There he stood. Half a head taller than me with skin of a beautiful mahogany colour that was almost radiant. His dress was immaculate; the dust filling the air didn’t seem to stick on his newly ironed shirt nor his black trousers. He had a short and sharp haircut that looked as if he’d just stepped out of the barber’s and his cheek was freshly shaved, revealing his strong cheekbones. Pearls of sweat were breaking through the pores on his nose and at his temples the sweat was so imminent that it had clustered into drops that now ran slowly down his cheeks. Underneath the temples, big thick veins pulsated and protruded from the skull like a bas-relief that the stretched skin in vain tried to cover. And somewhere within the framework of his body those ... read more

Eight full months it has taken us to traverse this huge region (the size of the contiguous U.S. without Texas.). From entering Mauritania on the first of February, to leaving Cameroon on the last of September. A region of strong religious belief, poverty and corruption. But also a region of great happiness, striking colours and wonderful music. West Africa has some of the worst governments in the world, and the only two ways of getting somewhere in the political jungle; is to hack and bribe your way upwards, or stage a coup d'etat. The latter being the method of choice among the present so called "presidents" of the region. Words like justice and liberty means nothing to the ruling elité. Justice and liberty are things that will never be given for free to the masses. Justice ... read more

Known in the backpacker grapevine as “scam-land” and housing the world’s most corrupt government - Nigeria was not a country we looked forward to enter. But the bad reputation is undeserved. Never before had we met such openhearted hospitality throughout a whole country. And every day we were amazed by the country’s dramatic and beautiful nature. With huge rocks rising from the open savannah in the north and mountains draped in fleshy jungle in the south. After some minor difficulties with the border police at Katsina we went by bush taxi down south to the relentless bustle in Kano - the biggest city in northern Nigeria with some three million people living in a hot conglomeration of car fumes and mud. After a few days of paranoid behaviour (Due to Nigeria’s bad reputation, we got scared ... read more

Crossing the border from Ghana into Togo felt like getting back to genuine Africa. Away from modern conveniences and into overcrowded bush-taxis, driving like there’s no tomorrow (which more than once got close to true). We had entered the hilly Danyi Plateau and were travelling on twisting roads through jungle-covered hills, to get to the Benedictine monastery outside the small village of Dzogbégan. The monks at the monastery are famous for their huge orchard, attracting people from faraway to come and enjoy their produce. Things like carambola-jam, home-processed cheese, honey vinegar and freshly baked baguettes are just a few of the products they sell. The call of the sirens for me was the homegrown coffee, served at breakfast with the full board offered at the monastery. As we arrived all the rooms were taken, but the ... read more

The day of arrival was a great day - as was the day of departure. About the one and a half months spent inbetween, many different things can be told. And so I will tell you now. Leaving the squint-eyed borderpolice and his crony behind, the countryside turned cultivated, dotted with quaint small mudhouses and the sun was all smiling. So were the villagers we met as we trekked from the Black Volta River to the main highway between Lawra and Wa. We didn’t wait for long until a vehicle stopped. An expensive 4-wheel-drive with governmental officials picked us up, as they were on a mission collecting data on road-kills throughout the country. All explained to me in English - if a bit broken - still something I’d craved during the preceding six weeks of francophone ... read more