Msafiri Issue 177 - Feb-March 2023

DEAR READER Welcome to the latest issue of msafiri - Africa's leading inflight magazine. We've bounced into 2023 with a positive spring in our step, celebrating 46 years since we took to the skies, enhancing several routes on our global network and introducing two new ones. We're delighted to report that Kenya Airways is now operating a direct flight between Mombasa and Dubai, flying four times a week from Moi International Airport. With our existing Nairobi—Dubai service, the new route increases our total number of weekly flights to the UAE to 14. According to Kenya's Deputy President H.E. Rigathi Gachogua, “The launch of this flight marks yet another dynamic that will go a long way to sustain millions of jobs from the tourism sector in the coast region.” Also new…

WELL SPOTTED STRETCH BY KUNAL D SHAH [KENYA] “Watching Nalangu kill an impala that afternoon was incredible. However, due to the size of the kill, it was impossible for her to carry it back for the little one. She walked to the usual hideaways and brought him out after about an hour of waiting. As she guided the cub to the kill, I realised we could get an amazing shot of her on her return, from the bottom of a river crossing. We quickly rushed to the bottom of the riverbed and waited. She not only walked by it, but she stretched and looked towards us.” CANON EOS R3 | 80OMM F5.6 1/1250S ISO 3200…

You have to take your loved one to Lamu. Sure, she can take herself, but it's different when you take her… assuming, of course, that she likes you. Because it's very possible that she can love you but not like you. Why Lamu? Because everybody I have met plans to visit Lamu, or is very curious about it. They append romance to it and their pupils dilate a little [if you move close to their face, which you shouldn't] when they tak about the dhows and the old narrow streets. Plus, who wouldn't want to visit a place with a name that goes with archipelago? Watch a woman walk through the doors of a great hotel room, how they wander around appraisingly, like then are in an orchid, softly running…

01 HUMANS You could argue that we are the most important things Africa has given the world-the earliest known hominid fossils [of Australopithecus anamensis] are dated to 3.8 million years ago, and were discovered in Ethiopia. Scientists believe that it was the forerunner to A. afarensis [shown here], which is widely viewed as the ancestor of our genus, Homo. 02 Afrobeat Nigerian musician Fela Kuti is widely credited with establishing Afrobeat-a genre of music that originated in the 1960s from West African traditional musical styles including Fuji and Highlife, as well as American funk and jazz music. Kuti died in 1993, but his legacy beats on through the rhythms of new generations of Afro beat bands, like Kokoroko, shown here. 03 SAFARI The Swahili word safari means ‘journey’ or ‘to travel’. Usually associated…

football is not only the beautiful game, but it also brings the world together. And nothing says it more than the FIFA World Cup. Booze was prohibited at the 2022 footie fiesta in Qatar. However, football is a drug that gives its addicts one helluva high and always leaves them asking for more, or nursing the mother of all hangovers. This means a return to normality can take a while, with withdrawal symptoms to boot. If your family lives were turned upside down during the World Cup, here are some ideas on how to get back to the real world. Your family witnessed sides of you they never knew existed. They saw you lose your religion and curse at the TV when a player missed a tap-in open-goal chance. They…

The African honeybee may be tiny, but it is an increasingly giant force in the drive towards self-reliance and sustainable conservation. It also forms part of a shift towards community self-help and away from dependence on charity interventions. In Africa, much of the success of wildlife conservation has long been tied to travel and tourism industry income. One of the lessons that the Covid-19 pandemic downturn highlighted was that this model was particularly vulnerable. The growth in apiculture is one potential solution to this over-reliance. Recent initiatives have engaged local beekeepers in sustainable farming which creates an ecofriendly alternative source of income, encourages community engagement and promotes environmental protection. This modest little insect is also contributing to a range of other hugely important developments in the country - as a…