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Wangechi Gitahi

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I love cultural festivals, I am keen on attending Cultural Festivals, I am an advocate of Cultural Festivals and more so Cultural Festivals in Kenya. At Cultural Festivals, one gets the opportunity to learn the lifestyle of a people, make friends with people they may perhaps not necessarily engage with on a day to day and fact check stereotypes they may have of different communities.  One meets people willing to share and showcase their culture, people genuinely ecstatic to “teach/inform” others about their way of life, everyone is everyone’s friend, security is at an all time high- led by the locals themselves and several cultures would be showcased at one place. In some instances, members of previously perceived warring communities would be eating, drinking and dancing together. Everyone has equal opportunity to engage in the same activities, it does not matter if you arrived on the first or second day,…

When I first heard about the South Africa Cultural Seasons in Kenya, I was struck by the “Cultural Seasons.” In my mind, I envisioned a Festival of sorts that would immerse me in the rich South African culture. Thus, when I got the opportunity to attend the Gala Night that was happening on 25th February 2019, at the Nairobi National Museum , I arrived with lots of expectations yet not really knowing what they would offer. I am however really happy that I attended because, this gala not only informed me what exactly the South Africa Cultural Seasons was but, also enabled me to engage with it quite intensely. The gala dinner was a great sneak peek into what they had in store for all, as part of their “seasons”.   First up, I was very impressed by the fact that the dinner was free sitting, which means, you could interact…

“Africa Nouveau is an annual 3 days 3 nights arts and music festival congregating creators, curators and fans of Africa cool from Africa and its Diaspora, ” Management.  This year, the event was being held from the 8th-10th March 2019, at the Ngong Race Course, Nairobi, Kenya. I was really looking forward to attending it after seeing and hearing about it in 2018,  thus it was on my bucket list for 2019. As I started preparing to attend it, I learnt that its Theme for 2019 was “Africans and Outer World Beings” and this just heightened my resolve to attend, to learn a bit more what the the theme could actually mean. Take a walk with me, as I share  my highlights and learning points  from the festival. First up, I have to touch on the “Afro Bubblegum Philosophy” which states that,  “African art can be fun, fierce, fantastical and…

Tanga Beach Resort and Spa is a luxury resort located in Tanga, Tanzania.Tanga is located in the Northern region of Tanzania and near the border of Kenya and Tanzania. It is one of the largest cities in the country and is located along  the Indian Ocean.The resort has been in  operation since 2009 and they do not take the title “Luxury Resort” lightly. Luxury is replicated everywhere from the accommodation, to the customer service to the facilities. During my whole stay, I felt pampered, I felt appreciated, I felt spoilt, I felt luxurious. First up, the suites/ rooms get a thumbs up, as they showcase why they are a luxury resort. First, they have not compromised on space, thus ensuring that all their guests, regardless of room type, have adequate space and extra. They have four room clusters which in order of superiority are, Presidential Suite, Executive Suite, Junior Suite…

What is a High Commission? What is an Embassy? What is the difference between a High Commission and an Embassy? What is the role of a diplomatic mission? Is the role of embassies  and high commissions only to issue  visas ? Is the role of high commissions and Embassies to throw parties for  dignitaries? Who is entitled to visit a High Commission or Embassy? Why does Kenya invest money in having diplomatic missions abroad? Are they worth having? While on  a recent visit to Namibia, these and more questions tickled my mind. I have only visited diplomatic missions and in this case -foreign embassies, four times in my life, to apply for a tourist visa. In some of these cases, the reception was neither warm nor friendly, I honestly felt unwelcome. At best, it was one of the most nerve wracking experiences ever, with emotions moving from anxiety to anger…

Have you ever heard of United Nations (UN) tours? Do you want to know about the United Nations? My oldest memories of the United Nations is watching several of their peace keeping missions across the world, on TV.  Another was watching them provide aid to families, especially in war torn areas.  Thus in my mind, I knew they were ‘people who help others’ and I so wanted to be a part of them. However, when I tried to learn more about them, engage them, volunteer with them, partner with them, all were unsuccessful. I thus decided that the UN was for ‘some people’, ‘those people’ , ‘that clique’, ‘ a secret society’ that is only open to a select few. I thus pushed any thoughts of the UN to a little dark corner in my mind and decided I’d ‘give back’ to the world in my own ‘little’ way. Clearly, if I…

My engagement with Japan started years ago, thanks to the Japanese movies that I watched. I was drawn to their  culture, everything from their ladies always being dressed up in beautiful Kimonos and wishing I could own one, to watching their men showcase amazing sword skills. It was also interesting to learn about their dynasties and thus a “Japanese ” fire was  lit in my system. I thus told myself that one day, I would delve into the Japanese culture, learn as much as possible and integrate as much as I could. When I heard that the Japanese Embassy located on Mara road, Upper Hill  was hosting a Japanese Cultural Festival on the 3rd of November 2018,  I decided, no way was I missing it.  It turned up to be the best decision ever, as I got to delve into the vibrant Japanese culture without having to leave our Kenyan…

Ethiopia Airlines is the flag carrier of Ethiopia and has been in operation since April 08, 1946.  It is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia and serves 101  international and 22 domestic destinations. Its flights have two classes: Cloud Nine which combines First and Business Class and Economy Class. When I recently needed to travel to Windhoek, Namibia from Nairobi, Kenya, I went online in search of flight options with  two main search option guides 1) Cheapest Flight 2) Deliver me in Windhoek. Thus for hours, I had my eyes fixated on my laptop, my fingers playing with any and all search words I could get. I used my usual go to search platforms- Google, Fare compare, Skyscanner, Trip Advisor among others. I put out alerts for when flights to that route would drop across airlines and search platforms among others. When a decision had to be made, Ethiopia…

I saw him from across the room and I smiled at him, even though I had only seen him from a far on my last visit to Turkanaland.  He seemed to sense my gaze and looked in my direction, a beautiful smile breaking from his lips, revealing white sparkling teeth.  He rose and walked towards me, eyes locked on mine as if daring me to turn away.  The last time I saw him, I didn’t get adequate time to look at him, learn his features, see him in his element or learn who he really is.  No way was I going to let this chance pass me by and so I gawked, unashamedly. When he stood before me, I was impressed by his firm strong handshake, his confident gaze, his pronounced physical features and I noted he had a cute parting between the teeth on his lower gum.  He greeted…

Lodwar town is the capital of Turkana County, better known as Turkanaland. Turkana Land is located in Northern Kenya, a region that is greatly misunderstood by outsiders mainly due to misguided, negative stereotyping. As I ventured into Turkanaland, with Lodwar being my first stop, I was anxious about so many things, one being where I would sleep.  I can hereby confirm that yes, there is quite a variety of accommodation options in  Lodwar. My highlight though is Cradle Tented Camp which offers luxury accommodation and  became my home for a few days. I stumbled upon it as I was exploring Lodwar and indeed, it seduced me at first glance and that is how I ended up being a guest. They have various unique facilities that do indeed make it a “haven in Lodwar”. It is home to the only swimming pool in Lodwar which I assure you, is a major seduction noting…