African browser (E F N)
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
For the time being at least, these gazelles are free to brave a spectacular electrical storm over their natural environment. But climate change, land degradation and habitat encroachment are having an impact on whether this will still be the case in years to come. In order to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action, World Environment Day is celebrated around the globe on 5 June every year. The theme for this year’s event is Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change. For more information and to find out how you can help preserve our planet, visit unep.org.
NEW OPENING
Where to stay next… check out the latest hotel to open in Liberia
RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas
Robertsfield Highway, Monrovia, tel. +231 240 744 7850, rljkendejaresort.com Bob Johnson, the American hotelier and founder of Black Entertainment Television, is known for making safe investments. So when he cut the ribbon of his new hotel, RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas, in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, he clearly had faith in the country’s future.
Hugged by a beautiful white sandy beach, RLJ Kendeja is the most luxurious hotel Liberia has ever seen and the first resort to open in the country for two decades. Rooms are decked out with hip furnishings, Wi-Fi and 42in widescreen TVs, and have plush bathrooms with fancy robes and toiletries. Comfortable beds are covered with pure white sheets and the windows look out over the ocean. An on-site restaurant, Posh, serves such delights as cognac seafood bisque, blackened rump steak and chocolate salami.
A standard room costs from LRD 13,000 (€157) per night and a suite from LRD 21,125 (€255) per night.
Car hire service costs LRD 9,750 (€118) per day.
FIELD OF DREAMS
Be inspired by the story of Sierra Leone’s FC Johansen
Five years ago, a group of mainly orphaned, underprivileged kids playing football on a precariously rocky slope of a pitch caught the eye of Sierra Leone-born PR consultant and publisher Isha Johansen. Together with the formidable support of her husband, Arne Birger Johansen, who is the Norwegian and Swedish consul general and managing director of the Sierra Leone Cement Factory (Leocem), she spent three and a half years training and developing the talent of this under-17s football team. To date, their greatest achievement has been the ability to balance education and a love of football, making FC Johansen the most successful and sought after youth football club in Sierra Leone. For more information on the team and upcoming fixtures, call Isha Johansen on +232 7661 5814.
KEEP ON RUNNING
Kick-start your month training for one of these marathons, which make their way through some of East Africa’s most breathtaking scenery
Gorilla Marathon & Half-Marathon, Uganda 17 May
Break a sweat while raising funds for and awareness of endangered gorillas at the inaugural Gorilla Marathon & Half-Marathon. Starting at the source of the Nile by Lake Victoria near the town of Jinja, the route follows the river through farms and countryside before finishing at a dramatic spot well known to the white-water rafting community. There are spectacular views and racers can take advantage of there being no steep hills at any point on the course. Local children and adults can take part in a 5km community fun run. The event supports The Gorilla Organisation, which works to protect and save the endangered mountain gorillas, and Soft Power, which is improving a number of schools in the Jinja area. www.209events.com
n Kigali Marathon, Rwanda 24 May
Taking place at 1,680m above sea level and on hilly ground, the Kigali Marathon – also known as the International Peace Marathon – is a must for running fanatics. With a choice between the marathon, half-marathon, 5km fun run or relay, there’s a race to suit everyone’s ability. Funds raised go to Soroptimist International, an organisation working to build a better world for women and children through awareness, advocacy and action. Projects include securing safe drinking water and helping women provide for themselves. Top runners from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda take part in the race and the top 10 men and women competitors are presented with awards. kigalimarathon.com
Safaricom Marathon, Kenya 27 June
Racing at an average altitude of 1,676m in the African heat, the Safaricom Marathon allows 1,000 fun runners, walkers, amateurs and professionals – including Kenyan athletes Paul Tergat and Catherine Ndereba – to get fit and raise money for community projects in Kenya. The Kenya Red Cross receives part of the funds to help rehouse and resettle displaced people, while education, health, wildlife conservation and community development also benefit from the race. The course follows two 21km loops of a dirt road (those running the half-marathon complete one loop). A helicopter and spotter plane watch over competitors and there are water stations every 2.5km. Get in the spirit by camping at Lewa the night before the race. Once you’ve crossed the finish line, there’s a post-race party with live music and celebrations for all to enjoy. lewa.org, tusk.org
DON’T MISS
Exciting dates to make a note of in your diary
Saint-Louis Jazz Festival, Senegal
28-31 May
www.saintlouisjazz.com
Senegalese jazz musicians meet with international artists including Richard Galliano, Elisabeth Kontomanou and the Simon Goubert Quartet to bring you soulful beats at the Saint-Louis Jazz Festival.
Rhino Charge, Kenya
31 May
www.rhinoark.org
Nearly 60 teams compete in 4×4 vehicles across trackless cross-country terrain for Kenya’s Rhino Charge. It’s set in a secret location close to Nairobi and the winning team is the one that navigates fastest past 13 different points over 100km². Money raised goes towards the protection of Aberdare National Park.
Rwanda Film Festival
12-27 June
www.rwandafilmfestival.org
rwandafilmfestival.org Rwandan and international filmmakers meet for this annual film festival, which features events, training workshops and panel discussions designed to put the Rwandan film industry on the map.
NATURE’S CATWALK
Creative and inspirational forms of African fashion take to the wilder runways in this astonishing photography book
Follow Hans Silvester’s journey to the remote Omo Valley on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia, where he captured the striking body art of the Surma and Mursi tribes, in Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa (€21, Thames & Hudson). Traditionally, members of the tribes decorate their bodies with whatever nature offers them, from leaves and flowers to butterfly wings and snail shells. Silvester’s astonishing photographs portray the fashion, trophy displays and forms of sun protection of these African tribes. www.thamesandhudson.com