Namibia, located off ...

Aerial view of Douala Douala , Cameroon, has a long way to go before getting into a NY Times or AFAR must-see destination list. However, it is the gateway to the scenic Western portion of Cameroon. Douala is the commercial hub and the largest city of Cameroon (about 3 million inhabitants), albeit not the political capital, which is Yaounde. Unfortunately urban development went haywire, and it has become a very disheveled-looking city, with the exception of the administrative and diplomatic neighborhoods, formerly where the colonizers lived. The climate doesn't help, as it is very hot and humid. However, less than 10 kilometers out of the city, the scenery starts changing. Home on the road between Douala and West Cameroon On the road to the west, after the Wouri River bridge, post-colonial homes dot the roadside. By the time one reaches Melong, most people’s means of transportation is their feet. Many of these rural village dwellers work in small-scale agriculture. ...

An excellent panel discussion at the Columbia University African Economic Forum was about Tourism in Africa. Left to right: Kobina Brew-Hammond, Rumit Mehta,  Sthu Zungu, Edward Bergman In the news, we hear mainly of coups, famines, massacres and economic woes. These issues exist. However, the African continent is chock-full of fantastic scenery and exciting traditions, not to mention the beautiful handicrafts. Not only is travel from other continents to Africa rising, but increasingly Africans are traveling within their own continent rather than going to Europe or the United States. My first-hand experience is speaking with Cameroonians who shuttle back and forth from South Africa, which used to be on every Cameroonian's list of countries it was forbidden to visit (during Apartheid) just 20 years ago. The panel included: Edward Bergman , Africa Travel Association Rumit Mehta , Immersion Journeys Sthu Zungu , South African Tourism (America) Kobina Brew-Hammond ,...

With our cousin's mom, who is wearing  a traditional Duala Kaba. Finally I returned to Africa in January--not for good (yet), but at least I was finally able to go. I'll be writing several posts about the trip, which only lasted 2 weeks, but was full of food (lots of food to catch up!), travel, and meeting with old and new acquaintances. I'll also update older posts with additional photos. Here is a photo of our cousin's mom with me.