Some 12 million Africans are thought to have been sold as slaves from Senegal to Angola over a period of 500 years. Most were destined to work in European colonies in the Americas. Today, the Ghanaian forts from which so many were shipped have become places of pilgrimage for their descendants – and for Africans too. Read the full story here. (UK residents will need … Continue reading A pilgrimage to Ghana’s slave forts
Tour operators used to sell Burkina Faso as a joint trip to Mali. With Mali now off-limits following the north’s takeover by Islamist militants, the bottom has fallen out of regional tourism. Read the full story here. Published on Baobab, The Economist, 19 December 2012. Continue reading Staying Away: How Mali’s crisis killed tourism in Burkina Faso
Domestic visitors used to make up 40% of visitors at Cape Coast Castle, Ghana’s famous slave fort. Now it’s 70%. Domestic tourism, like everything else in Ghana, is booming. Hitting the road is now the thing to do amongst young Ghanaians: find out more about those I recently met during a trip in Ghana in this piece for the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent. You … Continue reading Of crocodiles and slave forts: domestic tourism in Ghana
Madagascar conjures up images of leaping lemurs, primeval rainforest and idyllic shores. But few people think of the island as a gastronomic destination. Thanks for successive waves of migrants, who all brought with them a little something from home, Madagascar is queen of the fusion genre. Read the full story here. (UK residents will need to use a proxy server to read the article.) Published … Continue reading Of Madagascar’s culinary wonders
Madagascar is well-known for its biodiversity; 5% of all animal and plant species known to man live here and only here (70% of the fauna and 90% of the flora are endemic). For travellers, admiring this modern-day Noah’s Ark is a highlight of a trip to the Red Island. Here are 10 of our wildlife highlights and the best time and place to find them. … Continue reading Madagascar’s wondrous wildlife
