To get the most our of a visit to Africa - safari or vacation or business trip - one needs to become acquainted with the locals. What better way that though the bloggers?
I’ve written about many African countries, about safari’s and game parks about African beaches and landscapes. I have written stories of great African cities like Accra, Ghana; Nairobi,Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Lagos, Nigeria; Durban, South Africa and Cairo, Egypt.
So this time I thought I’d hand over the reigns to Oluniyi David Ajao, a website developer, blogger, photographer and critical thinker based in Accra, Ghana.
I must admit, that one thing I immediately liked about him was the quote on his homepage: "This generation remains African and carries with it a historic pride which compels it to seek a place for Africans equal to all other people of our common universe." - Thabo Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa.
I browsed through his recent blogposts and the one that caught my eye is, “I’m banking on President Musa Yar Adua.” He begins:
“A religious individual would ask me, why are you banking on a human being, why not put all your hope and trust in the God the Almighty Creator? I’d say to the fellow, “I trust and believe in God with all my heart, and all my soul; but I know God uses human beings to manifest His good works on mankind”.
It is on this basis that I am stating here and now that I am not only convinced, but I am banking some hope on Nigeria’s new President - Musa Yar Adua. I believe the humble man will play his part, and leave Nigeria much better than it was, before he took office.”
“Laughing at Ghana, Crying for Nigeria” is another blog post that pokes fun at government red-tape, corruption and blunders on the one hand and on the other expresses a deep sadness for the ongoing troubles in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
Coming back to the point of this blog of mine: I would like to advise people who plan to visit African countries to not just browse though travel brochures, but take a look at what the bloggers, the citizen media of the countries you want to visit, have to say.
Most bloggers are happy to answer questions and one thing I can guarantee, all Africans I know want people to come and visit their countries so they’ll be happy to help you with advice and information.
You know the tourist sites and the game parks and beaches are great; Africa has almost unthinkably diverse natural beauty and wildlife that are great tourist attraction. But I can promise you what will truly hook you about Africa – from Cairo to Cape Town – is the people.
To get to know the ordinary people and to learn about their ways and their countries will guarantee you an unforgettable African vacation experience.
Explore some African vacation options:
