African Safari

The annual Marrakech Popular Arts Festival starts this weekend, it’s celebrating its 45th year. For a whole week, this already lively city will be filled with folk singers, dancers, fortune-tellers, acting troupes, snake charmers, fire-swallowers and more, from all over Morocco. Since 2000 the festival has also attracted many artists and entertainers from Europe and Asia. The main events take place in the ruins of the 16 century Badi Palace and the Djemma el-Fna (main town square). Not to be missed, outside the city walls at night, is the Fantasia. A horse-riding spectacle that includes hundreds of charging horsemen (and women) wearing traditional clothing.

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East African Wildlife (Bradt Travel Guide)The wildlife of east Africa is the major attraction for visitors to this region, with the legendary game reserves of Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. Th... Read More >

Two bombs were set off on Sunday night in Uganda‘s capital, Kampala. Normally a quiet city, the bombs went off unexpectedly and killed more than 20 people as well as injuring dozens more. The bombs were placed at the Kayadondo Rugby club, frequented by expatriates as well as a popular Ethiopian restaurant. Both spots were packed with people watching the World Cup final. The BBC reports that the Ugandan authorities believe the Somali militant group al-Shabab could be behind the attack.

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Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African SoldierWith the same disarmingly unguarded prose that won her critical acclaim for Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller tells of her un... Read More >

It’s almost over, the 2010 World Cup has been a big success and South Africa deserves all the praise for staging it so well. The last remaining Spanish and Dutch …

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I went gorilla tracking in Rwanda last month. It was exhilarating, exciting and just a little frightening. I’ll be posting more about the safari soon. In the meantime, check out a quick video I took. The black-back was not a happy chappy on the day we visited. So we tried to steer clear of him for the most part, difficult when the foliage is dense with stinging/burning nettles. As I had the camera on him, he turned around and thwacked me on the head with some bamboo. Let me know what you think by watching the video and then voting in the poll below.

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Dhow Chasing in Zanzibar Waters: And on the Eastern Coast of Africa. Narrative of Five Years' Experience in (Cass Library of African Studies: Travels and Narratives)A useful guide to the state of the slave trade in 1850 and how the trade increased from then until 1873 when up to three times the amount of slaves were being traded. First published in 1873.

A thrilling first half, Ghana’s Black Stars found their feet and scored seconds before the half-time whistle. It was an excellent goal by Sulley Muntari who was almost sent home …

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Peter Gostelow is cycling through the small West African nation of Guinea. He is making his way from London to Cape Town and I’ve been following his progress for several …

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Postcolonial Eyes: Intercontinental Travel in Francophone African Literature (Liverpool University Press - Contemporary French & Francophone Cultures)

Over the past two decades, scholarly interest in travel and travel writing has developed significantly. Critical engage... Read More >

This radio is made entirely from beer bottle caps, a locally brewed beer can, scrap metal, wire and a resurrected radio antenna. It works perfectly and it looks great. This is just one of the many recycled items I picked up from a  trip to South Africa. South African recycled arts and crafts are usually hand-made by people living in townships who earn their living from selling them. Each piece is unique. So when you buy these items you can be sure you’re supporting a local artist, helping the environment, and bringing some color into your own home. Personally I think these souvenirs beat a sculpture of an elephant any day.

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Dateline Soweto: Travels with Black South African ReportersDateline Soweto documents the working lives of black South African reporters caught between the mistrust of militant blacks, police harrassment,... Read More >

Ghana was the first African nation to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and have ended …

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A few weeks ago I had the thrill of gliding over herds of buffalo and wildebeest in Tanzania’s Western Serengeti. When your eyes are used to scanning the horizon for …

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Hwange: Retreat of the Elephants (South African Travel & Field Guides)Hwange is one of Africa's premier game reserves, the pride of Zimbabwe's tourism and conservation fraternity, in one of the world's last remaining wil... Read More >

Go wild! Go on a South Africa Safari!

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Hunting the Lions