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APPEAR IN OUR “FACES OF AFRICA” ... THE WHO’S WHO OF AFRICA TRAVEL, TRADE AND TOURISM - http://www.africa-ata.org/faces1.htm. WESTERN Region  Africa Travel Magazine What they say about “To Timbuktu for a Haircut,” The Road to Timbuktu, the Forbidden City... by Rick Antonson Historically rich, remote, and once unimag- inably dangerous for foreign travellers, The Africa Travel and Nature Library features selected chapters from Timbuktu still teases with “Find me if you the book “To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey through West Africa,” by can.” Rick Antonson, an internationally re- Author Rick Antonson of Vancouver, Canada. The book is available from spected tourism executive, coaxes the reader www.amazon.ca and www.chapters.indigo.ca with charm and knowledge into joining his personal quest in West Africa. His encoun- These choice book selections will appear in Western Africa and Global ters with entertaining train companions Ebou and Ussegnou, Venues Editions of Africa Travel Magazine, first as digital issues and a mysterious cook called Nema, and intrepid guide Zak, all later in print. To celebrate this innovative project, escorted West African make you want to pack up and leave for Timbuktu tomorrow. tours inspired by Rick Antonson’s book will begin prior to and follow- As Antonson travels in Senegal and Mali by train, four-wheel ing the Africa Travel Association’s 35th Annual Congress in Banjul, The drive, river pinasse, camel, and foot, he tells of fourteenth- Gambia. Hosted by ATA member and popular tour operator Mariama century legends, nineteenth-century explorers, and today’s Ludovic de Lys of Bamako, the tours are described in this issue and endangered existence of Timbuktu’s 700,000 ancient manu- detailed on Africa Travel Magazine’s Website - www.africa-ata.org/wa_ scripts in what scholars have described as the most important tours.htm archaeological discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Think Eric Newby’s A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush or Red- mond O’Hanlon’s Into the Heart of Borneo and you begin to see what kind of writer Rick Antonson is. To Timbuktu for a Haircut combines wry humour with shrewd observation to deliver an armchair experience that will linger in the mind long after the last page is read.

Over the centuries, ignorance has impeded the preservation of the 700,000 Timbuktu manuscripts. A continued lack of awareness facilitates their slow disappearance — the loss of history’s book one page at a time. Without these paper trea- sures we will know immeasurably less about a glorious time for Africa some six hundred years ago.

Literally, it is a race against time to save these irreplace- able riches, which in this book are described as “Islamic pamphlets covered with sand … scholarly pages a phase away from dust.” A portion of the author’s royalties from “The remarkable comination of Rick Antonson exploring the ancient To Timbuktu for a Haircut will be donated to the Timbuktu mysteries of Timbuktu, matched with the rich culture of Mali that he cap- Educational Foundation to assist its Preserve-a-Manuscript tures so well makes a page-turner from start to finish. Rick’s underlying Campaign, which can be found at www.timbuktufounda- tion.org. Additional information on preserving the Timbuktu story confirms my own experience in that amazing land.” manuscripts is available from Libraries of Timbuktu at www. Jerry W. Bird, Editor, Africa Travel Magazine sum.uio.no/timbuktu.

 Africa Travel Magazine TO TIMBUKTU FOR A HAIRCUT: A Journey through West Africa

The Forbidden City Unesco World Heritage Site It surprised me how reachable Timbuktu was. I’d Tagged with labels such as “The Town of 333 been willing to put up with sporadic travel and de- Saints,” Timbuktu no longer receives accolades. lays, to accept cramped and stuffy spaces, to be hot to Those who call it home do not share the foreign- the point of suffocation, to adjust to communication er’s fascination. The city’s mystique is powerful gaffes, to accept “price surprises,” and even to eat only until you arrive. I’d like to pretend it’s dif- sand. None of this was easy for anyone. Nevertheless, ferent, but it isn’t. “the Forbidden City” was, after all, accessible.” Nothing prepares the naive visitor for the ab- I had taken a day — one day only — in the middle of sence of intrigue quite like the question Malians my life and set it aside for Timbuktu. This was that consistently ask when they find out that one is day and its evening and the night. travelling to Timbuktu: “Why?” The Bouctou Hotel, low and unassuming as a sand UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites grew dune, seemed to attract litter into piles wherever people sat or in 1988 with the designation of Timbuktu and the specific squatted. An irascible Mohammed, determined to remain aloof inclusion of its three mosques, of which the Djinguereber from the scattered groups around him, leaned alone against a Mosque, built in 1325, is the most prominent. Its reputation tree, where my Land Cruiser stopped just short of his scowl. rests on its history and its current state of disrepair, as well as “Rick!” he shouted at my open window, commanding the scene for its periodic acceptance of visitors. The Sankoré Mosque, and muting the hubbub of conversation. I shoved the vehicle’s part of a school, attended by 25,000 university students at its door open and swung my feet to the ground. I was a titch taller peak in the sixteenth century, is also notable. Its colonnades than him; his eyes were darker. He held the advantage. “The and courtyard were rebuilt in 1582, though it was first con- boat must leave today at three,” he smiled. structed a century earlier, and the mosque is cited as “unique “Nope.” I said this quickly, and noticed earthen architecture.” The Sidi Yahia Mosque, that the bystanders gasped that someone which takes its name from one of Timbuktu’s would dare disagree with this forceful saints, is in the best condition of the three, Arab. The air quickened. but non-Muslims are denied entry. All three “It would be good,” he continued with mosques, however, are crumbling away. In self-serving self-assurance. “You have Timbuktu, the restoration of monuments is lots of time in Timbuktu. Then the a continuous process, and the drift of earth pinasse can leave.” among them relentless. Timbuktu, once the In the ensuing silence, he knew that I “Pearl of Africa,” also has the dubious dis- knew that this change was necessary to tinction of being on the United Nations’ List make a related itinerary work for him. of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The River Niger could wait. I said noth- Surviving there to this day are homes of the ing. People looked away. Zak scraped three earliest European explorers to reach the sand with the heel of his sandal. the fabled city and live among its inhabit- Then, all eyes turned toward Moham- ants. Each feared for his personal safety and med. Finally. “Rick?” It was sharp, the was eager to return to Europe and relate his way he flung it.“It’s not going to hap- achievements. In the nearly two hundred pen, Mohammed.” I breathed for the years since then, the mud houses of Laing, crowd. “The boat leaves tomorrow.” Caillié, and Barth have been, as they were  Africa Travel Magazine before the arrival of their local guide, if only to rid also encouraged broader belief in the tenets of Islam, and building librar- historic guests, shelter for oneself of pestering young- ies and universities known as madrasas, most of them no longer in exis- residents of Timbuktu. sters. I asked Zak to come tence. And they remain intact, with me that morning. We A Rare Opportunity despite the desert’s con- walked away from the Non-Muslims are generally not invited into mosques, so when the oppor- tinued attempts to erode Bouctou Hotel’s drabness tunity arose to enter this one, we took it. The caretaker waited inside the them. to a wider dirt road and house of prayer, his mood as solemn as the dusty light. Scuffed by history, Mali along its rim into the old Quiet. The caretaker gestured to me to shed my leather thongs. Streams benignly accepts its di- city, a district neglected by of sunlight were the only other intruders as he showed Zak and me along minished status. The Ma- charm. the passage where prayers were uttered. He indicated privacy hollows, lian Empire is no more, and the country vies with Famous Landmarks fortified by wood and carved mud, where worshippers made penance. Bangladesh as the world’s poorest nation. De- The Djinguereber Mosque We entered three inner courts. Rows of pillars, twenty-five in all, stood in sertification is Timbuktu’s greatest threat; Mali’s was an exceptional find, an east-to-west alignment. Zak whispered the translation as we walked. nemesis, the Sahara — with 7 million square kilo- though it does not loom “Islam too has pillars. Five. Primary belief, ‘Is no god but Allah,’ and metres of sand — assaults every man-made struc- physically as it does his- Mohammed his prophet.” ture. The Sahara gave birth to Timbuktu. Now its torically. To imagine that “Second, Muslims face Mecca and pray. Must at daybreak, noon, mid-af- sands are trying to bury it with a persistence more it had once been a centre ternoon, sunset. Again nightfall.” treacherous than the heat’s. of learning, filled with “And they give alms,” I added, happy to contribute. Priceless Timbuktu Manuscripts fervent adherents and Walking within the mosque, with no one else about, the austere expanse Endangered, too, are the rarest of writings — piec- peopled night and day with made it seem less a place of worship and more a magic hall where, when es of history-on-paper that form one of the world’s scholars as well as those I stopped and let Zak drift on, I could imagine a throng of prayer-makers, great treasures — the Timbuktu manuscripts. in prayer, paints a picture hear the shout of calm from the Imam and, in my own way, feel com- Many crumble at the touch of a well-meaning of a vast house of worship. pelled to kneel and give thanks. hand; others wither simply because of their expo- But we found it was not “Another, Ramadan,” Zak said, no longer repeating the caretaker’s sure to air. Without them, we will know immea- much over twice the height words, and only then noticing me pondering prayer behind him. But I’d surably less about a glorious time for Africa, some of the other buildings in heard, and nodded, so he continued. “Commemorates first revelation to six hundred years ago. The manuscripts provide a the neighbourhood of the Mohammed. Muslims fast. One month. Dawn to dusk.” portrait of life, of religion and science, of law and Place de l’Indépendence, “And Mecca,” I added, to complete the fifth pillar of their faith. architecture, and of a society that thrived like none off the Boulevard Askia “Yes,” Zak said. “Every Muslim. Pilgrimage. If they afford. If healthy.” other at that time. Before leaving on my journey, Mohammed, and that it had Religion has long been a travel motivator: the seeing of sites, the paying while researching Timbuktu’s fourteenth-century a modest entrance. Centu- of tributes, homage given to deities or a pilgrimage. Faith led to travel as history and its extensive libraries, I was disheart- ries earlier, Leo Africanus surely as a current carries water. If you are fortunate, you travel with two ened to read about thousands of ancient manu- wrote, “There is a most script pages that today lay tattered and unattended stately temple to be seen.” in mud homes and deserted buildings. Images of In those days it must have ancient books and furled pages falling apart for been more impactful on its lack of care provided a powerful incentive for vis- surroundings. iting Timbuktu. My newly gained awareness of their existence, and their Caillié had noted another reality in his journal: “I visited the great peril, infused my journey with a worthy purpose: to find the manuscripts mosque on the west side of town. The walls are in bad repair, their facing and find a way to help with their preservation. being damaged by rain. Several buttresses are raised against the walls to Old Timbuktu support them. I ascended the tower, though its staircase is almost demol- Once known as “The Eyes of the Desert,” old Timbuktu was quite the ished.” Since 1325, when the poet and architect Es Saheli created this sight. In 1933, William Seabrook wrote, “It is, I believe, the only city in unique design, Timbuktu’s most important mosque has needed constant the whole wide world which has none of the banal blessings, or curses, of reworking and repair. Wooden support beams poke through its slanting what we choose to call ‘white civilization.’”Old Timbuktu, the inner part walls, acting as stabilizers for the wall and for mudding crews. Though of the city, was innocuous and compact, its walkways the now-trampled Mansa Musa directed its construction upon his return from Mecca, it was swells of desert. Few markings or signs designated its streets or paths. Saheli, brought from Egypt, who created the striking pyramid base that Travellers and travel books said it would be wise for a visitor to hire a now defines Timbuktu, Djenné, and Mali generally in photographs. Musa  Africa Travel Magazine religions: your own and that of your host, from Laing’s house. Two, Caillié’s home. Three, Barth’s place. They say it’s whom you learn. Many people travel to learn the a museum.” I trumped that many fingers in front of him. “Then we’re rituals of other religions rather than to compre- going to find the bibliothèque.” I flipped a fourth finger to catch up. hend the beliefs underlying these rituals. “Zak, if we don’t, you get to tell Mohammed that I’m staying tomorrow “Zak,” I asked, “do you believe in God?” in Timbuktu.” “Yes,” he said. He did not elaborate. He nodded, the fear of Mohammed evident on his face, and then he The caretaker left us alone, and we ascended the smiled, up for the alternative task of helping me find these places. mosque’s stairs to the roof. The architect Es Sa- “And,” I added, my full hand flat, the count clear: “We’ll find the centre heli had invented the mud brick, a revolutionary where I can get my passport stamped.” technique in a land where previously mud and “I don’t know where that is,” he confessed. weeds were slapped on wood frames. The stability of this brick, aug- One of the demons of travel is hesitation. “Let’s ask,” I suggested. mented by upgrades over the centuries, accounted for the sturdiness of were not as he’d portrayed them and agreed to reimburse me: “I’ll do “No, we’ll find it.” (I read that there’s scientific proof that males of our the stairs. Caillié too had climbed those stairs, two centuries ago. that.” I scribbled an address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. He species don’t ask for directions. This was proved by the fact it takes a Life and Commerce in Old Timbuktu said, “I will look at everything and wire money Western Union to Janice. Throughout old Timbuktu, narrow, shallow ditches line the centre of ev- You and me can then meet in Ségou on the twenty-sixth.” ery street. We strolled with one eye to the ground and noticed the locals Mohammed might still shirk his responsibilities, but I did not want that stepping carefully to avoid dipping a foot into those sewers. It meant we possibility to colour my mood, to spoil my lunchtime rest, or to detract were not able to fully appreciate the buildings that bordered the walk- from further adventures in Timbuktu. ways. I sensed that my greatest discoveries were ahead of us that hot afternoon. Leo Africanus’s memories of Timbuktu inspired centuries of envy. “Here Hidden down old roads were the places that Laing, Caillié, and Barth had are many shops of artificers and merchants, and especially of such as temporarily called home; I had to find them. More poignantly, there was weave linen and cotton cloth.” We did not find that splendour; rather, we my immediate need to find even a portion of the Timbuktu manuscripts. witnessed the eking out of a life. I knew that within this old city, centuries of neglect had allowed a wealth I asked Zak, “What does everyone do here?” of literary and scientific writings to age, deteriorate, and disappear. “They sell.” It was true. Everyone sold. I wanted the guy who sold hair- Would this day provide a way for me to help reverse that trend, to be a cuts. part of recovering and saving these documents? But the shops were not defined. Nothing said, “Come in …” Nothing Lunch was over, and so was my reverie. “Zak,” I said, “let’s go find the on the streets recognized the visitor or the need for rest, or refreshment. manuscripts.” Residents set a pot of still-cooking food on the bunting of their homes, We headed out to search for the bibliothèque. For thirty minutes we or used a table to promote their wares: fried fish, individual cigarettes, stepped carefully around garbage, urine, and feces on the streets of Tim- old tools. Bread was stacked three loaves high and four deep on a rickety buktu. The scene did not reconcile with Caillié’s description: “The streets chair in front of the flat-sided mud house where it was baked. I bought are clean, and sufficiently wide to permit three horsemen to pass abreast.” one and handed half to Zak. After we had walked into the same empty square for the third time, I was Children played tag, the world’s most affordable game. Centuries have becoming exasperated. transformed the personality of Timbuktu and her people. Africanus noted, “Zak, do you know where the bibliothèque is?” “The inhabitants are people of a gentle and cheerful disposition.” He con- “Here,” he said with a guide’s overconfidence. He led us into yet another tinued with something I’d not noticed, that they “spend a great part of the alley, and for ten minutes I followed. We circled nicely. Then the same night in singing and dancing.” Those were the days, my friend ... deserted surroundings appeared. The sun dictated that we hide. Zak and I dawdled over fried chicken, “Zak, have you ever been to the bibliothèque?” smoked tomatoes, and what tasted like sawdust at the Poulet d’Or. Shel- “No.” He sulked, unwilling to admit defeat. tered from the midday heat, we snoozed a little in our straight-back “Do you know if there is one?” “No.” chairs. My thoughts drifted to the morning’s conversation with Moham- Search for Historical Residences med, in which I’d challenged him. He was unkind, arrogant. “Police, I had thought that patience was my strong suit, but it was running low. your embassy, these people can do nothing to me.” I did not agree, but Near us was a dilapidated warehouse. Its loading platform gave us some it was his country. I asked him, “What if a traveller wrote about you? It shade. “Zak, sit down,” I said. “Listen.” might not be favourable.” He cast his eyes at the ground. He was contemptuous. “People can write whatever they want. It is noth- “There are a few things that are going to happen here,” I began. He ing. I have no care for it.” He acknowledged that the hotels and transport listened as a child would under reprimand. “One, we’re going to find  Africa Travel Magazine thousand sperm to find and fertilize tions. I chose to believe trouble after leaving Timbuktu.” one egg.) that Laing had penned Finding René Caillié’s house was exhilarating. I spotted a boy watching us nearby, that line within the It stood (if this can be said of an often re-mudded structure, 174 years and asked him. He looked halfway walls where I stood. after his visit) to the west of the fifteenth-century Sidi Yahia Mosque. The down the street, at a bend, and Those words con- building, still lived in, was not set for visitors. I was more in awe of the there it was: Gordon Laing’s place. trasted with his later man than the structure, yet it was a Mecca-like destination for me. His guidance to Caillié’s home was accounts portraying Caillié has been called “one of the oddest figures in the history of travel.” clear, and his directions to Barth’s “bitter disappointment” He departed for Timbuktu (calling it “the mysterious city which was the sounded unimpeachable. I should with Timbuktu. He was object of all my curiosity”) full of ambition and a sense of adventure, have hired a local guide. under constant pressure and was unknown to the other prominent competitors seeking the glory Visiting the Laing Residence from the Fulan sultan of first arriving in the fabled city. He travelled without official sanction, Laing’s house was before us. A crooked Mission Culturelle to leave, though he having been refused support for his “preposterous” plan. He studied the plaque was stuck to the middle of a mud wall, and, to my had freedom of move- Koran, learned to speak Arabic, and presented himself, convincingly, as delight, a carved Moorish door was lodged open. ment about the town. an Egyptian born of Arab parents. In that guise, he ventured through hos- In this alcove of time there was silence. This building He sketched a city plan tile land, attired as an Arab. had been Laing’s home for most of his stay in 1826. Now of Timbuktu and spent No one responded to my asking, in French, “Is anyone home?” Zak, owned by a local, it did not seek passers-by. As I stood his time “searching the bemused, offered up Bambara’s version of the phrase. The door was ajar before it, there was no one in view to ask if I might enter, records in the town, and I sensed it bid me enter. For the moments I spent in Caillié’s former so I did under the pretense of obtaining that permission. which are abundant.” home, I was a tourist in history, not a traveller in the present. With a The mud walls did not differentiate this building from other This man, the first deferential nod to the past, I walked into the open part of the house and homes; neither did the height of its ceiling nor its crowded European to knowingly replicated a two-century-old sliver of time, feeling like an imposter. passageway set it apart. It did have a notable street pres- stay in Timbuktu, spent While I travelled far beyond the bounds of my own skimpy knowledge, ence accented from the second storey by two Moorish five weeks in the city Caillié travelled with an understanding of places and lands far beyond windows of carved wood. before receiving per- that of his contemporaries, even beyond that of the local guides who “The Timbuctoo Mission,” as Laing’s expedition was of- mission to leave. A few passed him on to more local locals when he journeyed across their ter- ficially known, reflected its leader’s ambition. It offered days out of Timbuktu, ritory. He battled scurvy and deprivation. His urge to be self-sufficient the journey he sought and the fame he craved. Laing com- heading for Europe, was at the heart of his explorations. On camel, with the assumed name of plained in his writings from the desert that he was continu- Laing was attacked by Abdallahi, the twenty-seven-year-old son of a French baker approached ously pressed for money by those he’d hired and already his African protectors. Timbuktu from the port of Kabara, now Korioumé, riding north under paid. He wrote that one intransigent chief “insisted I should go no further Using his own turban, they strangled the man who loved Africa and the watchful Tuareg. “My idea of the city’s grandeur and wealth did not if I did not pay.” Death was common in these parts, and robbery conve- decapitated him. His remains were left uncovered in the desert. Birds, correspond with the mass of mud houses, surrounded by arid plains of nient. Threats, putrid food, hostilities, and ransom requests were impedi- insects, and sand had their way with him. Laing’s servant, who survived jaundiced white sands,” he observed. “I looked around and found that the ments long registered by Africans, Arabs, and the few Europeans who’d the attack, over the next two years made his way to Tripoli, where he sight before me did not answer my expectations. I had formed a totally ventured this far. reportedly delivered some of Laing’s letters and told of his murder. The different idea of the grandeur and wealth of Timbuctoo.” Laing arrived at Timbuktu in a terrible state, destitute after being attacked explorer’s journals, which are thought to have been exceptional records When he arrived in 1828, Caillié heard details of Laing’s desert mis- in the desert by Tuareg, shot in the side with a musket ball, slashed on his of observation and history, were, however, missing. Often presumed to fortunes, his arrival in the city and his death, and he discovered that the upper leg, crippled by a knife thrust that sliced his ear and cut his face. still exist, no trace of these artifacts has yet been uncovered. explorer had lived in the house behind his only two years earlier. Cail- His companions fled, and the explorer was left for dead. The rest of the Laing’s former home in Timbuktu was on a street corner and was two lié continued to avoid arousing suspicion of his Christianity. His host, caravan’s merchants were unharmed. They patched him up as well as storeys high. The house appeared vacant on the lower level; not aban- Sheikh Al Bekây, provided sanctuary, freedom of movement, and food they could, lashed him to his camel with rope, and let him trail the cara- doned, just not in use. Finding no one to give me permission to enter, I while Caillié rested in Timbuktu. Caillié’s candour still resonates: “I can- van. They believed he would soon die. walked up a narrow stairway to the second floor. A shaft of sun picked not help contemplating with astonishment the extraordinary city before Laing survived the one-thousand-kilometre trek to Timbuktu. With what its way through an ornamental window frame and cast an eerie pall me, created solely by the wants of commerce, and destitute of every energy he could muster, and despite the squalid surroundings, he sent on the room’s three-metre-by-four-metre space. There was a complete resource except what its accidental position as a place of exchange af- optimistic dispatches with native couriers accompanying the northbound absence of furniture or any evidence of occupation. Out of all of the po- fords.” He resolved to leave the city. caravans. Once he was settled in Timbuktu his wounds healed slowly, tential ghosts of Timbuktu’s European explorers, Laing’s was the most His desire to leave Timbuktu, however, exceeded the willingness of his and meals of fish and bread helped his recovery. likely to stay in the vicinity. I imagined the two of us sharing a moment hosts to let him go. It was Caillié’s goal to travel to Morocco to make Only one of Laing’s letters from Timbuktu arrived in Tripoli at that time. in that dank space, separated by 178 years, and I envisioned him writing the outside world aware of his amazing accomplishments. His efforts to He wrote of Timbuktu that the city had “completely met” his expecta- his last journal notes in this room: “I fear I shall be involved in much persuade his hosts to allow his departure became increasingly assertive,  Africa Travel Magazine and he was eventually given leave. Four days’ Bolstered by our logistical success in matching a street name with an sheikh, the Tuareg, and the Fulani. The Fulani gained control over Barth travel away from that Timbuktu house, en explorer’s home, it made sense to Zak that we chance Barth’s Lane to and held him for two months in another camp while he tried to resolve route to Tangiers, Caillié’s caravan stopped find the house of the man who finally convinced skeptics that Timbuktu’s the compromises that kept him from departing. near the camp where Laing was killed. There, fame was founded on exaggerated claims. He remained a total of six months, a stay that resulted in the most thor- the Moors showed him confirmation of that Heinrich Barth in Timbuktu ough European-recorded observations of Timbuktu, including notes on terrible deed. Sweating and covered with a day’s dust, we stopped outside the home the city’s commerce and customs. Barth undertook language and vocabu- René Caillié was the first European to return of Heinrich Barth, to the northeast east side of the Sidi Yahia Mosque. I lary documentation, and wrote of tribes, place names, and daily habits. safely home from Timbuktu. He received the breathed deeply. Barth’s stay in Timbuktu was the signature piece in his His restricted movement meant that he had time for letter writing. Half- Société de Géographie de France award of five-year crossing of the Sahara. If there was a hint that Timbuktu might way through his visit he wrote, “You will have heard, I think, of my ten thousand francs, offered in 1826 to the have a tourism future, this house was it: we paid an entrance fee. Pictures happy arrival in this ill-famed place.” And, predating today’s urban anti- first European to reach Timbuktu and re- on the walls had descriptions in English, French, and German. Barth’s smoking bylaws, he noted, “Amongst other things they have smoking turn safely. It was an award he’d heard of in maps and sketches were displayed. Framing was elusive, but some of the a capital crime, so that even in Timbuctoo, except near the house of Al Freetown, Sierra Leone, and of which he’d said: “Dead or alive, it shall documents were protected behind glass, where the heat had melded them Bekây, a man smoking is in great danger …” be mine …” In addition, France’s King Charles X made him Chevalier of to the surface. A pamphlet on Barth’s exploits was for sale. Was the furni- His prolonged absence, and the African rumour trade, resulted in an er- the Legion of Honour. ture his? Did he slouch in that corner, surrounded by curious and untrust- roneous report of Barth’s death in Berlin. His obituary was published, Caillié’s residence in La Mystérieuse had been short, his observations ing observers looking on in silence? Did the tall German feel the urge to and all hope of knowing his whereabouts disappeared. He was still 2,700 picaresque, and the eventual telling of his rediscovery reliant on jotted hunch over, given the lowness of the ceiling, as I did? Was the air as tight kilometres from safety. Sheikh Al Bekây, whose father had protected La- memories and scrupulously kept notations, secretly scribbled after excus- in his lungs as it felt in mine? ing in Timbuktu, travelled with Barth along the River Niger’s north shore ing himself from the company of others, requesting time for quiet medi- Barth arrived in Timbuktu with a debilitating fever and recuperated as a for weeks to ensure his safety. Finally, in September 1855, five years and tation. Although his writings covered his entire travels, guest in this house, close to five months after his journey began, Barth wrote from his north African they were not able to persuade a skeptical world that Sheikh Al Bekây. He stayed camp: “I set out on my last march on the African soil in order to enter the Timbuktu was without the charm and stature created here for the first month, town of Tripoli.” by legend. Controversy would swirl around Caillié’s during which the competing London and the world responded excitedly to Barth’s triumph. Oxford book, Travels Through Central Africa to Timbuctoo, authority, the local chief, bestowed an honorary degree on him, the Geographical Society of Paris which appeared in both France and England in 1830. who challenged the sheikh awarded its Gold Medal, and Queen Victoria presented the Order of Bath. But public acclaim continually fought with scholarly for power over the Chris- Heinrich Barth became president of the Berlin Geographical Society. But disdain. As Brian Gardner noted, “René Caillié’s book tian, made many attempts to his five-volume work, Travels in North and Central Africa, although pop- did little to stop the Timbuctoo Rush.” expel Barth. Among other ularly received, disappointed its readers. Barth’s reputation as a scholar Boctou’s Well Still in Use reasons, it was suspected and scientist was strong enough that his portrayal of Timbuktu as a mun- Circling the Sidi Yahia Mosque, I inadvertently found that he was Laing’s son. The dane and dilapidated backwater was believed. He validated Caillié’s de- Bouctou’s well. My guess is that most visitors don’t result of this competition scriptions of Timbuktu’s unimportance in modern African trade. Barth’s find it, and don’t bother to believe that the propitious between two conflicting and great achievement was that the public and politicians finally accepted the well is even marked. Yet that hole in the ground at my influential local rulers was truth about Timbuktu. The myths of the “City of Majesty” began to lose feet was the origin of the name Timbuktu. that Barth was unable to their duel with reality. I politely shooed Zak away. I wished to be alone in my move freely about the city. We dawdled in the dust, letting our accomplishments settle in with satis- travel fantasy. The two keepers of the place, oblivious Sheikh Al Bekây eventually faction. “Thanks,” I said to Zak, who had recovered his confidence. to my presence, talked in their sleep. The Ethnographic moved him to an encamp- In a narrow street, above the doorway of a building, hung a faded sign, Museum encircled its namesake “Tin,” the Berber ment in the desert, from tinged with mud that had been whipped high in the rains and dried by the language’s grammatical kin to “well.” A recent con- where Barth, on occasions, wind: Bibliothèque Manuscrits — Al-Wangari. Feeling euphoric, I point- struction, it showcased Tuareg and Songhai artifacts visited Timbuktu’s mosques ed to it and smiled at Zak. Just then, a blue robe appeared on the of music and costume. Standing over the well of the and spent hours among the path, seemingly brought by the breeze. It came closer to reveal a tailored woman whose name became the byword for remote, townspeople and visiting the fit on the lanky frame of a scholar. I stared into the hole, its shallow depth blocked by “lively markets.” But po- mud. At the end of a rope swung a camel-skin bucket litical pressure mounted for that dropped from a wooden winch, itself secured by this symbol of foreign intru- tree branch props. I looked within the well and sensed sion, the infidel, to leave. It Bouctou contemplating her distorted navel. culminated in a late-night STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 29 Zak sloughed along a block away and waved to me. conference between the  Africa Travel Magazine  Africa Travel Magazine  Africa Travel Magazine AUTHOR RICK ANTONSON INTERVIEWED ON TRAVELTALK RADIO Sandy Dhuyvetter: My name is Sandy Dhuyvet- Rick: I did, and the title comes from when I was a child, 5 years old, Rick: Well it’s just an amazing destination, and with the Olympics com- ter of TravelTalkRADIO. We are talking to Rick my brother and I would say every time dad left home we would say ing, ones reminded of the admonition “one should be involved in the Antonson. Rick is President and CEO of Tourism “where you going daddy where you going?” and he would say “I’m great events of their time” and this is our great event, and Vancouver and Vancouver in his day job, but he did something going to Timbuktu to get my haircut” and as a kid, that just brought Whistler and British Columbia will just do a absolutely extraordinary wonderful. I shouldn’t say this is your night job, but whatever or any notions that I had of travel, and I presumed because job of hosting the world. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the did you do it at night? Was it labor of love? What he came back so quickly, whether he was going to church or the store, games is just stellar. This has been now a dozen years in the works, it’s was it, this wonderful book that you wrote called To he always said “I’m going to Timbuktu to get my haircut,” he returned about to happen on February 12th of 2010. Timbuktu for a Haircut? and one day I thought, well, one day I better go there and get my hair- cut, so I did. Paid a dollar for it. Sandy: Rick, thank you so much for joining us, we’ve had a great job Rick Antonson: Well when I first went to West Africa I wasn’t thinking talking about Vancouver and of course your book, To Timbuktu for a about doing a book, and then sometimes you just find that something Sandy: Oh that is fascinating, it is so hilarious, my father always said Haircut, we will talk soon I hope! is emerging, and that’s where it was with this. I had a remarkable trip to me “I’m going to see a man about a horse” and he said that no mat- particularly in Mali, but also in the country of Senegal on the way to ter where he went, so that is hilarious that our dads just had that little Rick: Thank you very much, would love to talk again the country of Mali where Timbuktu is, and I found an absolute fascina- line! And I love that you made a book out of this. When did it actually tion with the old manuscripts from hundreds and hundreds of years ago get published? that are still there and in many cases falling apart, and there are some About Rick Antonson strong actions trying to preserve those manuscripts, that intrigued me Rick: It came out a year ago, published by Dundern Publishing of Tourism Vancouver president and CEO Rick Antonson and the early explorers, but it was such a remarkable part of the world Toronto, and available all over the world because of the online order- travels for a living, “flying a hundred thousand kilometres that I found I was writing, and eventually I realized there is a book in ing that people can do nowadays, so if it’s not in bookstores it’s avail- each year for two decades,” moving from conference to it, and that’s where To Timbuktu for a Haircut came from, and it covers able online, as it is easy to Google and see the reviews. Part of what air-conditioned hotel room with seasoned thoughtlessness. When it came time for him to take a month-long solo the journey through West Africa. became important about it being a book was, as I mentioned the people expedition, however, he decided almost on a whim to the countries that I was traveling through, it was such a sense of being journey to one of the most fabled -- and forbidding -- des- Sandy: It’s awesome. Did you do it for therapeutic reasons too, by any welcomed, of people without in any cases much, what we would call tinations in the world: Timbuktu. I AM THE GAMBIA, HOST COUNTRY FOR THE AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 35TH ANNUAL CONGRESS, MAY 17-20, 2010 chance? I mean you work really hard I know, was this kind of like a in the way of comforts, who had such genuine spirits, such a openness, Few places are quite as evocative and mysterious. A centre of Islamic schol- I am the West came independent on February 18, the Mande, rural Mandinka and Tourism and Agriculture account aries as key products. I am little bit of a diversion for you? such an eagerness to share and talk about where they live and how they main periods and facets arship and culture during the 15th and 16th centuries, Timbuktu has long African Republic of 1965y. My President, H.E. Yaya Atlantic peoples - Wolof and for 23% of my gross domes- an important entry point for of the encounter between live, that I found myself quite humbled by the entire experience. I had Fulani. They live harmoniously goods to be distributed to Rick: I think one finds the time to do the things that are important to been a beacon for travellers. Once thought of as a source of unimaginable The Gambia, proud A.J.J. Jammeh instituted “The tic product and employ 75% of Africans and Europeans a fellow named Zack who was my guide, he was from the Dogon?, he riches, the city today is impoverished, threatened by the encroaching Sahara host country for Gambia Incorporated” in mixed communities, free- my workforce. In 2000, around neighboring countries - the them in life, whether it’s a sporting activity or it’s an avocation, of along the River Gambia, was a young fellow and through him, I saw his country but I learned Desert. the Africa Travel a vision 2020 plan that ly exercising their religious 100,000 tourists visited me, pro- logical “gateway” into West a continuum that stretched from some other sort. I do find a nice release in the telling of travel antidotes, from him, the way he spoke, and funny, because I worked at trying to For this trip, Antonson decided against his usual air travel and instead made Association 35th aims to transform me and cultural traditions. My viding an estimated 10,000 Gam- Africa for the trans-shipment of pre-colonial and pre-slavery times but importantly here I have met such remarkable people, and it was people are also widely rec- practice my French, and he one day looked at me and he said “Reek?” the journey on the ground: by train, boat, car, camel and foot. The result, as Annual Congress in into middle income bians with stable employment. imports and exports. . to independence. The site is par- ognized for their genuine their stories that I worked to try and tell, and as I did that I realized that its what he called me, “Reek, I have broken English, you have unfix- recounted in his impressive new book, To Timbuktu for a Haircut, is a quix- May, 2010. I was named for one status by offering a Gateway to Success My Rich Heritage ticularly significant for its relation friendliness and hospitality. The World Heritage Committee In- it came together book-length and then publisher expressed interest in it, able French.” otic quest, alternately funny and thought-provoking. the continent’s most navigable stable investment en- Fishing and manufacturing indus- to the beginning and the abolition While English is the official scribes 24 New Sites on the World and there we were. The book was on its way to coming out, and thank- Readers follow his journey chronologically as he moves toward the city and rivers. I occupy a narrow area on vironment, an efficient tries offer opportunities for expan- of the slave trade. It also docu- language, Wolof and Fulani Heritage List, including the West fully it has been well-received by the public, and people like Africa Sandy: All well what are friends for after all. then as it recedes behind him. His account is threaded through with histori- the Gambia River, surrounded banking sector, and sion, with plastics and confection- ments early access to the interior are spoken in towns and African Re- Travel Magazine and just really fine supporters of it, and that gave out a cal and cultural information. Curiously, his encounter with the city itself is by Senegal to the north, east and a competitive private of Africa. Mandinka in rural areas. public of The validation that I couldn’t bring on my own, and I just love that. Rick: And things like that are when you see the coming together of almost anticlimactic. He clearly relishes the journey, and his fellow travel- south. My western boundary sector. along the Atlantic Coast offers My Ethnic Roots About 85% of my popula- Gambia. New their society and our society and you shed all of your prejudgment lers, more than the destination. Photos from top left: Coastal visitors some of Africa’s most Many Americans know tion is Muslim, with a fairly natural sites resorts, Map of the Gambia, Arch Sandy: Speaking of the Africa Travel Magazine, we put them in our and you just try to be open. What I found there is that they welcomed From a ride up the River Niger to an open-air music festival in the des- beautiful beaches with warm about me thanks to Alex Haley’s large Christian minority. My include James 22 at the entrance to Banju, Banjul newsletter every week and that of course is published by Jerry Bird and ert, from the sudden close friendships that bloom during such travel to the people who wanted to know about their lives and their countries, and coastal waters and a tropical bestseller and epic television docu- capital, main port and and com- Island and International Airport , Albert Mar- Muguette Goufrani. They do such a fascinating job and a spectacular machinations of an unscrupulous tour coordinator who seems intent on foil- that’s what gave me this book. climate that is warm and humid drama “Roots, ” which tells the mercial center along the River related loca- ket, Banjul King Fahad Mosque. job, we’ve actually been able to travel all over Africa with them and we ing his travel goals at every juncture, Antonson handles the joys and occa- year round. story of Kunta Kinte and his an- Gambia is Banjul ( 300,000 tions, which Sources - Wikipedia, Sheraton, The were so excited when they told us about you and the book, and we are Sandy: Well, I could see you doing maybe a book even on tourism in sional frustrations of his trip in vivid, straightforward prose and with a wry My Vision 2020 Plan cestral homeland of Juffureh. My population). present a tes- Gambia. To learn more about me forever thankful for that. Did you actually get a haircut in Timbuktu? Vancouver; you have a lot of stories up there too. sense of humour. A former British colony, I be- population of 1.5 million includes My Economy timony to the check out www.visitthegambia

10 Africa Travel Magazine I AM THE GAMBIA, HOST COUNTRY FOR THE AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 35TH ANNUAL CONGRESS, MAY 17-20, 2010 I am the West came independent on February 18, the Mande, rural Mandinka and Tourism and Agriculture account aries as key products. I am main periods and facets African Republic of 1965y. My President, H.E. Yaya Atlantic peoples - Wolof and for 23% of my gross domes- an important entry point for of the encounter between The Gambia, proud A.J.J. Jammeh instituted “The Fulani. They live harmoniously tic product and employ 75% of goods to be distributed to Africans and Europeans host country for Gambia Incorporated” in mixed communities, free- my workforce. In 2000, around neighboring countries - the along the River Gambia, the Africa Travel a vision 2020 plan that ly exercising their religious 100,000 tourists visited me, pro- logical “gateway” into West a continuum that stretched from Association 35th aims to transform me and cultural traditions. My viding an estimated 10,000 Gam- Africa for the trans-shipment of pre-colonial and pre-slavery times Annual Congress in into middle income people are also widely rec- bians with stable employment. imports and exports. . to independence. The site is par- May, 2010. I was named for one status by offering a ognized for their genuine Gateway to Success My Rich Heritage ticularly significant for its relation the continent’s most navigable stable investment en- friendliness and hospitality. Fishing and manufacturing indus- The World Heritage Committee In- to the beginning and the abolition rivers. I occupy a narrow area on vironment, an efficient While English is the official tries offer opportunities for expan- scribes 24 New Sites on the World of the slave trade. It also docu- the Gambia River, surrounded banking sector, and language, Wolof and Fulani sion, with plastics and confection- Heritage List, including the West ments early access to the interior by Senegal to the north, east and a competitive private are spoken in towns and African Re- of Africa. south. My western boundary sector. Mandinka in rural areas. public of The along the Atlantic Coast offers My Ethnic Roots About 85% of my popula- Gambia. New Photos from top left: Coastal visitors some of Africa’s most Many Americans know tion is Muslim, with a fairly natural sites resorts, Map of the Gambia, Arch beautiful beaches with warm about me thanks to Alex Haley’s large Christian minority. My include James 22 at the entrance to Banju, Banjul coastal waters and a tropical bestseller and epic television docu- capital, main port and and com- Island and International Airport , Albert Mar- climate that is warm and humid drama “Roots, ” which tells the mercial center along the River related loca- ket, Banjul King Fahad Mosque. year round. story of Kunta Kinte and his an- Gambia is Banjul ( 300,000 tions, which Sources - Wikipedia, Sheraton, The My Vision 2020 Plan cestral homeland of Juffureh. My population). present a tes- Gambia. To learn more about me A former British colony, I be- population of 1.5 million includes My Economy timony to the check out www.visitthegambia

11 Africa Travel Magazine exception of a small shoreline, sectors and ATA-Banjul chapter relations firms, consulting com- ABOUT THE AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 35TH ANNUAL CONGRESS the English-speaking country is members, as well as visit the panies, non-profit organizations, NEW YORK, ple, eco-tourism, sports fishing, boards, travel agencies, ground surrounded by Senegal. Approxi- proposed conference, lodging businesses, small and medium- NY: Honorable bird watching and safaris, music, operator companies, airlines, and mately 120,000 charter tourists, and entertainment venues. sized enterprises, and other Nancy Seedy dancing and traditional wrestling hotels. Many participants from mainly from Europe, arrive ATA, in cooperation with the organizations engaged in tourism Njie, The Gambia’s Minister of matches, and visiting trans-Atlan- the travel trade media and the annually. The Ministry plans to Egyptian Ministry of Tourism promotion. For more informa- Tourism and Culture, and Edward tic slave trade sites. corporate, non profit and aca- attract 500,000 arrivals by 2012, and the Egyptian Tourism Au- tion, visit ATA online at www. Bergman, Executive Director “The Gambia has made amazing demic sectors are also expected by targeting the US marketplace thority (ETA), organized the africatravelassociaton.org or call of the Africa Travel Association progress with its travel and tour- to attend. and “up-market” tourists, and to 2009 congress at the Conrad +1.212.447.1357. (ATA), today announced that the ism industry by building public The four-day event will engage lengthen the tourist season to all Cairo Hotel in Egypt in May Republic of The Gambia will host and private-sector partnerships, delegates in discussions on a year round. Public-private sec- 2009. Under the banner “Con- For more information on Gam- ATA’s 35th Annual Congress in where the government creates the range of industry topics, such tor plans to increase the accom- necting Destination Africa,” the bia, visit the Gambia Tourist the capital city of Banjul in May conditions for the private sector as public-private sector partner- modation stock and to build a event brought travel specialists Authority (GTA) website at http:// 2010. to invest in the industry,” said ship, marketing and promotion, conference center are currently and experts to Egypt to help www.visitthegambia.gm/. “It is with great pride that we are Bergman. “By combining The tourism infrastructure develop- underway. The travel and tour- shape Africa’s tourism agenda once again partnering with ATA Gambia’s ability to attract tourist ment, industry trends, and social ism economy accounts for sixteen during the global economic to invite the world to visit and ex- arrivals, particularly from Eu- media. ATA member countries percent of Gambia’s GDP. downturn. EgyptAir plore The Gambia,” said Minister rope, with ATA’s ability to engage will organize a few evening Encore from 1984 served as the official con- Njie. “The Gambian government diverse travel professionals from networking receptions and ATA’s The 2010 Congress builds on gress carrier. places great priority on tourism, around the world, particularly in Young Professionals Network the success of the West African About the Africa which has contributed significant- North America and across Africa, will meet with local hospitality country’s longstanding ties with Travel Association ly to our country’s growth and the congress holds tremendous professionals and students. For ATA. In 1984, ATA held its ninth (ATA) stability. We hope that the ATA promise for turning tourism into a the second year, the congress congress in Banjul, immediately The Africa Travel As- Congress will help us continue to continental economic driver.” will also include a marketplace following the association’s eighth sociation (ATA) was promote our country in new mar- ATA’s hallmark international for buyers and sellers special- congress in Cairo, Egypt. established as an inter- ketplaces and attract new invest- event will be attended by African izing in Destination Africa. “ATA is excited to return to national travel industry ment in the sector.” tourism ministers and industry Delegates will also have the op- Gambia and anticipates that the trade association in 1975. Smiling Coast experts representing tourism portunity to explore the country 2010 congress will help Gambia ATA’s mission is to pro- The Gambia, on pre or post reach its goal of bringing in more mote travel, tourism and known as the congress trips, tourists and industry investment,” transport to and within “Smiling Coast of as well as on said Bergman. “We are especially Africa, and to strengthen Africa,” is famous the Host grateful to our private sector intra-Africa partner- for its luxurious Country partners, particularly Starwood ships. As the world’s beach resorts, Day Hotels, who have been instru- premier travel industry quaint fishing The Gambia, mental in bringing the Ministry trade association, ATA villages and mag- the smallest and ATA together to organize this provides services to a nificent coastline, country on important continental event.” broad range of members but there is much the African To prepare for the annual event, including: tourism, dias- more to the afford- continent, has ATA will send a delegation to pora, culture, and sports able and safe West an estimated Banjul in November for a site ministers, tourism boards, African country, population inspection. During the visit, the airlines, hoteliers, travel including peaceful of 1,600,000. team will meet with representa- agents, tour operators, and friendly peo- With the tives from the public and private travel trade media, public

12 Africa Travel Magazine Ghana,Ghana, thethe GoldGold CoastCoast andand AshantiAshanti EmpireEmpire

13 Africa Travel Magazine GHANA IS THE SMILE ON THE FACE OF AFRICA

14 Africa Travel Magazine GHANA IS THE SMILE ON THE FACE OF AFRICA

Elmina Castle, a reminder of the Slave Trade on Ghana’s Atlantic Coast. Photo by Muguette Goufrani

Ghana Tourist Board: [email protected] . http://www.ghana.gov.gh/tourists/

15 Africa Travel Magazine ity is outstanding. More informa- or America to enjoy the best en- opment incorporating a Fisherman’s Wharf, will much more in the sun-drenched waterways of Tinapa! It The Devil’s Elbow at tion? Please visit http://crossriv- tertainment, shopping and leisure showcase even more restaurants, bars and tourist is the ultimate shop and party till-you-drop leisure centre GHANA’S SUCCESS STORY CONTINUES... facilities the world has to offer! kiosks. Imagine, after an endless night of fun, - a world that is alive twenty-fours a day with a never- erstate.com/obudu.htm - or www. Obudu Ranch, Nigeria africa-ata.org/nigeria.htm The total Tinapa complex is mas- enjoying a champagne breakfast whilst watching ending choice of activities to choose from. Tinapa will sive - 80 000 m2 of retail and a beautiful sunrise over the azure waters of the provide visitors with a unique tourism experience and In travel and tourism as in life, wholesale emporiums alone. The Calabar River! And as if that’s not enough enter- the development will fast track growth of the tourism Kente caps and shirts many times. there are more than one ways to emporiums feature a borderless, tainment there’ll be added attractions to indulge sector in Calabar, Cross River State and Nigeria. for our next few issues, where we can get to the top! In Cross River Tinapa - Birth of a Super seamless shopping environment in, including a golfer’s paradise with driving I am Ghana. Many travel- What we saw en route, on the high- expand. State, Nigeria there’s the long - a unique concept that unfolds range and putting green, a jungle carting track, ers call me “the smile of the Oasis in Nigeria “Tinapa will Regenerate Lost Trading History of Old Colorful Festival, Enchanting Vistas ways and byways was a story in itself. and winding way up the Devils’s Elbow. Then In fall the of 2006, our magazine’s a new dimension in retailing for quad biking route, plus a clay pigeon and archery Calabar, ” President Olusegun Obasanjo. face of Africa.” Ghanains there’s the high speed gondola - and for the high Here are a few of my most memorable Small wonder we kept running out of editorial team was part of an ATA the first time in Africa’s history! course! Water activities, including water-skiing, that are living, working and film for the cameras. and mighty there’s a helicopter pad near the group that was privileged to visit These massive 21st century parasailing, rowing and canoeing will take place experiences: (1) Koforidua and the conference center. You can also land at a nearby traveling overseas have been my warm and Looking Back with Pride and inspect Calabar’s exciting Tinapa project that shopping emporiums will be supported by a in a luxurious oasis environment! Agri and eco colorful Durbar ceremonies.(2) Our airfield. My first visit to Nigeria was in the fall was in its final stages at the time. Our current vast array of retailers offering everything from tourism attractions will include a sizeable exotic friendly ambassadors, spreading the good motor coach trip along the Cape Coast. Here’s a capsule profile of Ghana, of 2006, and as luck would have it, the city mandate is to make sure Africa Travel Magazine’s exclusive bookshops, specialty CD and DVD bird sanctuary, a crocodile farm, a tropical fish word about my many charms. In case you courtesy of Joe Nyarko of Sagrenti that won the opportunity to host our ATA Eco readers and internet viewers in North America outlets, pharmacies to beauty salons, banks and farm, a primate rehabilitation centre and much, (3) Kakum National Forest, with its six Cultural Symposium was Calabar in Cross River and around the world know the true facts about jewellery stores! Plus an incredible entertain- were unaware, I have had the pleasure of Tours: A darker era saw many of our swinging bridges. (4) Historic Kumasi State. What is so unique about Calabar? For Nigeria’s newest treasure of cooperative en- ment centre including cinemas, food court, hosting Africa Travel Association delegates with its king’s palace and weavers of people, and those of other African ATA CONGRESS FLASHBACK 1999 one thing it is an example of good management, terprise. Tinapa is a resort that means business internet cafe and games arcade! There will be from the USA, Canada and Africa at its lands, leave our shores for the planta- zero tolerance in some key areas and a spirit of - the business of combing business, pleasure and a dazzling range of six hotels to choose from famous Kente cloth. Among our many optimism far ahead of most destinations we have Annual Congress in 1994, 1999 and 2006. tions of America and the Caribbean, leisure! Tinapa is the resort that means business - accommodation to suit a variety of lifestyles purchases in Ghana were multicolored visited. Credit must go to our host for the event, My tourism community awaits your happy - the business of combing business, pleasure and and budgets. The magnificent waterfront devel- Kente caps, which attract attention at creating the biggest Diaspora the Governor Donald Duke, who introduced and leisure! This will be the first time that anything return on any occasion and its members The above photo is from the and 19th centuries started with the Portu- gold jewelry, Krobo beads, northern leather home or away, especially at the travel world has ever seen. Today, citizens championed a number of creative ideas. One of like this has been experienced in West Africa. No will roll out the welcome mat, woven in Africa Travel Association guese who built Elmina Castle in 1482. and straw product, woodcarving of Ahwiaa- them is pictured on this page - a state-of-the-art longer will you need to go to Europe, the Far East trade shows we exhibit in across North of many states around the world still tradtional Kente cloth, naturally. My bless- World Congress of 1999, They were followed by the Dutch, Swedes, Ashanti. gondola lift that whisks visitors up to the high America. We could have sold those acknowledge and treasure their fam- plateau where the Obudu Cattle Ranch, estab- which was held in Accra, Danes, Prussians and the British looking The practice of ancient herbal and alterna- ings, beauty and bounty are ily links with Ghana, lished decades ago, has been transformed into Ghana. Our last Ghana Congress was in for fortunes in gold and ivory. This intense Governor Donald Duke well known to members of tive medicine side by side with orthodox a spectacular tourism and world class attraction returning to explore 2006, after which our editors made a circle We thank our host from the ATA Eco commercial rivalry ended with the growth medical practice throughout the country; for important meetings and summits. The lodge ATA who have visited my those links and to expe- an dcultural Tourism Symposium, tour of the country, hosted by the Ghana of the tragic trade in silvery - all 42 Euro- herbariums preserve the ancient medical operated by South Africa’s Protea Hotels group sunny shores, but for others rience the soul of their Government Donald Duke for a week Tourist Board. Our highly capable, knowl- pean castles and fortifications were used as heritage, colorful traditional festivals full of has been resorted and, as expected, the hospital- an exciting surprise awaits. of surprising and delightful experi- motherland. Today, edgable guide was Yao Dzide, with whom dungeons for the millions most of whom pomp and pageantry with Chiefs and Queen ences - and for welcoming us to the Here are some interesting, come home to Ghana, we stay in touch. lost their lives or whose descendants com- Mothers riding on lushly gilded palanquins. Governor’s mansion for a wind up complimentary comments the the gateway to that Historical Ghana pose the African diaspora today. Over 42 Colorful traditional open markets and lorry dinner. editors have to say about me: African Heritage. Our Formerly the Gold Coast, Ghana is a young forts and castles including Elmina and Cape parks provide the sounds and sights of the Recent Events: Nigerian Minister Warm Friendships republic which became independent from Coast Castles are recognized by UNESCO celebrations , with great African bazaar. of Tourism, Culture and National Blossom Britain on March 6. 1957, the first black durbars of chiefs in full as the World No. I Heritage Monuments. GHANA TOURIST BOARD Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo African colony to achieve its independence. Sites of wars between the British and in- Years before we set foot regalia, full of dancing The Ghana Tourist Board was set up by Kayode (San), invited ATA delegates Ghana occupies the pinnacle spot in Pan- digenous population especially the Ashanti to participate in the launch of the country’s Tourism Master Plan in West Africa, we had and drumming, rever- Legislative Instrument (NRC Degree) 224 African history having hit the torch for Af- peoples. Ancient artistry in fabrics with October , 2007 in Abuja, the capital city. The plan aims to position met many Ghanaians berate with images of in 1973. It is the sole government agency Nigeria as the continent’s leading cultural, historical and business rican Emancipation and became home for the colorful and popular Ashanti Bonwire and found them to be set up to implement government’s tourism tourist destination. Minister Kayode said the plan “was borne out our rich cultural tradi- famous Pan-Africanist such as W.E. B Du Kente Cloth now adopted as a focus of one of the most outgoing, policies. It is purely a Research, Marketing of the Government’s firm conviction on the opportunities offered tions and reflect the Bois and George Pad more. Dr. Kwame Nk- identity by many people of African descent by the sector for sustainable development, especially at the grass friendly races of people and regulatory body under the Ministry of passage of nature’s cal- rumah whose mausoleum adds to Accra’s the world over. An antique collector’s ha- roots level, its high potential for enhanced foreign exchange earn- on the planet. During the Tourism and Diaspora Relations. Contact endar, so important in landscape was Ghana’s first President. ven for ancient terra-cotta work. Traditional ings and the environment friendly nature of tourism programmes”. [email protected]. He emphasized that tourism provides a variety of new opportuni- combined ATA- WTO the preservation of our European power struggle between the 15th World Congress, we ties for improving socio-economic conditions, diversifying the culture. Throughout the economy, and achieving stability. For more information fax 604 were impressed by the year and throughout 681 6595 or visit our web site: way Accra prepared for the Country, our people http://www.africa-ata.org/nigeria.htm the millennium, with an love to celebrate, and infrastructure of wide the great sights and highways, overpasses and scenes reflected in boulevards, plus build- these festivals. For more ings, a new sports stadium information visit www. and convention facili- africa-ata.org/ghana.htm ties, of which any nation would be proud. Stories of the sights we saw and Golden Tulip Kumasi City . Rain Tree Street, P.O. Box KS 5191, Kumasi, Ghana folks we met would fill Tel. +233 51 83777 . +233 51 83711 . E-mail: [email protected] volumes, so be prepared www.goldentulipkumasicity.com . www.goldentulip.com/rss CREATIVE CONCEPTS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE NIGERIA’S TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE 16 Africa Travel Magazine ity is outstanding. More informa- or America to enjoy the best en- opment incorporating a Fisherman’s Wharf, will much more in the sun-drenched waterways of Tinapa! It The Devil’s Elbow at tion? Please visit http://crossriv- tertainment, shopping and leisure showcase even more restaurants, bars and tourist is the ultimate shop and party till-you-drop leisure centre erstate.com/obudu.htm - or www. facilities the world has to offer! kiosks. Imagine, after an endless night of fun, - a world that is alive twenty-fours a day with a never- Obudu Ranch, Nigeria africa-ata.org/nigeria.htm The total Tinapa complex is mas- enjoying a champagne breakfast whilst watching ending choice of activities to choose from. Tinapa will sive - 80 000 m2 of retail and a beautiful sunrise over the azure waters of the provide visitors with a unique tourism experience and In travel and tourism as in life, wholesale emporiums alone. The Calabar River! And as if that’s not enough enter- the development will fast track growth of the tourism there are more than one ways to emporiums feature a borderless, tainment there’ll be added attractions to indulge sector in Calabar, Cross River State and Nigeria. get to the top! In Cross River Tinapa - Birth of a Super seamless shopping environment in, including a golfer’s paradise with driving State, Nigeria there’s the long Oasis in Nigeria - a unique concept that unfolds range and putting green, a jungle carting track, “Tinapa will Regenerate Lost Trading History of Old and winding way up the Devils’s Elbow. Then In fall the of 2006, our magazine’s a new dimension in retailing for quad biking route, plus a clay pigeon and archery Calabar, ” President Olusegun Obasanjo. there’s the high speed gondola - and for the high editorial team was part of an ATA the first time in Africa’s history! course! Water activities, including water-skiing, and mighty there’s a helicopter pad near the group that was privileged to visit These massive 21st century parasailing, rowing and canoeing will take place conference center. You can also land at a nearby and inspect Calabar’s exciting Tinapa project that shopping emporiums will be supported by a in a luxurious oasis environment! Agri and eco airfield. My first visit to Nigeria was in the fall was in its final stages at the time. Our current vast array of retailers offering everything from tourism attractions will include a sizeable exotic of 2006, and as luck would have it, the city mandate is to make sure Africa Travel Magazine’s exclusive bookshops, specialty CD and DVD bird sanctuary, a crocodile farm, a tropical fish that won the opportunity to host our ATA Eco readers and internet viewers in North America outlets, pharmacies to beauty salons, banks and farm, a primate rehabilitation centre and much, Cultural Symposium was Calabar in Cross River and around the world know the true facts about jewellery stores! Plus an incredible entertain- State. What is so unique about Calabar? For Nigeria’s newest treasure of cooperative en- ment centre including cinemas, food court, one thing it is an example of good management, terprise. Tinapa is a resort that means business internet cafe and games arcade! There will be zero tolerance in some key areas and a spirit of - the business of combing business, pleasure and a dazzling range of six hotels to choose from optimism far ahead of most destinations we have leisure! Tinapa is the resort that means business - accommodation to suit a variety of lifestyles visited. Credit must go to our host for the event, - the business of combing business, pleasure and and budgets. The magnificent waterfront devel- Governor Donald Duke, who introduced and leisure! This will be the first time that anything championed a number of creative ideas. One of like this has been experienced in West Africa. No them is pictured on this page - a state-of-the-art longer will you need to go to Europe, the Far East gondola lift that whisks visitors up to the high plateau where the Obudu Cattle Ranch, estab- lished decades ago, has been transformed into Governor Donald Duke a spectacular tourism and world class attraction We thank our host from the ATA Eco for important meetings and summits. The lodge an dcultural Tourism Symposium, operated by South Africa’s Protea Hotels group Government Donald Duke for a week has been resorted and, as expected, the hospital- of surprising and delightful experi- ences - and for welcoming us to the Governor’s mansion for a wind up dinner.

Recent Events: Nigerian Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (San), invited ATA delegates to participate in the launch of the country’s Tourism Master Plan October , 2007 in Abuja, the capital city. The plan aims to position Nigeria as the continent’s leading cultural, historical and business tourist destination. Minister Kayode said the plan “was borne out of the Government’s firm conviction on the opportunities offered by the sector for sustainable development, especially at the grass roots level, its high potential for enhanced foreign exchange earn- ings and the environment friendly nature of tourism programmes”. He emphasized that tourism provides a variety of new opportuni- ties for improving socio-economic conditions, diversifying the economy, and achieving stability. For more information fax 604 681 6595 or visit our web site: http://www.africa-ata.org/nigeria.htm

CREATIVE CONCEPTS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE NIGERIA’S TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE 17 Africa Travel Magazine Western Africa will Shine at the World Travel Market, ExCel Centre, London 8-11 November, 2010

ABUJA CARNIVAL: NIGERIA’S CAPITAL ‘SWINGS’ AROUND THE CLOCK IN A ROLLICKING WEEK OF FESTIVITIES language, diversity of foods, and unity in world as a promoter of tourism as well as activities, parade floats, tribal masks and France, I have lived and taught school in say, Latin America’s carnivals and music By Jerry W. Bird originated here in Nigeria.” diversity. We owe it a duty to ourselves, the showcase to the world the cultural beauty costumes unique to various states. Born in Abuja for five years, and appreciate the “My impression of Abuja was that it is truly rest of Africans and to African in Diaspora and business opportunities that abound in 1976, I am considered a model city for all easy going lifestyle and friendliness of the I am Abuja, capital of a ‘City of the Future’ set in a scenic en- to showcase what is authentically Africa the country. Last year’s celebration was of Africa, and one of the world’s handful of and what is authentically ours.” Nigeria, which is Africa’s people. Here, we enjoy a comfortable year vironment.” “ Located approximately one almost marred by outcries and criticisms totally planned cities. Former President Obasanjo by some Nigerians, especially religious most populous country. I round climate and really appreciate the hour by air from Lagos, Abuja has excellent I am proud of my position as a magnet comments on Abuja Carnival organizations, which saw the event as fetish am confident about my future absence of mosquitoes and similar insect conference and accommodation facilities.” for world class meetings and events. For “In the next four days, you will see the dif- and profane. But the President addressed as a world center and a magnet for cultural, pests. It’s good to know that this city is “Throughout Abuja there is much construc- example I just finished ferent forms of art, dances, different aspects these charges when he informed the nation adventure, culinary, educational and leisure virtually malaria free.” tion going on and the people truly exhibit receiving visitors from an excitement about living in what is per- of our way of life, boat regatta, masquer- that among others, it was meant to pro- tourism. My broad, well maintained paved ades, that would be breathtaking in one over 60 countries, “ I was very impressed by haps the most modern city in Africa.” mote Nigeria and her people to the global streets, attractively landscaped boulevards spot.” community. With nothing short of joy and including heads of state, the recent renovations that “We were quite surprised at the relative and modern overpasses keep the traffic Referring to the unique nature of the carni- excitement, the President said the carnival at the Africa- Latin were being made at Nnamdi ease in our processing through immigra- flowing smoothly, morning, noon and night val, he added; is to be entrenched as a yearly celebration America Summit. Azikwe International Airport tion and customs. Much to our pleasure, we With my wide, cinemascopic vistas in “We have come together, all as Nigerians, that would give people room to explore Visitors Com- and was pleased to learn that were told that both the Ministry of Aviation every direction, you won’t feel hemmed in in one spot; we have brought together Nigeria. ments the Nigerian government was and the Ministry of Tourism have done an by gridlock. Being in Nigeria’s heartland, really serious about improv- excellent job in alleviating the extreme what will take anybody who has to go over Here are some current Nigeria days and even months in a space of I am adjacent to Kogi, Niger, Kaduna and ing the infrastructure of its bottlenecks that travelers were accustomed We plan to expand on this feature in coming comments about my few days.’’ editions of Africa Travel Magazine, in both Nassarawa states. Carnival week in late airports for incoming tourists to experience upon arriving in Nigeria.” lifestyle and attractions Dream Becomes Reality itsformats - printed and electronic (pdf). November showcases the culture of all 36 and business people.” Excerpts from The Guardian from a variety of U.S. The Carnival debuted in 2005 as part of the Keep up to date daily by visiting our web- states, with rhythmic, pulsating music, ex- “ Your exciting Abuja Car- (Nigeria) by Andrew Iro Okungbowa and visitors and residents Government’s dream to promote Nigeria as site: www.africa-ata.org/mag.htm otic tribal dances, durbars on horseback and nival rivals those in Rio de Stella Agbala “Here in this country where from other countries: Janeiro, Brazil and Mardis we have well over 350 ethnic and linguistic a tourist destination and to expose Abuja, camels from the far Sahara. It’s an unend- “Originally from Gras in New Orleans.”. Many groups, diversity of culture, diversity of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the ing kaleidoscope of colorful regalia, fun 18 Africa Travel Magazine Western Africa will Shine at the World Travel Market, ExCel Centre, London 8-11 November, 2010

19 Africa Travel Magazine NIGERIA EVENTS Discover the ed from West Africa to America through Local Government and some NGOs. Chief Black History Month (BHM) Badagry. It is reported that Badagry Moses Hungbo Owolabani is the Executive February 26, 2009 - March 8, 2009 Slave Route in exported no fewer than 550,000 African Black History Week Convention Chairman of Badagry Local Government slaves to America during the period of Expo & Osun Festival, August 2009 Nigeria Council. The tentative program of events Abuja Carnival January 2010 the American Independence in l787. encompasses initiation into Nigerian tribes, hoto of Abuja 2008 Carnival By Dr. Beryl Dorsett P In addition, slaves were transported to boat regatta, educational and economic byMuguette Goufrani. Europe, South America and the Carib- A darker historical era forums, music and dance festivals, and nu- bean. The slaves came mainly from West saw many people of West merous recreational activities and picnick- Africa and the neighboring countries of Africa leave their shores ing on miles of beach front property. For Benin and for plantations further information, contact Lagos State Togo as well in Europe, North and South Waterfront and Tourism Development Cor- as others America and the Caribbean. poration, 3B Itinrin Court, Victoria Island, parts of Nige- The infamous slave trade in Lagos, Nigeria. Tel. 234- 1-774-1886 or ria. The slave Nigeria is not known to many 234-1-775-4192. trade became people like the slave trade in the major Ghana, Senegal, Togo and source of in- Benin. Nigeria and Ghana come for the were former British colonies. Europeans in Senegal, Togo and Benin were Ask about our Badagry. former French colonies. Today, World Edition on In December 2000, I at- Badagry is an Culinary Tours tended the Fourth Eco-tourism historic site Symposium in Nigeria as a and Travel in because of delegate of the Africa Travel the significant Western Africa Association. The Lagos State Waterfront role it played as a major slave port in [email protected] and Tourism Development Corporation Nigeria. The town of Badagry is promot- invited conference delegates to a two-day ing an African Heritage Festival in May, pre-symposium tour of Lagos States. On 2001 to enlighten the world to its historic the first day, we toured the city of Lagos. sites, landscapes, cultural artifacts and On the second day, we toured the town relics of human slavery. Badagry wants of Badagry and learned that Badagry was to share this world heritage site with oth- an important slave route in West Africa. ers. They are preserving buildings, sites Badagry is one of five divisions created in and memories of this iniquitous period Lagos State in l968 so those tourists can unearth the dark This ancient town of Badagry was founded impact of this era. Places of interest in- around l425 A.D. Before its existence, clude the Palace of the Akran of Badagry people lived along the Coast of Gberefu and its mini ethnographic museum, the and this area later gave birth to the town early missionaries cemetery, the District of Badagry. It is the second largest com- Officer’s Office and Residence, the First mercial town in Lagos State, located an Storey Building in Nigeria constructed hour from Lagos and half hour from the by the Anglican missionaries, relics of Republic du Benin. The Town of Badgry is slave chains in the mini museum of slave bordered on the south by the Gulf of Guin- trade, cannons of war, the Vlekte slave ea and surrounded by creeks, islands and Market, and the Slave Port established a lake. The ancient town served mainly for the shipment of slaves before the l6th the Oyo Empire which was comprised of century. Yoruba and Ogu people. Today, the Aworis The Lagos State Waterfront and Tourism and Egun are mainly the people who Development Corporation is sponsoring reside in the town of Badagry as well as in the African Heritage Festival, May 2001, Ogun State in Nigeria and in the neighbor- in collaboration with Nigerian Tour- ing Republic du Benin. ist Development Corporation, Badagry In the early 1500’s, slaves were transport-

20 Africa Travel Magazine OUR TRAVELS IN GUINEA, FROM CONAKRY ON THE ATLANTIC COAST TO THE HIGHLAND COUNTRY AND SENEGAL BORDER way, and you have a winning com- which in French we call “Le bination. Our hosts from the Guinea near Dalaba (1425m). Chien Qui Fume,” or the Smok- Ministry of Tourism, working in Abundant Water ing Dog. Look closely at the close harmony with the Africa Some writers call Guinea the mountainside and you will see the Travel Association and magazine as “Water Tower of Western Africa,” strange resemblance. At certain its media arm, hope to make these because many rivers take their times, like when a thick fog hugs dream vacations a reality for travel- origin (River Gambie, Senegal, the mountainside, a wispy smoke ers from around the world. Niger, etc.) from it. These riv- seems to rise from the animal’s Did you know? ers and churning rapids, hurtling mouth. • Guinea’s major ethnic group the Malinke also reside in parts of down the mountains create beau- Kindia and the Falls Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, tiful waterfalls. Our first overnight stop was at and ruled one West Africa’s great Fouta Djalon Gateway the town of Kindia, (140 km empires. Malinke are also known to The second important leg of my from Conakry) where we visited have originated the best kora musi- journey inside Guinea followed a the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls cians in West Africa. The kora is a stretch of highway heading north, or “Le Voile de la Mariée. “ The unique and popular musical instru- between the towns of Kindia and falls are at their most appealing ment in the area. For details on the Mamou, which is known as the Kindia, Dalaba, Pita and Labé, to By Muguette Goufrani Guinea, I purchased several during the rainy season, when the amazing kora- visit this informative “Gateway to the Fouta Djalon.” our final destination at Mali Ville website: http://www.coraconnec- albums of West African Malinke flowing water resembles a deli- When night falls, Mamou be- near the Senegal border. I had tion.com/ The story of my music for our library and hope cate bridal veil. Here in the heart comes one of the country’s liveli- many opportunities to capture the • Guinea is called the Switzerland journey with a to make these songs available of West Africa, Guineans offer est towns, and an ideal place for spirit and flavor of the country, its of Africa, thanks to its lofty moun- driver and guide for our viewers to enjoy online . all the ingredients of a “Dream delicious street food. We sampled people, history, culture, cuisine, tains and high plateaus, plus a from the Gulf of Bridal Veils, Smoking Dogs Vacation,” if you long for an a variety of items, from barbecue colorful costumes, lifestyles and temperate climate. The highest Guinea on Africa’s and Mountain Maidens uncrowded, unspoiled, visitor- to Guinean style couscous. I was breathtaking scenery. peaks are Mount Loura at Mali Atlantic Coast to Following the ATA 27th Inter- friendly country. In a class by impressed by the festive atmo- Precious Jewels Ville (1515 m) and Mount Tinka historic Mali Ville national Congress in Conakry, itself is Guin- sphere. These Famous African Ballet and Ma- in the northern which literally burst with Af- ea’s unending proud, assertive linke Music to charm the soul are highlands was like one of Nat rican flavor and color, I began selection of people, walked several of the jewels in Guinea’s King Cole’s famous songs ... my long-awaited media tour of spectacular the streets abundant treasure chest that make Unforgettable! Or as the Maurice Guineas’s plateaus and northern landscapes, decked in their it an attractive tourist destina- Chevalier would say ... C’est highlands. Directed by Lamine which un- bright flowing tion that’s loaded with potential. Magnifique! Some call Guinea Diallo, a professional tour guide folded around robes, as if to A key facet is the rich vibrancy the “Switzerland of Africa” and and his driver Karim, I boarded each bend, say “Guinea of the culture. Another charming one of your first pleasant sur- the Ministry of Tourism bus and like a cinema- is subject to jewel in Guinea’s tourism crown prises when touring the Republic we headed east, making our first scope movie, no sovereign is the romantic and captivating of Guinea is that the country stop at Coyah, a bustling village as we motored power.” While Malinke music heard literally is uncrowded. Large in size, that is where Guinea’s bottled through the Guineans rep- everywhere you go. It’s a rhyth- yet small in population with water is processed. Naturally we hilly ‘Fouta resent a com- mic style that gives inspiration to 7.5 million inhabitants. Guinea had to gather a plentiful supply Djalon’ region. bination of the many West African artists, even is also described as the land for the journey ahead. Many travel- Muslim, Chris- “Les Ballets Africains,” of contrasts. Those apt com- Close to Coyah is Dubreka Ville, ers say that the tian and Ani- Guinea’s musical goodwill parisons became evident to me which we visited several days Fouta Djalon mist faiths, they ambassadors to the world and a few days into our journey. The previously. It is the home of “Les offers the most have learned to Africa’s foremost touring dance route selected by our gracious Cascades de la Soumba, “ which striking vistas live together in company. What a sight they are host Hon. Sylla H. K. Diakite, features a spectacular waterfall, in all of West harmony - an on stage! Our applause rocked the Guinea’s former Minister of watersports and a resort complex Africa. Put example for the Tourism, and her General Man- auditorium in Conakry following with dining room and comfort- this fact to- ager Ibrahima Diallo, covered this group’s spectacular, energy- able cabins. Beyond Coyah a side gether with the Continued on a vast expanse of geography, filled, two hour command perfor- road, Route de Fria, leads to one charming, hos- next page stretching northeast by highway mance for the Africa Travel Asso- of the country’s better known pitable people from the capital, Conakry, via ciation delegates. Before leaving tourist sites, Mount Kaloulima, I met along the

21 Africa Travel Magazine Exploring Guinea, the Switzerland of Africa and home of Les Ballets Africains the Dalaba Mountain Resort was a major therapeutic center, thanks to this support, we plan to reprint the current edition - to keep up with the entire world. For example, how many are really aware that West Africa its fresh air at 100Om altitude and gently rolling hills. Set amongst lush demand. As the first travel guide in our new Africa Travel Library series, was thriving with well established empires and trade routes long before vegetation in the Foutana highlands, it is a charming town, with an it will be a valuable marketing tool to sell Guinea Trade the first Europeans came? average temperature of 10 degrees c. Guinea’s President and the and Tourism worldwide. One section will cover Guinea’s Mamou’s Typically Guinean Marketplace First lady, holiday here often, however when they are not visiting, “Slave Road” a joint project of UNESCO and OMT,. The merchants and artisans in their stalls and various places of business tourists can stay in the rooms used by his entourages and enjoy Footnotes struck me as being confident and strong minded, yet gentle in nature. fantasies of grandeur. In the commercial area of Dalaba, I spent • The young lady is from Guinea’s Peuhl clan. She is wear- These are ideal qualities for business success anywhere, but especially some quality time chatting with, and learning about local customs ing the distinctive hairdo and head dress. Migrating from in Guinea. In the busy open-air public market and many roadside stands, from a talented group of artisans. We visited the co-op shoemaker ancient Egypt the Fulani or “Peulh “ are said by some to women traders stood behind large trays of merchandise, looking elegant shop (see photo section), where they make a wide variety of color- be of Jewish origin, some having light complexions, with in their bright robes and always anxious to please. Even the small chil- ful sandals, plus intricate leather work and other crafts made from Caucasian features. dren approached us with trays of delicacies, sweets or fruits balanced indigenous materials. The Republic of Guinea is located along 300 km of the At- on their heads. The vibrancy of town life, plus contact with the outside Le Jardin Chevalier lantic Ocean in West Africa. Thanks to its abundant natural world and external trade, has stimulated Guinea to reach a higher stan- At the park like setting of Jardin Chevalier, we saw splendid ex- resource base, there are business and investment opportu- dard of civilization than Africa’s more isolated people. Shopping for amples of horticulture, with its selection of trees and shrubs from nities in all sectors of the economy clothing is a real delight. See the wide variety of attractive West African around the world. Guineans are excellent gardeners. Lawns are carefully Guinea is a country that has shaped history while conserving its dis- robes in our photo section. Most households in the area have a selection nourished, irrigated, and terraced to slope down to the lagoon. Sitting tinctions. Intersection of civilizations of the African Middle Ages, the of indigo plants and the locals dye their own clothing, often with interest- in a lawn chair that evening, with the sunset reflecting in the water and country was the center of birth, the extension, and the successions of ing patterns. It is an imposing sight, dozens of shop women, each with shining through a fringe of oil-palms and slender coconut palms, I could the grand West African empires. Guinea, always protective of its liberty, her selection of palm-oil, soaps, fabrics or yogurt in front of her. Many of catch the vanishing glamour of the tropics. My night was a fantasy of was the last to be colonized in West Africa and the first to recuperate its these people work at farms in the countryside, so there is a vast system pleasant dreams independence. of petty trade. These people have trade in their blood, and bargaining is a On solid ground: During this journey and my entire three weeks in Guin- • Guinea’s major ethnic group the Malinke also reside in parts of Mali, favorite sport- an ideal opportunity to fine tune their skills. ea, I got the distinct feeling from many people I spoke to at length, that Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, and at an earlier time ruled one West Africa’s Note to Readers: We checked Webtrends and Gunea is attracting more the country is in capable hands. This feeling of confidence, energy and great empires. Malinke are also known to have originated the best kora readers than any other section on this site, which scores thousands of enterprise was illustrated last spring by the solid support our magazine musicians in West Africa. The kora is a unique and popular musical in- pages read weekly. received from the nation’s business community. Our website has just add- strument in the area. For details on the amazing kora- visit this informa- Dalaba Mountain Retreat: Taking the main route north, Dalaba ed a Business Directory Section that will connect the reader with Guin- tive website: http://www.coraconnection.com was our overnight stop. A key tourism site since the Colonial period, ea’s business leaders, and there’s much more to come. Encouraged by

22 Africa Travel Magazine 23 Africa Travel Magazine Africa and to the mum capacity, announced Presi- St. Paul’s Cathedral Reasons to Africa Travel As- dent Abdoulaye Wade the Head of Cote d’Ivoire in Rome, lived up to sociaiton. We miss the Republic of Senegal. its billings in the Air her warm smile V isit and Invest According President Wade who From the Paris of Africa to its Ro- Afrique advertisement. and wonderful Palatial grounds and is the originator of the establish- man Basilica companionship. marble columns gave it

in Senegal Travel and Tourism ment, the students will come from a regal presence - and by Jerry W. Bird in Senegal all countries without distinction 36 giant giant stained-

One of Senegal’s best known Senegal has been glass windows, splashed of origin. They will receive, at the Lobster Man of Abidjan developing its tour- a kaleidoscope of colors sons in North America and the beginning, a teaching on public Abijan, Cote d’Ivoire: Having heard our ism since the early across the interior, in Caribbean is Ogo Sow (right), administration, management, New Associate Editor Muguette Goufrani sing 1970s and is now changing patterns. We better known as “Mister Information Technologies. The the praises of her life and times in Cote receiving some vowed to spend at least Africa” to his thousands of radio listen- d’Ivoire and other West African countries, half a million tour- University of Future for Africa will one Christmas week in I was full of anticipation as we boarded ers. Ogo is a long-time friend and constant ists a year. There allow, thanks to inter-academics Cote d’Ivoire, to hear the Air Afrique jet at the Cotonou, Benin contributor to our magazine and website. a WTO project, the choir and enjoy the agreements, African students to Airport, bound for the legendary Ivory financed by UNDP, of travel. Haury Tours operates two travel blend of traditional Euro- He is also playing a huge part in the global follow by satellite in real time the Coast. As serendipity plays a big part in aimed at studying agency offices - one in the central lobby pean and exotic West African music. awareness of the Africa Travel Association same courses as the students of the many of my African journeys, the first tourism’s impact of Abidjan’s 750- room Inter *Continental I congratulated myself for turning over my as its Director of Diaspora Affairs. He and university institutions with which Ivorian we chanced to meet en route was a on the country’s Hotel Ivoire (below right). camera to a local volunteer who stayed by his family live in Atlanta, GSThe following Mr. Gakpo, “The Lobster Man of Abidjan” economy. “We will it will have to sign these agree- During my first visit to the hotel, Man- our side for almost two hours. That way, (a possible song title), who kindly invited is a brief profile of Mr. Africa’s native land. be assessing what ments. ager Peter Janssen suggested we visit the for $30 US, we were free to take in the us to stay at his seaside inn the following About Senegal new opportuni- ‘basilica’ at Yamoussoukro (the capital). atmosphere, and visit every corner of one For President Abdoulaye Wade that week. That opportunity was a special treat ties there are, and Air Afrique showcased this ‘wonder of the of Christianity’s most awesome sites, while Senegal was the first African Country our will make it possible for African for several reasons, one being that the how to improve world’ on Africa Travel Magazine’s back he recorded the occasion for posterity and Editor Jerry W. Bird visited after founding students of the UFA to obtain not Inter Continental Hotel Ivoire was full to the magazine - and it also became the first management to cover in 1996, the same year as our trip. future publication such as this. From these equivalent diplomas, always prone the rafters and rooftops, due to an Africa- increase the ben- “You’ve come this far,” I told myself, “why 36 treasured photographs, we have enough country to host the Africa Travel Associa- wide financial summit. I’ll never forget efits from tourism to discussion, but instead identical not go all the way?” So, when the sun rose images to produce a fine coffee table style tion (ATA) Ecotourism Symposium. The Mr. Gakpo’s stadium sized outdoor dining said Mr. Ndiaye. With most of the travel diplomas. The diplomas are co-signed by the over the coconut palms at Lobster Village book. With much more to see and do in prestige event took place at Saly/Dakar, area, open to the moist Atlantic breezes, industry run by foreigners, one objec- the next morning, I decided, rather than Abidjan, we chose a speedy bus for the re- 1992. A large share of the thanks should go foreign university chosen and the UFA. The and topped by a traditional West African fly or drive, we’d ‘go native’ and purchase turn trip. E-mail Muguette with your travel to our good friend and loyal ATA member tive will be to seek ways for easing bank students will have access to affordable hous- thatched roof. While wining, dining and tickets on the local bus. experiences in Cote d’Ivoire and other West from California, the late Eunice Rawlings. lending facilities to enable the Senegalese ing, as an option, Wade underlined whose cracking red lobster shells, one can watch Eunice lived and worked in Senegal for Indiana Jones in Abidjan: A taxi took us to African destinations [email protected] or themselves to play a greater role. He hopes article was illustrated by several photographs the ever-present fishing boats bobbing up several years and remained devoted to West the bus station at Adjame, which was like visit www.africa-ata.org/mag.htm that cooperatives can be set up to promote showing the model of the university estab- and down in the waves, in search of fresh something out of a Bogart or Indiana Jones seafood for tomorrow’s table. cultural tourism, lishment in its various facets. movie - mingling crowds, a cacophony of Photo of the Atlantic coast, courtesy of giving visitors a (Source: APS) Here is a brief outline of the sounds, street vendors everywhere - even Best of Africa Hotel. Photo below courtesy a special room for the Muslim population change to stay in country and its benefits to visitors: of Haury Tours< Abidjan. to perform its ritual prayers. I didn’t know villages and join A stable and open country What’s more, the place never seems to it then, but there are several classes of in everyday rural A healthy and competitive economy close - allowing us to visit well into the buses available, and we chose the bargain activities. Human resources of quality wee hours. Thus, Abidjan’s “Lobster Villa” version, a half day milk run, with countless became our staging point for one of the The University Modern and performance infrastructures stops and some unexpected adventures, most event-filled weeks in my lifetime. At of the Future A lawful framework and fiscal renovated which in retrospect made the journey more the time there was a major renovation and memorable. African will A privileged access to the regional and expansion of Mr. Gakpo’s Beach Hotel in Yamoussoukro the Capital receive between international markets progress. For reservations and information Arriving at Yamoussoukro, the elegant 2500 and 5000 A life quality exceptional phone (011) 225-27-40-86, fax 225-211-08 Hotel President, another Inter *Continen- students Contacts: Meeting Therese Haury was another mile- tal, became our center for a taxi tour of stone. Like Mother Teresa of another era, The University Ministry of Tourism, Senegal the city. After a refreshing lunch of aloco this travel agent extraordinaire is dedicated of Future for Af- http://www.tourisme.gouv.sn/ (bananas, onions and grilled fish), foutou to helping Ivorian villagers equip and (yams) topped by an icy cold, long-necked rica (UFA) will Senegal Tourism Office USA supply local health clinics. Her souvenir- bottle of Flag beer at a local ‘maquis,’ have a capacity http://www.senegal-tourism.com/ filled residence overlooks Abidjan, the (open air restaurant) we drove by the of 2500 students Senegal Embassy USA Paris of West Africa. I plan to devote an walled Houphouet- Boigny residential in the first three The Embassy of Senegal in Washington, issue to the elegant new homes and mod- palace. Its version of a moat is a series ern lifestyle I saw emerging, as this young years of its D.C. has jurisdiction in United States, of ponds occupied by a horde of hungry giant of a city, the Paris of Africa, enters opening and Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti and others. crocodiles. What a fantastic setting for the the new millennium. next James Bond or Indiana Jones movie. 5000 students in For more information visit www.africa-ata. We visited every district by taxi, which Speaking of classic, grandiose settings, the long term, org/senegal.htm proved to be a relatively low cost mode Yamoussoukro’s basilica, a replica of for his maxi-

24 Africa Travel Magazine WEBISCO NIGERIAN FASHIONS MAKE AN OUTSTANDING STATEMENT AT THE ATA 33TH WORLD CONGRESS FASHION SHOW, ARUSHA, TANZANIA

Nigeria’s Chief of Fashion encore presentations at ATA venues in For your TRAVEL AGENDA We first met Chief Margaret Bolanie Fabiyi in various locations ever since, including (1) Black History Month (BHM) WEBISCO NIGERIAN FASHIONS MAKE AN 1997 at the Africa Travel Association World the event in Arusha, Tanzania (above) February 26, 2009 - March 8, 2009 Congress, a year after our partnership with ATA in which our editor, Jerry W. Bird, OUTSTANDING STATEMENT AT THE ATA 33TH was confirmed. The location was in Cotonou, modeled a flaming red costume. In ad- (2) Black History Week Convention WORLD CONGRESS FASHION SHOW IN TAN- & Expo & Osun Festival, Benin, West Africa. At the next congress in dition to being an accomplished fashion August 2009. ZANIA Arusha, Tanzania, we were treated to the first of designer, Chief Margaret is active in WEBISCO/WIFWETN has published first edition a series of fashion shows this talented lady has ATA and ASTA in Nigeria and is a tour of “BLACK HISTORY MONTH MAGAZINE” organized for Africa Travel Association events. organizer, well known for her annual While enjoying luncheon at Arusha’s Impala BLACK HISTORY MONTH TOURS. to project Blacks of integrity in Nigeria. Hotel, it was suddenly announced that a fashion For times, dates and booking arrange- show was about to take place. To everyone’s ments check the e-mail address and Chief Mrs Margaret Bolanle Fabiyi surprise, the models turned out to be our own website on the opposite page or visit the Webisco Travel & Tours Nigeria, 7 Adelabu Close, P. O. Box 4313, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria. delegates - and the variety of fashions for men Africa Travel Magazine website - www. and women, large and petit, young and not so africa-ata.org/bulletins.htm young - was superb. Chief Margaret has staged . 25 Africa Travel Magazine Above: 1. Map of Benin. 2. Benin Fashion.3. Ganvie -Village on stilts. 4. Benin Marina Hotel, Meet : While strolling through the Medina in Marrakech, Morocco in site of 1997 ATA Congress. Below- Cotonou, Benin’s major city and air gateway. elevations, to the lower lying south, this hospitable country is a safe December, 2002, we had the pleasure of a chance meeting with a familiar and a friendly place to explore. After gaining independence from friend, Marie-Elyse Gbedo, former Tourism Minister of Benin. Later that France in 1960 Benin went through some difficult times. Today Benin The Benin Story: Welcome to West Africa day we visited with her at the Imperial Borj hotel for an interview session by Jerry W. Bird is a multi-party democracy made up of six provinces. The president, regarding her visions for West Africa in the coming decade. This meet- who is the head of the government and chief of state, is elected for ing was timely, since Ms. Gbedo was in the Marrakech for the African Being part of the Africa Travel Association brings rewards throughout a five year term. In 1999, voters went to the polls and elected mem- Professional Women’s Association (details to come Conference. Watch the year, the very pinnacle of which is the privilege of attending an ATA bers of parliament, reinforcing the stable political atmosphere. Benin for her comments and a description of the Imperial Borj hotel later in this Congress and experiencing the delights of a different African country MemoriesWhen it comes to business as well as pleasure the Benin section. every year. Nothing could have prepared me for the pleasant surprise Marina Hotel offers you all that’s best in Africa. As a business travel- Benin, West Africa offers many delights I received on the eve of ATA’s 22nd Congress in Cotonou. In fact, the ler, you’ll be presented with superb surroundings providing confer- By the late Eunice Rawlings entire fortnight in Benin was a whirlwind affair... one that has becomea ence facilities and versatile meeting rooms, all designed to permanent bookmark in a lifetime of surprises and serendipity. Our group make a comfortable and efficient environment, and adapt- If you’re looking for an unusual, from North America stepped right off the Air Afrique jet into the heat of able enough to suit individual needs. Then, when work is affordable vacation, be sure to put the night and what seemed like an exotic Arabian Nights style movie set. done for the day, the recreation begins. Benin on your “Agenda Africa” Imagine the scene in cinemascope and high fidelity, wraparound sound; Situated right on the beach, the Benin Marina Hotel is an for the coming year. Benin is an an exotic garden party on the spacious patio of the Benin Sheraton in idyllic spot - the perfect setting for you to unwind. Perhaps enchanting West African nation Cotonou (now under new management).The scene was lit by a big tropi- you’ll choose to enjoy an energetic game of tennis, or just roughly the size of Pennsylvania, cal “paper moon, that seemed to hang in the sky for our personal benefit. order lunch by the pool, In addition, the hotel prides itself yet it is a complete destination with ATA’s opening gala was a riot of colorful costumes - a whirling dervish on its superb cuisine, attentive staff and luxurious accom- enough variety to fill a two-week with high energy dance routines, leaping and spinning to the ever present modation. vacation. From the drier northern beat of African drums. How’s that for an introduction to AfriJet-Setters 26 Africa Travel Magazine Photo of West African Horseman by Muguette Goufrani

27 Africa Travel Magazine LOME, REPUBLIC OF TOGO WOULD BE AN ATTRACTIVE HOST CITY FOR GLOBAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM EVENTS democratic West African country. relies on herbal medicines, charms and a ing our visits to that friendly country. hauling in their long nets, accompanied Ewe eat cats, and consider anyone who ATA members look Vin du Palm et Sauce healthy dose of positive thinking. They Some say, should a popularity contest by an enchanting rhythm and singing. eats dog meat to be barbarians. The forward to adding des Legumes believe that the spirits are everywhere -- be held today, amongst all West African It’s like an epic Hollywood movie scene. Kabye enjoy dog meat, but refuse to eat If you enjoy the delights of dining, each in the air, the trees, the water - even build- Lome, Togo in the countries, Togo -”Pearl of West Africa” French is the official language of Togo, cats. Togolese district has its own culinary ings. A priest calls on his favorite god to heart of Western would come first. Lome, the capital which has a population of 5 million. The Voodoo and fetish cults: While in Haiti specialties. One of my favorites is predict future events, and keep evil forces Africa, as a future city, with several five star hotels and two largest ethnic groups are the Ewe (1997) as part of a media video produc- ‘sauce des legumes’ (vegetable sauce), tion team, comprised of Africa Travel at bay. He sits on a stool in his colorful host city. Having acres of sandy, sun-drenched beaches, and the Kabye. Ewe consider the birth of with crab and foutou (mashed yams). robe, holding a regal staff, receiving gifts has become a highly popular vacation twins a great blessing, while the Bassari Magazine, National Geographic and enjoyed events in Or how about something completely of gin, which he sips as a troupe performs center for Europeans. For most Ameri- consider twins a misfortune. This same Radio Lumiere, I advised my col- Dakar Senegal, different? Try snails cooked like a ritual chanting and dancing. A sacrificial cans and Canadians, it’s still a well kept contrast is seen in their eating habits; the leagues on how Voodoo culture came offering is made as a show of loyalty and Cotonou Benin, secret. Visitors hardly need to leave brochette, or sit down to a dinner of to the Caribbean from Togo respect to the spirits, and to gain special Conakry, Guinea, their hotel area; the Atlantic ocean is smoked goat meat. Many visitors top and other parts of West favors, such as the birth of twins. Calabar, Nigeria one block from the heart of the city. off their meal with a glass of ‘vin du Africa. While in Togo, Muguette Goufrani and Abuja, Nigeria, Accra, Ghana and ...Map of Togo. palme’ (palm wine), a popular, clear- we spent a full day at Africa Travel Magazine’s Francophone Lome’s central market, where we colored drink that will knock your Akodessewas, the world’s Conakry, Guinea in the last few years, I Editor covers West African destinations bargained for many of my favorite socks off. A big surprise on my first largest fetish market, with would highly recommend Togo and hope and events in detail. Her native language keepsakes and wardrobe items, rates as visit to Togo was ‘Chateau Viale,’ its array of sorcerers’ po- that an ATA event occurs there in this is French and she has lived in five West one of the five best shopping sites in an astonishing, medieval style stone tions; roots, bark, monkey decade. For information on coming events, African countries, working for Air Af- Africa. At Maison Royale, my friends fortress. Perched high on a hill, this skulls, wart hog teeth, por- rique, Royal Air Maroc and Citroen. As a in Africa and worldwide, visit the ATA web- and I were dazzled by an elegant gold African castle was created by a vision- cupine skins, leopard hides, Travel Agent, she worked in North Africa, site - www.africatravelassociation.org or Mercedes- Benz, parked at the en- ary Frenchman in 1944 as a retreat for antelope horns, bones of where her family operates an inbound download our Western Africa World Edition trance, gleaming in the mid-day sun. A his wife. For some reason unknown to crocodiles, horses, pigs tour company, and later in Tahiti and symbol of wealth and success in North me -- she spent three days in palatial and monkeys, plus various magazine - www.africa-ata.org/waf.htm Cambodia. Muguette has been a partner America, these upscale autos are com- grandeur, then split for France. Today, parts of human anatomy. Pearl of West Africa in the magazine since it was founded in monplace in Lome, many being owned Chateau Viale serves as the Togolese Such concoctions are used by Muguette Goufrani 1995. E-mail Muguette with your travel by “Nana Benz”— women traders, so President’s weekend retreat. to cure everything from experiences in Cote d’Ivoire and other named because they all appear to be Information: www.republicoftogo.com diarrhea and the flu, to cuts, Where do many West Africans go West African destinations. We welcome Mercedes Benz owners. Most taxicabs Contact : [email protected] impotence and rheumatism. for an extended holiday or weekend your input. E-mail Muguette with your are owned by this enterprising group. Site available in English & French I tried on a gris gris (neck- fun? Chances are better than average travel experiences in West Africa. Mini buses are another popular means Aneho lace), which is said to work that Togo tops many of their agendas. of transport, and the prices are fair. To For a change of venue, make a trip to its magic when blessed by While we were living in West Africa, More news, more reports ... insure the safety of its visitors, Togo Aneho, where you will experience life a fetish priest. Part doc- my family and I will never forget the http://www.republicoftogo.com has the most police checkpoints of any in a typical Togolese fishing village. tor, part psychic, the priest Togolese hospitality we enjoyed dur- You’ll see fisher folk on the beach, Contact : [email protected] 28 Africa Travel Magazine To Timbuktu for a Haircut displayed pastel bookbindings. A bundle of papers was neatly stacked in in temperature or humid- Continued from page 7 an opened drawer. This trove of literary riches was merely a fragment of ity. They left a mark on the Ahmed al-Hadj grinned in greeting the challenge. I felt both encouraged and helpless; at once a believer that mind as would a stand of and unlocked the door to the library. something was being done to rescue the manuscripts while also feeling old-growth forest, a cove of He was pleased that I should enter that these efforts were woefully insufficient. pristine water, or the glimpse it. The first two rooms were empty “It is difficult to protect these,” Ahmed al-Hadj said through Zak. His of an endangered species. I and I immediately remembered a left arm’s wave covered a tiny portion of the “Timbuktu manuscripts” I’d felt that this might be why photograph of a similar setting with heard about. “My family wrote on astrology,” he explained, carefully lift- I had come to Timbuktu; to stacks of crumpling sheets and bro- ing an old book from the collection and passing it to me. “Now, I wish to assist, to make things better, ken books browned with dust and save everything.” I took heart from his reassurance, yet struggled to com- to help save these precious weather, poorly stored and in ruin. prehend his perspective. “But it is not possible,” he said of the dilemma. manuscripts. I felt embar- Then the man opened another locked This man in blue stared as though gauging trust in my eyes. He rose rassingly “Western”: the door and we entered a larger, mud- slowly, and walked to a mud alcove behind his desk to share a secret. He only way to help immediately in this place seemed to be with cash. And I walled room with furniture. A ceiling concentrated on me, his long arms carrying a burnt-wood box. He set it gave. He accepted. It was not his wish; it was his need. fan started when the electric switch went up. Immediately, I breathed air on the ground at my feet, where he knelt, the smoothed earth not dirtying Importance of Manuscripts that had the aroma of old paper. his robe. He pried loose the top, shifted it off, and the carbon smudged There are 700,000 manuscripts in Timbuktu. Their discovery has been The keeper of the library, magisterial in his movement, went behind his his pink palms. The chest held eight damaged books and he removed called “the greatest archeological find since the Dead Sea scrolls.” In- LOME, REPUBLIC OF TOGO WOULD BE AN ATTRACTIVE HOST CITY FOR GLOBAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM EVENTS makeshift desk and motioned for me to sit on a wooden chair with a wo- one of the more intact volumes, its leather cover charred and flaking, and cluded in the cache are Moorish books with bug-riddled bindings, Islamic ven brace. Zak, not used to the setting, shyly bridged the language gulf. passed it to me. pamphlets covered with sand, ninth-century treatises baked by time, and democratic West African country. relies on herbal medicines, charms and a “My father was Imam at the mosque. His father before him. Our fam- ing our visits to that friendly country. hauling in their long nets, accompanied Ewe eat cats, and consider anyone who “The Koran,” Ahmed al-Hadj whispered. I cradled it in my arms as Zak scholarly pages a phase away from dust. ATA members look Vin du Palm et Sauce healthy dose of positive thinking. They Some say, should a popularity contest by an enchanting rhythm and singing. eats dog meat to be barbarians. The ily values the old writings.” The seated man leaned his chest forward on interpreted with reverence: “It is from the twelfth century.” These literary remnants are mostly from Timbuktu’s glorious fifteenth forward to adding des Legumes believe that the spirits are everywhere -- be held today, amongst all West African It’s like an epic Hollywood movie scene. Kabye enjoy dog meat, but refuse to eat the desk, his palms open in the air, not far from either side of his face as If you enjoy the delights of dining, each in the air, the trees, the water - even build- It would be hard to find the soul of Timbuktu, but the search, I thought, century, tucked untidily between Africa’s Muslim encounter and the ran- Lome, Togo in the countries, Togo -”Pearl of West Africa” French is the official language of Togo, cats. though to narrow my eyes on his own. Then he gestured toward a book- Togolese district has its own culinary ings. A priest calls on his favorite god to might begin in this room. cour of European exploration. They are the evidences of a proud, if not heart of Western would come first. Lome, the capital which has a population of 5 million. The Voodoo and fetish cults: While in Haiti specialties. One of my favorites is predict future events, and keep evil forces case along the wall. “These manuscripts, these books, I save for them, for Africa, as a future city, with several five star hotels and two largest ethnic groups are the Ewe (1997) as part of a media video produc- He showed me another book and, through Zak, described how the paper widely known, heritage. ‘sauce des legumes’ (vegetable sauce), tion team, comprised of Africa Travel at bay. He sits on a stool in his colorful my family. And for Africa.” He was a man of letters saving historic writ- host city. Having acres of sandy, sun-drenched beaches, and the Kabye. Ewe consider the birth of withered from dampness during the rainy season. “These books — many, Ignorance impeded their preservation over the centuries, and continued with crab and foutou (mashed yams). robe, holding a regal staff, receiving gifts ings for those who could not read. has become a highly popular vacation twins a great blessing, while the Bassari Magazine, National Geographic and many — were not properly stored.” When I asked how he found this par- lack of awareness facilitated their slow disappearance — the loss of enjoyed events in Or how about something completely of gin, which he sips as a troupe performs center for Europeans. For most Ameri- consider twins a misfortune. This same Radio Lumiere, I advised my col- I wanted to touch the pages, feel an ancient book, open history. Dakar Senegal, different? Try snails cooked like a ritual chanting and dancing. A sacrificial ticular book, he said, “There was a home hurt in the rains. This was in it.” history’s book one page at a time. Were they housed together, collected in cans and Canadians, it’s still a well kept contrast is seen in their eating habits; the leagues on how Voodoo culture came “There are many manuscripts in Timbuktu. It is important that they be offering is made as a show of loyalty and A pamphlet, dry and curled, rested on his desk. He pointed to it but did temperature-controlled rooms, and catalogued from Arabic to Tuareg to Cotonou Benin, secret. Visitors hardly need to leave brochette, or sit down to a dinner of to the Caribbean from Togo respect to the spirits, and to gain special kept,” he said, not smiling. “But first they must be found.” Most endan- Conakry, Guinea, their hotel area; the Atlantic ocean is smoked goat meat. Many visitors top and other parts of West not lift it, telling Zak, “I cannot let him touch this one. The binding had Zahara, these manuscripts would be esteemed one of the world’s bib- favors, such as the birth of twins. gered were the unregistered, unknown sheets of paper stashed in closets Calabar, Nigeria one block from the heart of the city. off their meal with a glass of ‘vin du Africa. While in Togo, bugs.” When I asked where they went, he replied that they were shaken liographic miracles. They are considered less a treasure only because of Muguette Goufrani or loosely stacked writ- and Abuja, Nigeria, Accra, Ghana and ...Map of Togo. palme’ (palm wine), a popular, clear- we spent a full day at out. He went to a their scattered and deteriorating condition. Africa Travel Magazine’s Francophone Lome’s central market, where we colored drink that will knock your Akodessewas, the world’s ings without bindings, Conakry, Guinea in the last few years, I Editor covers West African destinations small pile of indi- Such was the commerce of writing in Timbuktu that the city’s trade bargained for many of my favorite socks off. A big surprise on my first largest fetish market, with without containers, a would highly recommend Togo and hope and events in detail. Her native language vidual colophons, routes in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries became known as the Ink keepsakes and wardrobe items, rates as visit to Togo was ‘Chateau Viale,’ its array of sorcerers’ po- sheaf held only with a that an ATA event occurs there in this is French and she has lived in five West single sheets of Road, a tribute to more than the manuscripts that made their way along one of the five best shopping sites in an astonishing, medieval style stone tions; roots, bark, monkey decade. For information on coming events, African countries, working for Air Af- wrap of tired leather. Africa. At Maison Royale, my friends fortress. Perched high on a hill, this skulls, wart hog teeth, por- history, and said them. Respected marabouts (religious teachers) and scholars were re- rique, Royal Air Maroc and Citroen. As a A wooden case full of in Africa and worldwide, visit the ATA web- and I were dazzled by an elegant gold African castle was created by a vision- cupine skins, leopard hides, of them, “Need garded as “ambassadors of peace” for their acumen in negotiations and Travel Agent, she worked in North Africa, site - www.africatravelassociation.org or Mercedes- Benz, parked at the en- ary Frenchman in 1944 as a retreat for antelope horns, bones of books relied on the wall where her family operates an inbound more room for Koran-based dispute resolution, not only in Timbuktu but in Gao, on the download our Western Africa World Edition trance, gleaming in the mid-day sun. A his wife. For some reason unknown to crocodiles, horses, pigs for support and stood tour company, and later in Tahiti and storage.” It was River Niger, and in Djenné. With their scholarship and mediation skills, symbol of wealth and success in North me -- she spent three days in palatial and monkeys, plus various beside two unmatched magazine - www.africa-ata.org/waf.htm Cambodia. Muguette has been a partner not a complaint. they were respected as the ideal adjudicators. Sought when arbitration America, these upscale autos are com- grandeur, then split for France. Today, parts of human anatomy. Pearl of West Africa in the magazine since it was founded in sets of shelving. Glass monplace in Lome, many being owned Chateau Viale serves as the Togolese Such concoctions are used A recent acquisi- was required, they travelled the routes, figuratively and literally, of parch- by Muguette Goufrani 1995. E-mail Muguette with your travel doors housed rather by “Nana Benz”— women traders, so President’s weekend retreat. to cure everything from tion, papers with- ment and peace. experiences in Cote d’Ivoire and other than protected the bind- named because they all appear to be Information: www.republicoftogo.com diarrhea and the flu, to cuts, out binding, was When Askia the Great ruled Mali in 1468, after his Songhai defeated the Where do many West Africans go West African destinations. We welcome Mercedes Benz owners. Most taxicabs Contact : [email protected] impotence and rheumatism. ings and papers. The for an extended holiday or weekend your input. E-mail Muguette with your piled in studied Tuareg, his rule was built upon Timbuktu’s strengths in trade. The city are owned by this enterprising group. Site available in English & French I tried on a gris gris (neck- wall beside me had a fun? Chances are better than average travel experiences in West Africa. disarray with no then became the epicentre of learning and Islamic education. Arab schol- Mini buses are another popular means Aneho lace), which is said to work larger case of shelves that Togo tops many of their agendas. place to file them ars wrote and collected books and created large libraries in its universities of transport, and the prices are fair. To For a change of venue, make a trip to its magic when blessed by While we were living in West Africa, More news, more reports ... that sagged under the insure the safety of its visitors, Togo Aneho, where you will experience life a fetish priest. Part doc- properly yet or and synagogues. The vast collections of writings were maintained, pro- my family and I will never forget the http://www.republicoftogo.com weight of a hundred has the most police checkpoints of any in a typical Togolese fishing village. tor, part psychic, the priest to protect them tected, and revered. They sustained a learned society and a community of Togolese hospitality we enjoyed dur- Contact : [email protected] You’ll see fisher folk on the beach, volumes. Each shelf from changes understanding. Thus the phrase “Timbuktu trades in gold, salt, and ink.” 29 Africa Travel Magazine TO TIMBUKTU FOR A HAIRCUT AND OTHER HAIR-RAISING ADVENTURES In Timbuktu’s golden age, sophisticated stores nineteen thousand manuscripts that range from philosophy, mathe- travellers would arrive with books matics, and Islamic law to geography and the sciences. This is the written is president of the Timbuktu Educational Foundation. He warns that “this known to be rare. During this period, history of Africans in Africa. It is of them, by them. Not the French, the entire African intellectual legacy is on the verge of being lost.” While manuscript-collecting was popular in British, or the Portuguese. many of the volumes and decaying materials have been identified through Timbuktu, and caravans were forc- Restoration teams face a fascinating dilemma in deciding how to protect the main universities of Timbuktu, Jingere Ber, Sankoré, and Sidi Yahia, ibly detained while their written works the brittle pages. Their work barely makes a dent in one of the desert’s much more work must be done. Balde has launched the foundation’s Pre- were copied by hand by students at the greatest challenges. “Rare book boxes” have been designed to house serve-a-Manuscript program, setting a fundraising goal of one hundred universities. Texts from distant univer- those manuscripts beyond reclamation. Repair and restoration work is U.S. dollars for each artifact that remains from the time when “Timbuktu sities were often borrowed, studied, and risky, too. Sometimes turning a page makes more dust than sense. The flourished as the greatest academic and commercial centre in Africa.” copied. key to preserving the knowledge, if not the documents, is to transfer the Meanwhile, in this antiquarian gold mine, the sheets curl and crack where Timbuktu’s libraries grew. At the same words to another technology. Microfilming has been problematic, be- the ink has set. Documents of a dozen warped pages are filled with hun- time, the city’s private libraries flour- cause the ubiquitous sand tends to erase key data components. And the dreds of broken words. Africa is known as a land with a rich oral tradi- ished with copies of written contracts, supply of electricity is sporadic. tion, infused with song and dance; this trove of manuscripts establishes it religious books, legal texts, and let- The U.S.-based Timbuktu Educational Foundation as a continent with rich traditions in literature as well. ters. The marginalia of the day recorded This organization was created in 2000 for “the sole purpose of preserv- We emerged from the dilapidated Old City onto a wider street, which everything from wedding plans to the previous night’s shooting stars, ing, restoring, and disseminating the important intellectual contributions made the area feel new, that is, less than a hundred years old. providing a fascinating insight into the culture’s everyday concerns. of the early African scholars from the famous Timbuktu University of “Zak, had you ever been to Barth’s home before?” Seeing those manuscripts today causes dismay. Often they lie in the Mali, West Africa.” Those noble objectives for Timbuktu’s disintegrat- “No.” homes of those who cannot read, and who perhaps do not know of the ing heritage are farsighted yet time-pressured. The foundation proposes “To Caillié’s?” treasures they possess. Or the documents are crammed into the forgotten to “translate and publish the manuscripts of Timbuktu” and “restore the “No.” corners of mud buildings. Individual manuscript pages have been sold to historical buildings which house the University of Timbuktu,” which they “To Laing’s?” travellers for food, thus disappearing from their family, from Timbuktu, intend to “reopen with its classical methods of teaching.” It also wants “Yes, but only stand outside.” from the public domain. to open a branch of the University of Timbuktu in a major city in the We stopped at a home that sold woven baskets. On its porch a pot of fish The protected manuscript collections that do exist, dat- United States with “the ancient, clas- parts was at a boil. Farther along, a chair held dirty bottles filled with ing from as early as the second century, have prevented sical architecture of Timbuktu’s great gas oil, each bottle holding just the amount needed to top up one of the a cornerstone of Africa’s history from sifting through universities.” There, it will recre- motorcycles that were so common on this roadway. Zak stopped to buy a careless hands. That 700,000 manuscripts have survived ate the famed Timbuktu “Circle of single cigarette, and we asked the boy selling it whether there was an- largely untended is astonishing. International travel- Knowledge,” the sharing of complex other bibliothèque nearby. Zak lit his smoke, puffed, and listened to the lers make their plans for Mali, browse a few websites, decision-making through the inter- explanation as the boy pointed to a nearby building. arrive, sightsee, and depart, oblivious to this literary generational training of scholars who We left the dust-packed road and entered a courtyard thirty metres along. conundrum: a wealth of historic manuscripts almost ac- mentor professors who, in turn, study Inside, we found half a dozen one-storey buildings that looked to be cidentally still available. But time is not a friend of these with Imams. The scholars deliberate residences. A colonnade appeared, and there was a raised walkway made writings; the annual rains bring damaging humidity, the contentious matters together and, in of mortar. A sign hung around the corner: Salle des manuscrits. That was books in dry storage harbour insects, words erode. this flow of information, learn and it. We woke the man we took to be the custodian. He said the man we In the race against time to save these irreplaceable decide. When their deliberations are wanted was bathing. Library Represents a Noble Cause treasures, Mali has attracted serious attention, irregular complete they make a decision, per- assistance, and modest funds from Norway, South Africa haps issue a fatwa. Given these aims, Apparently not. Djibril Doucouré sauntered toward us with such fresh (where a major business consortium plans a new library it is understandable that the Malian enthusiasm that I felt as if I were the first to visit his library. The man to house hundreds of thousands of the manuscripts), the government, mindful of the co-oper- was Chef de Division Restauration & Conservation des manuscrits a United States, and Spain. There is no small amount of ation it needs from other well-inten- l’Institut Ahmed Baba de Tombouctou. He knew of Western interest in controversy in the salvage work, with competing claims tioned groups, made the foundation the manuscripts, corresponded with university students in Canada and the of authority and confusing mandates. “the legal custodians and caretakers United States and, as he showed us to his rooms, was evidently proud of The Ahmed Baba Centre of the manuscripts.” the manuscripts and books he had assembled as part of the preservation This facility, named for the fifteenth-century scholar, Musa Balde, of Oakland, California, effort. Hundreds of protected volumes lined the walls. These books were 30 Africa Travel Magazine were functioning, others anticipating such a day. TO TIMBUKTU FOR A HAIRCUT AND OTHER HAIR-RAISING ADVENTURES The one I chose booted slowly. After all, this was the end of the world; I had to manage my expectations. French key- boards were understandably de rigueur. The uniqueness of this one lay in its indi- vidual keys. Each character on the key- board was handwritten on paper, using different pens and pencils, implying that such “fixes” had been made over time. These pieces of paper were secured to the keys with Scotch tape, the heat mak- ing “secured” a tentative concept here. Two tags were on the floor. After three reboots, I was ready and sent my mother and father a brief e-mail: “Have arrived healthy and safe. Dad, I’m in Timbuktu and going to get my hair cut.” intimates of his. Doucouré removed a bedsheet I turned to Zak. “Shouldn’t we hurry?” I left the Internet room. Outside, it was covering the glass display case in the middle of “Why?” he replied. dark; a dim light bulb hung from a cable beside a merchant’s doorway the room. In the case, a dozen books lay opened “It will close at five.” ten metres away. In beleaguered French I negotiated access to the shop’s and labeled. “Islamique en 601/1204” was in- “At five?” telephone. It was kept under lock and key in a wooden box. The merchant dicative of their ages. The Koran rested in two “At five o’clock.” twisted the key and pulled hard on a sand-encrusted bolt. The phone treasured copies respectively indicating both “Rick,” he stated. “Is Timbuktu. Nothing closes at five.” was old, but in Timbuktu, what isn’t? To ensure that I’d not misjudged Muslim and Christian dates, 639 and 1241. We picked up a couple of bottles of mineral water, a Diago for me, and the agreed cost, I placed seffe on the table and the shopkeeper gave me “These titles, they are about pharmacie,” Dou- Roc Vert for Zak. At a visitors’ room in a courtyard behind a sign for change, though he set it to the side in a gesture I understood to mean “In couré explained, gingerly holding two aged Mission Culturelle, there were a few brochures in French and, more curi- case it is more.” I telephoned Janice with all the emotion of far-off love books. “The spines, they crack because of heat.” ously for a non-country, the presumption of a passport stamp: Tombouc- and, after three rings, reached the answering machine, on which I left a The temperature had created dry wrinkles, and both books were torn. tou. It marked more than my travel document, it marked an accomplish- historically placed romantic message. “May I?” I asked, extending my hands. Doucouré placed a book many ment. Each year fewer than five thousand travellers (Europeans, Arabs, The occasional flickering light from a shop or candles in streetside homes hundreds of years old across my wrists. North Americans) — an average of thirteen a day — make their way to lit my way back to the hotel. Periodically, a vehicle drove by, a dog “This one, it is on optics.” He pointed to an illustration of a conical Timbuktu. To have been one of them was satisfying. It pleased me nearly barked. People scuttled along. The sand at my ankles slowed a walk that sphere with lines running through it and measurements indicating magni- as much not to have seen even one of the other twelve visitors that day. was already unhurried. Then it was quiet. fication. Arab calligraphy is among the most beautiful to be found, and it The day turned to night. Zak and I separated, him returning to the hotel. I found the barber’s tiny shack at the roadside, marked by a hand-lettered radiated here as well, though this book’s lines ended with abort- In the dust that shouldered sign that leaned against the outside wall and displayed the word coiffeur. ed words, as page edges were worn away by heat and humidity. the Route de Kabara, a When I poked my head in the open doorway, the barber was midway When Doucouré showed us a side room, we discussed the yellowed building boasted through a child’s haircut. At the sight of me, he jettisoned the local and limited project funds he had. The library was large and cool of access to the Internet, cleared the chair below an electric bulb. I waved my willingness to wait, and had sturdy shelves. The books were well racked, and I saw a commercial courtesy of but three other kids had gathered behind me as I walked in. I was not an titles dealing with history and chemistry and mathematics. I MaliNet. I’d read warn- inconvenience; I was the evening’s entertainment. thought if more Westerners visited, more would leave money. ings that in Mali such At the British Library, I had browsed through Zigzag to Timbuktu, a 1963 More Timbuktu manuscripts would be saved. signs, like those proclaim- travel story by Nicholas Bennett, who said, “I had always thought of ing VISA cards, were Timbuktu as the most remote place in the world; that’s why I wanted to My Timbuktu day was ending. There was an office here that often meant as intentions, go there.” Another of his observations came to mind as I sat in the bar- stamped international passports with an imperial-looking not facts. Inside was a bershop beneath the barber’s sharp clippers. “The children, and this was blotch. But it needed to be searched out, and soon. table with computers, a thing I had noticed in Timbuktu, had a strange kind of haircut. Half the three of which apparently head is shaved at one time, and it’s not until the shaven half has grown 31 Africa Travel Magazine again that they have the other half shaved off.” René Caillié, “Still, though I cannot account for the impressions, there I’d watched for this “Timbuktu hairstyle” and was something imposing in the aspect of a great city raised in the midst wondered if that was the origin of my dad’s say- of sands.” ing. Nothing I saw validated that, and I was not The spell of Timbuktu would remain on the Niger’s shore when I left concerned about a strange trimming of my locks. Korioumé the next morning, it would not follow me on the river. If there Too late, I realized that all the five faces looking was a sadness in my discovery, it was this: there is no quest for Timbuk- at me in the barber’s chair were below closely tu. trimmed pates. This awareness was confirmed by the mirror. I couldn’t remember my dad ever coming home with this hairstyle until he went bald. In the deep dark, I overshot the lane that led off the road to my hotel and instead walked on for a kilometre in increasingly unfamiliar territory. Oc- casionally I passed the huts of street merchants. At one, I was flirtatiously asked by a young woman for un cadeau and she touched my pack. Then there were three, and to each I presented my country’s flag on a pin. Their giggles were genuine, and in trade they offered me meat they had cooked for the evening meal. It tasted of grit and grease and reminded me that I was hungry. Their men joined us, and in French I asked about the way to a nearby hotel. They said there was none. They sent me away from the light and companionable warmth of their fire and into the night, alone. I was barely able to see. Then three goats suddenly jumped across the road, startling me with the reminder of my vulnerability. I passed large mounds of dark dirt that were actually mud homes, and finally found the narrow road that led into incredible darkness. At its end I stopped and stood at the edge of the Sahara, where the hotel Hendrina Khan was tucked into the sand.

I had spent a day rummaging through history to find some simple truths. Timbuktu is not an imaginary place, it is an embellished one. Its legends neither sought nor needed my sanction. Timbuktu is more a passage than a destination; more a pilgrimage than a journey. I thought, let the Tim- buktu myth be. Timbuktu does not long to be loved; it shrugged at my arrival. It did not judge my entry; it would as soon have let me pass. My coming meant nothing; it never would. Timbuktu is of consequence to me, not me to it. No one is drawn to Timbuktu by today’s realities. All come with knowing illusions. Timbuktu’s aura will not crumble like its buildings. I felt, with More articles on Western Africa will appear in our new, revised yearbook edition, to be launched following the ATA 35th Congress.

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