IN BRIEF
Text Tabitha Lasley
A round-up of travel news from Brussels Airlines’ long-haul network
Hotel with a view
Alfajiri Villas, Kenya
Where is it?
Diani Beach, South Coast, Kenya, tel. +254 (0)733 630491.
What’s the view?
Perched high above Diani Beach, the villas enjoy a fantastic view of the Indian Ocean. The views from the hotel’s infinity pool, which sits on the edge of a coral wall, are particularly spectacular.
What should you expect?
The villas are the last word in luxury. Décor fuses African and European elements – think Makuti roofs, ivory Danish floors and Lamu doors.
What do you need to know?
The staff of 20 includes a private butler for each villa. If you’re lucky enough to stay in the glass walled turret suite you’ll get a 270° view of the sea.
Why go there?
The villas are renowned as the best on the East African coast. If you get bored of the beach you can go on safari, and massages, golf, windsurfing and snorkelling are all included in the price of your stay.
What can you expect to pay?
Rooms from €369 per person, per night.
One to watch…
Senegalese rapper Xuman’s new album, Gunman, was timed to coincide with the country’s general election earlier this year. Standing in stark contrast to the work of his bling-fixated contemporaries across the Atlantic, the album charts the slow erosion of free speech in Senegal and is charged with socially conscious lyrics that urge people to use their vote.
Xuman has often voiced his concerns about mass emigration. He is hoping that this album will spur the country’s disaffected youth to effect political change at home, rather than leave for Europe, saying:
“If there is a fire on the first floor of a building, the people on the 10th floor may see it, but they don’t feel it. We rappers live on the first floor and we feel the burn of this emigration.”
Don’t miss… Kenya’s Annual Rhino Charge
If you’re in Kenya this June, look out for the annual Rhino Charge. This rally race raises funds for Rhino Ark, an organisation set up to protect Abedare National Park, home to a large population of black rhinos. Trophies are handed out to those who raise the most money, and girls can snag the ‘Coup des Dames’ – an award for the best female team.
First Lady
This year the Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will be honoured at the 2007 Africare Bishop Walker Dinner, where she will receive an award for distinguished humanitarian service. President Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first female elected head of state, will join a roll call of past recipients such as Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Bill and Melinda Gates. According to Africare’s Vice President Jeannine
B. Scott: “President Johnson-Sirleaf embodies the progress of women in achieving leadership positions on the continent. Africare will pay tribute to her efforts to bring peace, economic prosperity and a bright future for the people of Liberia.”
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