A round-up of travel news from Brussels Airlines’ long-haul network
Hotel with a view
Hotel Lagon II, Senegal
Where is it? Hotel Lagon II, Route de la Corniche Est, Dakar, tel. +221 889 2525, www.lagon.sn
What’s the view? From its enviable location right on the shore, the hotel looks out directly over the Atlantic Ocean. All bedrooms have uninterrupted ocean views and you can see across to Gorée Island.
What should you expect? A cruise ship theme runs throughout the hotel, with spiral staircases linking the different floors, porthole windows in the bedrooms, and balconies overlooking the ocean as if you were at sea.
What do you need to know? The hotel is undergoing a bit of a makeover, so it’s out with the dated décor and old paintwork and in with bright splashes of colour, modern fittings and elegant furnishings including local African artefacts. When booking, request one of the new rooms.
Why go there? Situated close to the central business district of Dakar, this hotel is in a great location for business travellers. It’s also ideal for leisure travellers, with its laidback atmosphere, beachfront location and access to neighbouring Gorée Island.
What can you expect to pay? Rooms from €122 per night.
One to watch…
Fresh from collaborating with Jamaican dancehall star Shabba Ranks, Sierra Leonean rapper Kao Denero (pictured far left) has released a new album, Freetown’s Most Wanted. Far from resorting to the gangsta posturing favoured by his US contemporaries, the album, which was recorded in New York, deals with salient political issues. Denero is confident that it will have a big impact in Sierra Leone, saying: “It’s high time people started to appreciate real talent. True ability will sell itself.”
Don’t miss: 50th anniversary of Uganda’s National Theatre
December saw celebrations for the 50th birthday of Uganda’s National Theatre. The occasion was marked with an inauguration ceremony at the National Theatre in Kampala, and since then, theatres all round the country have joined in. Performances so far have included plays by the Bakayimbira Dramactors, and youth theatre group the Golden Drama Foundation.
A slideshow in Kampala charted Ugandan drama’s progress over the past 50 years, from early improvisations and growing interest in Western theatre to radio and television productions. It also provided a stark reminder of 1972, a difficult time for the performing arts when the government closed Uganda’s cinemas and plays could only last an hour. Speakers have included playwright Alex Mukulu and Minister of State for Disability Sulaiman Madada, who spoke of the need to encourage young people’s interest.
There’s only one month before the celebrations wrap up in March, so if you’re in Uganda, make sure you don’t miss the closing festivities at your local theatre.
Hope for Angola’s homeless
The Arnaldo Janssen Centre in Luanda has been providing a refuge for orphaned and abandoned children in the Angolan capital for 14 years. Founded in 1992 by Catholic priest Pedro Caballero Horacio, the centre’s chief task is to find children and tackle the root causes of their homelessness. Often this involves reconciling the child with their family, or placing them with relatives. Some families abandon children because of poverty; in these cases, the child will be placed with members of Father Horacio’s parish and the centre will provide funding. Often children have come to Luanda from remote regions of the country and find it difficult to trace their families, so the centre offers a search programme to help them. Many children stay on at the centre, where they receive vocational training.
Protectorate for parks
Uganda and Rwanda are joining forces in their push to get their most prominent national parks recognised as World Heritage sites. The two countries are set up to present a report to the World Heritage Committee in June
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