Founders Talk: Why Travel?
We started Harambee Africa after a discussion we had about the best holiday destinations in Africa, so travel is one of our big passions. We are both well-travelled, mostly around Europe, Asia and North America. However, despite having been born and spending much of childhoods in Africa, our travel history on the continent is nowhere near as extensive as in other parts of the world.
The main issues we wanted to tackle were the real, and perceived, barriers which prevented us and others from travelling more extensively around Africa. We had an interest in travel and experiencing new cultures, so we wanted to improve our knowledge of Africa and share that with the world.
We aim to change the perception that Africa is a difficult or unsafe place to visit. We want to show that people in Africa are friendly, the food is awesome, and the culture is just as fascinating as the wildlife that Africa is mostly known for.
Clive’s Experience
I’ve always loved travel for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I looked forward to our family holidays especially the ones where we travelled abroad. Many of these overseas trips were to the neighbouring countries, South Africa and Botswana. We also made occasional trips to Europe, mostly to England.
Apart from taking a break from school, the thing I loved about our trips was seeing how people from other cultures lived, picking out the differences and similarities. I think this gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of my own culture. Although I was never that adventurous with the food I ate when I was younger, the food that other cultures ate also fascinated me. I credit travel with helping to expand my palette as it opened my eyes to different ways to prepare and eat foods that I was already familiar with.
The love of travelling came from my parents who themselves had been to many countries. My dad had spent some time working in different parts of West Africa (including Ghana, Cameroon and Cote D’Ivoire), and the stories he told about his time there captivated me. As a result of their positive travel experiences, my parents had always encouraged me to pursue further education overseas. I chose Australia as my study destination and ended up settling here permanently and starting a family. True to type I have travelled around the country to learn more about my new home.
Although Australia is seen as being far away from everything, it has more accessible connections with the world than Zimbabwe. So, I used Australia as a base to travel more parts of the world than I had before. For a time, this meant other countries in Asia, North America and other parts of Europe. Having travelled to more than 20 non-African countries, my attention then turned back to Africa.
What I discovered is that information to help potential visitors to countries in Africa plan their trips and experiences from other travellers was very difficult to find. This made a trip to any new country in Africa sound more daunting than a similar trip to a completely new country in Asia or Europe to immerse myself in the culture, food, and interact with the people.
Through Harambee Africa, I want to help make planning a trip to an African destination as easy as it is for other continents. Hopefully this will also help me cover my own African travel bucket list which includes Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and Mauritius.
Eyob’s Experience
I was bitten by the travel bug from a very young age. A year after I was born, my father was assigned to work in Cairo, Egypt where we lived for the next 8 years. I remember the day we went to visit the pyramids vividly. I would’ve been 7 years old and the enormity of the one stone that held the pyramid was something that had me in awe. We then went inside the pyramid and remember how hot it was. It was a great day out with family friends visiting from Ethiopia.
At the age of 8, I was also lucky enough to have taken a round trip around the world with my brother and mother to Washington DC, Dallas, London, Rome, Madrid and Barcelona where we stayed mostly with friends and family and took in the sights of these amazing cities.
When we moved back home at the age of 8, the difference was very notable and hence why I remember these things clearly. Things changed quite a bit when we went back to Ethiopia. There was a lot to unlearn and relearn. There were dreams of moving overseas and creating a better life cause that’s what we were told although our lives was great. Once we moved to Australia, travelling become more accessible and this time I was travelling with my then girlfriend who is now my wife and we travelled around Australia, Bali, Dubai and Japan. The most fascinating and exciting country in the world must be Japan. I say this because, Japanese people have a clear understanding of how to live in the modern world in all its craziness, technology and grit while respecting traditions and withholding their culture in high regards. I remember the day that I went to visit a famous shrine in Asakusa. I was blown away by the beauty of this temple and how well it has been maintained for thousands of years. Right next to that temple was Asahi’s head office, shaped into a schooner beer glass with froth on top, that’s Japan.
My takeaway around travelling is around the way it opens your eyes to worlds and people that see things in a totally different perspective. I believe travelling is an essential lifestyle component that needs to be a part of your life. Travelling is not only enjoyable, exciting and eye opening, but you also get a better understanding of the world and how it works.
My last wish is to travel around Africa more visiting Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya and Senegal. Travel around Ethiopia to get more ingrained with the history and culture of my country.
