Msafiri Issue 178 - April-May 2023

DEAR READER Welcome to msafiri-our award-winning inflight magazine. It is almost one year since we reintroduced the physical copies of msafiri and we hope you are enjoying the inspiring stories we feature. The magazine is specially curated for our guests on board and, just like all of our products, we always want to ensure that it meets y our needs. That is why your feedback is dear to us, so please take a moment to complete our reader survey — you can find full details on page 25. The year is bursting with promise for growth and we are pleased to announce an increase in frequencies on several routes, including Addis Ababa, Guangzhou, London and Mumbai. Turn to our Kusafiri section, starting on page 67, to find out more. You…

AFRICA'S WILD PLACES Pretty in pink: vast flocks of lesser flamingo can be seen at Lake Natron, Tanzania, where 75% of the world's population of 2.5 million breed On page 30, the African Wildlife Foundation's CEO Kaddu Sebunya tackles the big question: How should Africa manage its relationship with wildlife?’ As a prelude to that, here's a taster of what makes Africa so special for wildlife… In the Congo Basin a patchwork of rivers, swamps and flooded forests supports more than 10,000 plant species, 1000 varieties of birds and over 400 different types of mammals, including lowland gorilla and forest elephant. The variety of life is also astonishing in the Great Rift Valley where isolated mountains and lakes have led to a high level of endemism, particularly in areas like…

An acquaintance visited from Colorado. First time in Kenya. First time in Africa. A cliched American: gigantic fellow with a scraggly ginger beard that I suspected was home to all manner of small American rodents back home. Let's assign him an American name: Matt. Matt wore sunglasses all the time, possibly because Africa is very bright. And he said ‘dude’ a lot. He said things like, “Dude, it is so bright here!” He cast an intimidating figure of those big Seal Team fellows we see in movies who can hold their breath underwater for two days and jump off a helicopter with dogs strapped to their backs. But Matt turned out to be the gentlest man you ever saw. He wept at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust when he was…

times are tough. Extremely tough. Or, as we say in Kenya, “Earth is hard”. Many fathers – myself included – have had to tighten their belts. So much so, in fact, that relative to their upper and lower body, their waists resemble those of an ant. “If I even think about going on a holiday,” they moan, “my poor waist will be snapped in two.” Hey, I got you, man. Below are my tips on how to have one helluva holiday on a budget… and give that waist some much-needed breathing room! My first tip is to go on holiday by [to quote Robert Frost] “the road less travelled”. What I mean is, ditch the traditional destinations and think outside the holiday brochure. Visit places that are not considered holiday…

01 IT'S NOT JUST THE HOURS THAT COUNT! The recommended duration of sleep for adults is 7-9 hours per night. For proper growth and development, children and teenagers should aim for 9-12 hours, while toddlers need 11-14 hours and infants 12-16 hours. But quality sleep is not only defined by duration, but also by depth and continuity. Depth refers to the sleep being deep enough to be refreshing; while continuity describes the non-fragmentation of sleep periods. Afugaye ng'ombe tume mwenye ziwa la kujaza [SWAHILI PROVERB] HE WHO KEEPS A HEALTHY COW WILL HAVE PLENTY OF MILK 02 INADEQUATE SLEEP IS DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH Sometimes we say: “There is too much to be done; we will rest when we die.” Little do we know that lack of sufficient…

Africa's top coffee producers ETHIOPIA UGANDA CÔTE D'IVOIRE TANZANIA MADAGASCAR KENYA SIERRA LEONE CAMEROON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO TOGO The first time I attended an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, my host and I sat on low, three-legged stools next to a charcoal fire. Beside us there was a mortar and pestle, tiny cups, a jebena (or coffee pot) and salted popcorn in a woven basket. As the scent of burning frankincense wafted from the fire, my host roasted dried green coffee beans until they turned dark brown. Although they are called beans, they are actually seeds. The ground coffee was added to the jebena filled with hot water. The aroma of brewing coffee was enchanting. I tried coffee with and without sugar, but had none with milk because my host said…