Msafiri Issue 182 - Dec 2023 - Jan 2024

2023 has been a great year for us. Once again, you, our loyal guests, affirmed us by giving us a double win at the World Travel Awards. msafiri was named Africa's Leading Inflight Magazine for the second year running and Kenya Airways was crowned Africa's Leading Airline for its Economy Class Service – the fifth time we've received this award. Thank you for always choosing us. We continue to work hard on our customer-first strategy, listening to you and understanding your needs. Our goal is to be the preferred Africa carrier and we are constantly innovating to improve your experience. To ensure smoother connections on our network and partners, we have signed a partnership with Lufthansa Systems to provide a more efficient codeshare management solution, SchedConnect. As a member of…

Football is the biggest lure for fans jetting into Abidjan for the 34th edition of Africa's premiere football tournament. But travelling for football also means travelling for good vibes, great food and a chance to experience one of West Africa's most vibrant countries. When they're not cheering on their teams in the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, fans can make a beeline for Banco National Park – the only urban area of primary tropical forest in Africa. For lovers of architecture, St Paul's Cathedral, designed by Italian architect Aldo Spirito, has six spectacular stained-glass windows. Food lovers, meanwhile, will find plenty of local cuisine to try, including street food such as alloco – plantain fried in palm oil, spiced with steamed onions and chilli, and eaten with grilled fish…

AND RELAX… What better way to welcome you on board The Pride of Africa than with a photograph of a lion relaxing in the Maasai Mara. This image, by Christian Hargasser, is one of the shortlisted entries in the 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the competition focuses on the lighter, humorous side of wildlife photography, but also has an important role in promoting wildlife conservation. Find out more at comedywildlifephoto.com…

01 How do you make it as a pro? Becoming a top pro not only requires work on the pitch, but also some good work off it. You need to have a very good agent; someone who can put you through across top clubs. You also need to have a very well-packaged CV that details your strengths as a player, as well as achievements and general traits as a person. In this new age, another crucial factor in making it as a pro is ensuring you have personalised videos and a vibrant social media, especially if you come from regions where football coverage is not as huge. 02 How do you stand out? How you handle yourself as a professional is the biggest area of standing out. Do you take care…

MYTH 1: AI WILL TAKE OVER ALL HUMAN JOBS, RESULTING IN MASS UNEMPLOYMENT Fact: AI seeks to replace human tasks and processes, not humans. Through AI, a portion of formerly low-level and repetitive human tasks have, and will, be replaced by machines and software. However, the idea is not to replace humans, but rather to free up human skill for other tasks and engagements. AI continues to generate new employment positions. Many require upskilled employees who can therefore utilise AI as a tool at work. MYTH 2: AI WILL SOON RULE THE WORLD AND ROBOTS WILL CONTROL HUMANS Fact: AI is developed by humans, who determine the extent of technology, science and data to which it functions. Theories of AI controlling humans are based on fiction. AI is a tool.…

1 HOW TO LAUGH OFTEN AND MUCH Children can laugh their heads off at mundane things. Last week in a bank queue, a mother was surprised when the baby strapped on her back kept laughing while staring at me. It was the way I was moving my ears that brought on the tickles. The baby must have thought my wiggling wigs were separate creatures that had a life of their own. Thanks to the stresses of life, dads need more than wiggling ears for them to be awed. Only spectacular things can awe us. Like brilliant jokes from brilliant comics. But Ralph Waldo Emerson extolled us thus: “To laugh often and much: To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children… This is to have succeeded.” 2…