Do you hear the drums of change?

Do you hear the drums of change?

We have seen many dark days, their embers still burn bright for all to see, shadowing all with a “single story” of our identity.  A single story of who we are as Africa and as Africans. But these days are numbered and our lights are growing — burning brighter than our shadows. We will no longer believe that who we are  can be captured by the narrative of war, of conflict, corruption, and hunger. The spirit that flows in the very soil that is Africa is so rich that it soaks the earth with countless resources — not least of all, her people. 

Do you hear the drums of change?

Take a trip to Lagos and enjoy cool breeze and palm wine. Journey to Dakar for fresh fish overlooking spectacular landscapes.

Take an unforgettable trip to Nouakchott and meet powerful women and the men who hold space for their sisters. 

Kigali with its rolling hills brings peace to your heart that begins with the welcoming smile of its people. 

Yaoundé will explode your taste buds.

Nairobi will draw you to its smoldering core of innovations.

To see the Masai Mara is to let all your worries go. Lamu was the most magically place on earth, though I fear it might never be the same again.

Zanzibar could lead to a most memorable  day. He held my hands under the water to guide me through spectacular corals. we ate fish roasted on his boat listening to nothing but the sounds of the lapping water and birds calling to the wind. He spoke no word of English. I spoke no word of Swahili.

Take a nap under a tree in the Okavango Delta along with a sea of herbivores. Galaxy said it was the safest place to rest as their noisy sprint would alert us to the presence of lions in the vicinity. Learn to depend on the many gifts that nature provides including mosquito repellent made of dried elephant dung and a cure for my acne as boiled from weeds and plants he gathered.

Walk on top of trees in awe inspiring conservation forests in Kakum national Park in Ghana.

Akwaba welcomes you to Dance to the beats of drums in Accra

Say the word Kinshasa out loud and be transported to a city that against all odds thrives and grows. 

Have conversations in Durban that sheds light on the racial dynamics of The country. Talk with the old man on the bus about his own story of apartheid.

Get lost in the souks of Marrakech, and gaze upon the ancient Pyramids of Giza. 

Incredible does not begin to describe the endless colors of the desert sands of Sossusvlei.

Hold hands with a Masai, hold hands with a Heroro, hold hands with new friends, now brother and sister. Be called sister and brother by so many. Be brother and sister to so many. 

Be welcomed in Maun by a stranger who nurses your twisted ankle, an injury you just might sustain white water rafting along the great Zambezi river. 

Dream of Maputo, and feel air so rich and colorful in the mind blowing beaches of Mozambique.

Do you hear the drums of change?

Who we are is not who we were told we were. Neither can we be defined by who we are continued to be told to be. We, Africa, cannot be captured in any one story because we, Africa, are as complex and as beautiful as life itself. There is so much power in us, so much power in you, and in our continent. 

Together, buoyed by our spirit, and with an open heart, we share, explore, rediscover and we reclaim. Join your curiosity, wherever it may lead you and let's dance to the furious beatings of the drums.

Do you hear the drums of change?