Reflections on Africa!

I’ve arrived in Cairo.  I can hardly believe I am here.  I travelled from Zambia via Lusaka and Johannesburg and landed here in the early hours of the morning. 

While I am incredibly excited at the thought of exploring the Middle East and while I have not yet technically left Africa, I already miss the laidback feel of Southern & Eastern Africa and the smiling faces of the African men and women I met.  They were so incredibly friendly with amazing smiles on their faces despite their own personal circumstances and my heart went out to them. 

They were a nation of beautiful people – a photographer’s dream.  I loved taking the pictures of the kids, who ran up to say hello and the men and women on the street corners.  Their faces were so expressive and their dresses so colourful and original.  The women had such unique hair styles with so many different styles of braiding and often colourful scarves that were wrapped around their heads. 

I miss the cries of “my sister from another mother”, that seemed to assail me wherever I went and the numerous marriage proposals from boys who were young enough to be my sons!  African men are so forward and so complimentary and such a great boost to one’s self confidence that I miss them already. 

I felt so comfortable in Africa – as if I belonged!  I met complete strangers who were bold enough to run their fingers through my hair and go, “I love your hair, where are you from my sister?”!  I was thanked so many times for visiting and asked so many times if I would come back and visit.  It was lovely to have so many people who had only known me so briefly say they would miss me. 

It is a culture of warm and friendly people who are incredibly confident and happy despite the fact their lives are incredibly hard.  They keep striving to live and better themselves, even though they might not have had the opportunity to complete high school.

I miss the space.  The wild.  Those amazing animals I saw on safari… The red blankets of the Masaai people.  My friends on the overland trail.  The beaches of Zanzibar…. 

I say goodbye to my favourite continent and to my favourite people.  Till we meet again….

"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward." Franklin D. Roosevelt