Wings issue 21 Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 by Wings

YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY

ISSUE 21 DECEMBER 2014–FEBRUARY 2015

IDYLLIC OUTPOSTS PLUS!

Food, fashion & fitness for 2015

Rural hideaways near Accra, Johannesburg, London and New York

WELCOME

Message from the Arik Air Family Model © Shutterstock.com

A EDITOR IN CHIEF Emma Woodhouse ART DIRECTOR Phil Millard

PUBLISHER Voyager Media Wings is published by Voyager Media on behalf of Arik Air. Address editorial enquiries to Editor@VoyagerMedia.com ADVERTISING SALES Nsikan Udo-Osoh Ads@VoyagerMedia.com Call/Text +234 806 888 8686 Printed at Rotocayfo Impresia Ibérica, Barcelona All material is copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the copyright holder. While every effort is made to ensure all prices and data are correct at the time of publication Arik Air is not responsible for editorial errors. Opinions expressed in Wings are not necessarily those of Arik Air and Arik Air does not accept responsibility for advertising content. Any images or transparencies supplied are at the owner’s risk.

s an exciting and groundbreaking year draws to an end, I am delighted to welcome all of you to another edition of Wings. It is with great satisfaction that I look back on the last 12 months, which have seen a number of important firsts for Arik Air. We continued to break new ground, securing yet another milestone in Nigerian aviation, by operating the first Nigerian registered commercial aircraft to the United States of America in over two decades back in April, an applaudable feat made even more noteworthy by the fact that the operation was staffed entirely by Nigerian crew. In June, we reinforced our position as West and Central Africa’s largest commercial carrier by expanding our ever growing reach to the Middle East, proudly becoming the first Nigerian airline to offer a commercial service between Abuja, Nigeria and Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. The first commercial flight departed in July and we have subsequently been operating five weekly flights from Nigeria to Dubai. The year also saw us continue to expand our fleet as we became the first African carrier to operate the Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet in Africa, another source of immense gratification for us. Our drive to continually improve our service and provide the very best technology offering for our guests saw us launch our frequent flyer programme in October called Arik Affinity Wings. Arik Affinity Wings has been packed full of benefits designed to reward guests for their loyalty by giving them the opportunity to earn miles on domestic, regional and long-haul flights. Customers can join the programme by logging on to ArikAffinitywings.com and completing an online enrolment form where they will receive 1000 bonus Affinity Miles along with a personal Affinity Wings membership number. Membership is free and customers who sign up will receive exclusive benefits, such as extra baggage allowance, access to Arik Air’s business lounges and priority check-in at the airport. In this edition, we recognise equally exciting advancements in Nigeria’s creative industries, as well as travel opportunities across our network. Through sponsorship Wings magazine is proud to have supported the talented designers and photographers involved in Guaranty Trust Bank Lagos Fashion and Design Week and Lagos Photo Festival. Emma Forrest charts travel trends for 2015, Tom Yarwood uncovers idyllic rural outposts and we meet an interesting cross-section of individuals navigating dual cultures. We hope that you will enjoy the 21st edition of Wings Magazine. If you would like to share your views, please write to me at talktotheceo@arikair.com I would like to thank you for choosing Arik Air today and wish you a pleasant and enjoyable flight.

Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide Group CEO, Arik Air

ISSUE 21 DECEMBER 2014—FEBRUARY 2015

CONTENTS

60 40 84 77 SEAT 1A 11 LIFESTYLE The forefront of travel news and trends

18 GALLIVANTER

FEATURES

PEOPLE

What’s on and when at Arik Air destinations

40 IDYLLIC OUTPOSTS

77 THE KING WITHIN The King of Agbor — a tale of a royal returning home

Books, blogs, film, art and music

COVER STORY Rural hideaways near Accra, Johannesburg, London and New York

24 FOOD & DRINK

60 BIG APPLE BOLTHOLES

Restaurants, recipes and epicurean adventures

The hippest new hotels in New York City

29 INFLIGHT RESPITE

66 THE QUAD SQUAD

Wandering and pondering

Powering along the Sene-Gambia strip on quad bikes

21 REVIEWS

30 HEALTH & BEAUTY Wellbeing, inside and out

84 TALE TALES Lagos Photo

34 FASHION

Festival and the groundbreaking photographers staging reality and documenting fiction in Africa

Style news and tips from fashion’s new frontier

74 66

101 LOVE THROUGH A LENS Briony Cambpell’s intimate portraits of multicultural relationships

107 ARIK ZONE News, onboard information and useful contacts

117 WINGTIPS Embark on the trip of a lifetime with Wings’ destination guides

CONTENTS

Contributors

Meet some of the talented people behind this issue…

Briony Campbell

Nana Ocran

Jason Florio

Briony Campbell is a documentary & filmmaker/ photographer. She is recognised for her sensitive and playful aesthetic which simplifies complexities. Her work has been awarded internationally and featured in publications including The Observer, The Independent, and The Financial Times. Capturing her relationship with her dad in the last six months of his life was Briony’s most formative experience, “It was a wonderful and terrible fusion of trying to work, learn, love and live at once. Five years after his death my dad is still opening conversations with new people through the film we made of ‘The Dad Project’.” Briony takes her loving lens to document cross-cultural relationships between Britons and their partners across Africa (page 101).

Nana Ocran is a Londonbased writer and editor specialising in contemporary African lifestyles. She was Editor-in-Chief for the Time Out Group’s series of guides to Lagos and Abuja and has established publications on West African culture for commercial organisations. She is also a Pan-African trends watcher for the Paris-based think-tank, The Breakthrough Innovation Group. A long-term contributor to Wings, she has a special ability to root out cultural happenings and trends on the continent, “I’m constantly learning, learning and learning some more about people and places in Africa,” she says. Nana reviews the coolest photo books and sites of late (page 21).

Jason Florio is an awardwinning photographer/writer based in NYC, covering social and cultural stories around the world. He returns regularly to his second adopted home, The Gambia to work on long-term projects around West Africa. An avid adventurer — he was previously a horse trader in Texas before he became a photojournalist — Jason has walked the length of The Gambia with his wife Helen and is currently on an 80km coastal walk (Senegal to Senegal border). What drives him? “The possibility to share and tell stories that hopefully illuminate and inspire others, as other photographers and writers do for me.” Speaking of driving, Jason takes a break to go quadbiking for Wings (page 66).

SEAT 1A | Lifestyle

Your passport to the latest travel, lifestyle & entertainment news 12

LIFESTYLE

GALLIVANTER

REVIEWS

FOOD & DRINK

INFLIGHT RESPITE

HEALTH & BEAUTY

FASHION

Spas, sports and silver service – Travel ideas for 2015

Your guide to the festivals, cultural highlights, parties and general fun and frolics at Arik destinations

Epic entertainment from December to February, and beyond

Condiments and contraptions – New York City’s best kitchen supply shops

Travel innovations that don’t exist but really should

Fitness first healthy holiday trends for 2015

Kicking off a stylish year from Lagos Fashion & Design Week

AFRICA RISING

Wings’ pick of the best from the LFDW catwalk

SEAT 1A

LIFESTYLE The forefront of travel news & trends

Travel To Try

A look ahead to an assortment of fantastic travel ideas at Arik Air destinations in 2015. WORDS EMMA FORREST

nother year, another schedule of festivals, events, sporting fixtures and new activities to try out, wherever you land. Companies and associations at all of Arik Air’s destinations are finding new ways to enhance your experience there, from food fairs to new services to get you connected or allow you to contribute in some way to the

Game On Lodge 23 borders Kruger National Park

HELLO & GOODNIGHT Lush hotel openings LAUNCH OF THERMAL SPA HOTEL The only UK hotel to house a natural thermal spa, the Gainsborough Bath Spa opens in the UNESCOlisted city of Bath this spring. Hope on a train from London Paddington for the weekend.

SELF-CATERING WITH GRAYSON PERRY Outlandish holiday home created by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, ‘House for Essex’, is set in the countryside of North Essex and boasts specially commissioned art works including beautiful tapestries, pots, decorative timberwork and mosaic floors.

thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk

living-architecture.co.uk

local community. Tour operators and hotels are becoming increasingly careful about their footprint on the environment, but also on the local community – and several South African travel companies have just recently been awarded international prizes for their work in responsible tourism. Meanwhile, glamorous new hotels are opening so you can rest your head inbetween exploring all that the destination has to offer. Many travellers will prefer homestays or get an insight into local living in their destination with peer-to-peer sites like Airbnb; almost one in 10 UK holidaymakers have booked a holiday through a peer-to-peer site, and 86per cent of those who have used peer-to-peer sites are likely do so again, according to the World Travel Market 2014 Industry Report. Pack your bags and make 2015 a year for new adventures.

LUXURY BUSH SELF-CATERING AT LODGE 23 A new self-catering lodge on the banks of the Sabie River, in the private Elephant Point reserve that borders Kruger, comes with its own game-viewing deck from which you can spot elephants and watch hippos play. From R9000. lodge23.co.za RELAUNCH OF ART DECO LOWELL HOTEL, NY Set in a historic Art deco landmark building in New York’s NYC Upper East Side, The Lowell Hotel relaunches after a revamp late spring. Its rooms and suites are being refurbished by LA designer Michael S. Smith. From $800 per night. lowellhotel.com

Lifestyle | SEAT 1A

LIFE OF LEISURE

SILVER SERVICE

Try Dubai The Dubai Food Festival is a mouthwatering prospect

New developments and amenities

SUBWAY WIFI By mid-2015, 40 new subway stations in Manhattan will get wi-fi, in addition to the 47 which are already connected.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Things to do in 2015

golf course and business hotel.

GET YOUR TEETH INTO DUBAI Try the Emirates’ gastronomy from five-star delicacies, local and international delicacies to gourmet street-food during this 22-day celebration of Dubai’s cosmopolitan cuisine. February 21—March 15.

AFRICAN ARTISTS AT LONDON ART FAIR The Jack Bell Gallery, which champions artists from Africa all over the world, shows at the annual London Art Fair. Artist Hassan Hajjaj, who works between London and Marrakesh, features in the fair’s annual contemporary photography showcase Photo50. January 21–25

dubaifoodfestival.com

Calabar Cool Come for the carnival, stay for the opening of CICC

A new wine-tasting subscription service lets you taste wines from a different region each month. For £9.99 a month, you’ll get a Vinoa box of four 50ml bottles, tasting notes and access to their online professional wine-tasting tutorial and full-sized bottles.

HEAD TO CALABAR Carnival Calabar draws visitors in the thousands every December for the Christmas period (carnivalcalabar.com). Now, Cross River State is blazing a bigger trail for Nigerian tourism and business with the launch of the state-of-the-art CICC (Calabar International Convention Centre) in February 2015. It's part of Summit Hills, a sprawling 367 hectare development which includes a

vinoa.co.uk

conventioncentrecalabar.com

EAT FOR CHEAP IN NYC The twice-annual discount dining event NYC Restaurant Week offers cheap dining deals at more than 300 restaurants in NY.

nycgo.com/restaurantweek

londonartfair.co.uk

FIRST INTERACTIVE MARINE SHOW FOR KIDS Children become crew members as part of Against Captain’s Orders: A Journey into The Uncharted, an interactive show for 6-to 12 year-olds, at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. March 28–August 2015. rmg.co.uk

GO FIGURE Travel facts and stats for 2015 SOUTH AFRICA TOURISM CARES Three South Africa travel companies have just scooped prizes at the annual World Responsible Tourism Awards. Hotel Verde in Cape Town won Gold for Best City Hotel, the V&A

Waterfront was awarded a Gold for Best Destination, and South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance scooped Gold as Best Global Animal Welfare Initiative, while Mdumbi Backpackers was placed as a finalist for Best For Poverty Reduction. GET OUT OF NEW YORK New York State is planning a

2015 drive to encourage tourists to explore the state outside the city, taking the train to Niagara Falls, hiking in the Catskill Mountains or driving through the named top wine destination in the US. AFRICA UNITES AGAINST EBOLA West African tourism agencies

have joined forces to support Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea in their fight against ebola, and also against the misconception that the disease is a problem throughout the region. This perception has led to a 70 per cent drop in tourism in ebola-free countries including Benin, Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso. unite4westafrica.org

SEAT 1A | Lifestyle

Right On Track Few activities are as therapeutic and insightful as taking a trip by rail. Snag a front row seat to the grasslands of the Highveld, the Hudson River valley and the spectacular Scottish highlands. Your carriage awaits. WORDS TOM YARWOOD

From Johannesburg

ROVOS RAIL There’s no more relaxed, luxurious or efficient way of seeing South Africa than this, a sleeper train as opulently furnished as any in the world,

which crosses the lion’s share of the country – from Pretoria (just 40 miles from Johannesburg) to Cape Town — in just under three days. There are several stops, including the Victorian village of Matjiesfontein, where a London bus ferries visitors to charming

From the grasslands of the gold-rich Highveld to the stark deserts of the Karoo and the lush winelands of the western Cape – no view need escape attention

small museums; but it’s the gentle rhythm of life onboard (including elaborate high teas and fivecourse dinners) that most appeals. That, and the fabulous landscapes – from the grasslands of the gold-rich Highveld to the stark deserts of the Karoo and the

SEAT 1A | Lifestyle

Memory Lane Recent studies reveal the positive effects of nostalgia which include increased happiness and empathy. This news recalls that famous Humphrey Bogart line, “We’ll always have Lagos.” Or something like that. Check out nigerianostalgia.tumblr.com

Digital Detox AdBlock, a Chrome extension, automatically blocks ads on web pages, YouTube, Facebook and more. You can also apply it to Safari and Firefox. Stop the shoes you ogled but didn’t buy from following you around the internet. getadblock.com

You Name It

Fads ready for landing

Limited Vocab OMG, It’s official. We’re losing our linguistic dexterity. Privately protest our collective dumbing down and impress your friends by learning the fascinating history and derivation of every word in the English language. etymonline.com

Counting Calories Stop holding up the buffet with your mental arithmetic. There’s a site that compares the nutritional values of whatever two food items you type in. Apparently a small serving of jollof rice is five times more calorific than an apple. Yeah, my phone can’t get wifi either. Twofoods.com

Food Fads Cereal Killer opens on London’s trendy Brick Lane in December. According to The Dalstonist, the café will sell only cereal, tea and coffee. 100 cereals from across the world can be customised with 13 different types of milk and toppings. There will also be cereal memorabilia and vintage boxes. A hipster move too far? Cerealkillercafe.com

lush winelands of the western Cape – through which the train toddles at such a civilised pace (60km/h) that no view need escape attention. Single fares from R15,200, including all meals. rovos.com

From London

WEST HIGHLAND LINE The train journey through the Scottish Highlands from Glasgow, via Fort William, to Mallaig is the most spectacular in Britain, a consistently sublime parade of mountains, forests and lochs culminating on the country’s west coast, beside the sparkling blue Atlantic. Completed in 1901, at the zenith of the railway age, this line pioneered new engineering techniques, most spectacularly in the immense Glenfinnan viaduct. Crossing the majestic wilderness of Rannoch Moor, it passes Britain’s highest railway station, Corrour; and further on, it skirts Loch Morar, Europe’s deepest lake. Stay on in Mallaig, if you can, and take a boat over to the Isle of Skye, there to climb the Cuillins – Britain’s most spectacular peaks – or to sample the excellent local whisky at the Talisker distillery, in their shadow. Single fares start from £15.70, or you could plan a trip to include a

sleeper journey from London. scotrail.co.uk

From New York

THE ADIRONDACK LINE The Adirondack Line leaves Manhattan from dull old Penn Station – not an auspicious start. But no other rail journey plunges deeper into American history, culture and the American wilderness than this blissfully sedate 11-hour trundle through New York State and across the Canadian border to Montreal. The scenic drama rises steadily as the train winds up the Hudson

River Valley from the Catskill mountains to the Adirondacks, passing key battlegrounds of the American Revolution, the little towns that inspired Washington Irving’s short stories, and the glorious vistas beloved of the Hudson River School, that most illustrious group of 19th-century American painters. Go in autumn, if you can, when the foliage blazes red and gold – and don’t let the overwhelming romance of it all distract you from the need for a Canadian visa. Single fares from $67. amtrak.com

Loon With A View Loon Lake in the Adirondack Park

Trends taking off

Garden Of Eden Take in spectacular views from a luxury cabin

Not to say that disorders are a good thing, but it’s nice to feel vindicated by science: Getting angry with people for breathing or eating loudly is a brain disorder called Misophonia. Not so trivial after all, then.

SEAT 1A

GALLIVANTER What‘s on & when at Arik Air destinations

Winter Wonderland When Runs until 4 January Where London Despite a reputation for wintertime grumpiness and endless moaning about the weather, Londoners come in droves to enjoy one of the best things about the season – Winter Wonderland, a sprawling, kitsch celebration of all things wintry in Hyde Park. There’s a wealth of things to do here and it caters for all, from young children enjoying the rides s to groups of colleagues coming after work to enjoy the mulled wine and bratwurst from the food stalls dotted around the park. It’s free to enter, but some of the features are ticketed. They’re worth it, though, with affordable prices for the shows at Zippo’s Circus, which brings the best of traditional show-stopping circus acts to the 21st Century, and the Ice Rink, which is the UK’s largest outdoor ice-skating arena. The ice theme continues in the Magical Ice Kingdom, which features snow and ice sculptures, an ice castle complete with an ice slide, and an Ice Bar where it’s guaranteed that your drinks won’t be served warm. No wintry festival would be complete without Santa, of course. In Santa Land, parents bring their children to meet Father Christmas, who’s there every day with his elves and a sack of free gifts. You can buy your own gifts at the Christmas Markets around the park, which offer hundreds of stalls making handmade crafts and goodies. It’s a perfect place to enjoy the best of the good cheer that abounds this season. hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

Al Marmoum Camel Race When 9-11 December Where Dubai The gleaming glass and modern gloss of Dubai melts away an hour from the city at the Al Marmoum grounds, where one of the oldest traditional sports in

the region comes to a head; A camel’s head, to be precise. The sounds of chanting and beating drums fill the grandstand and men with slick hair in crisp dishdashas line the racetrack, vying for prime camel-watching

position. These days, the traditional child jockeys have been replaced by robots, adding a suitably modern-Dubai touch to this most traditional of races. It’s best to bring a set of binoculars with you, and to get there early for

the best spot – the races start at 7am and 2pm. Nearby is a camel market selling camel memorabilia, like blankets and ropes. It’s a thoroughly unique desert experience. dubaitourism.ae.

Gallivanter | SEAT 1A

Turner Prize Exhibition When Until 4 January Where London Tate Britain, Britain’s eminent art gallery has, since 1984, given a prize every year to a young British artist for an outstanding piece of work. The nominated artists’ works are collected at the exhibition, which is possibly the best place to survey the wit and brilliance of young British artists. Highly prestigious, often controversial and always inspiring

COPA LAGOS When 12-14 December Where Lagos Football is famously a sport played everywhere, on all terrain, but nowhere is it more participatory than on the world’s beaches, where itinerant surfers and pleasure-seekers wander into matches already in play and are often welcomed immediately as part of a team. The sport has evolved into a regulated, refereed one, but the laidback, happy atmosphere of the beach remains. Nigeria has one of the best beach-soccer leagues in the world, and Copa Lagos is a hugely anticipated event for aficionados of the sport. Teams from Cote d’Ivoire and amusingly, the landlocked country of Switzerland, will also be joining. Will Switzerland be the Cool Runnings of beach soccer? You’ll just have to head to the shore to find out. Alongside the actual matches are concerts, parties, and swimwear shows, so best to plan your schedule ahead. We’re beachy keen for football this December. copalagos.com

Black History Month

When February Where New York City and across the United States It was in New York City that Billie Holiday first sang Strange Fruit, in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1939, and where the United States’ first African-American secretary of state was born. New York City has been home to Louis Armstrong and Langston Hughes, the Reverend Al Sharpton and W.E.B. Du Bois, and countless other black luminaries over centuries, and it’s

Adventure Travel Show When 17-18 January Where London The winter doldrums can sometimes be dull and depressing, so what better way to get yourself back into gear by thinking of some excellent adventures for the New Year? Now in its 19th year, the

Adventure Travel Show is the best way to kick off your new year of travel, and really fulfil that ‘live life to the fullest’ resolution you made when the clock struck midnight. The show caters for those who enjoy travelling outside the package holiday mainstream, with advice and seminars from explorers, adventurers, travel writers and photographers, and a special Discover Africa Feature that focuses on the best adventures to

of debate, the Prize has in the past been given to such eccentric artists such as Chris Ofili, for a body of work which heavily referenced his Nigerian heritage, and Damien Hirst, for an installation featuring a cow and a calf suspended in formaldehyde that made him a household name. Though the prize is awarded in December, the exhibition stays open until the 4th of January. Tickets are a relatively inexpensive £11, considering that you are privy to the best of British art, and concessions are available. tate.org.uk

be found on the continent. The fun isn’t restricted to the daytime, either – the Adventure Travel Film Festival, a wellcurated show of shorts and feature films, runs alongside the main show at the same location. The Adventure Travel Show is at the Olympia Conference Centre, and doors open from 9am-6pm on Saturday and 9:30—5pm on Sunday. adventureshow.com

one of the best places to commemorate Black History Month, which is celebrated in February across the United States. The month is packed with events, including a Gala Concert at the Apollo Theater, and art exhibitions, including one at the Museum of Modern Art. There are history tours throughout the city, including a celebrated Harlem Spirituals Tour and a Birthplace of Hip Hop Tour, as well as a series of literary discussions and film screenings at the Brooklyn Public Library and elsewhere. nycgo.com

SEAT 1A | Reviews

Reviews | SEAT 1A

SEAT 1A

REVIEWS Books, blogs, film, art & music

Culture List

New photography books, sites for design innovation and a Pan-African video game for the holiday season — Cultural highlights from December to February and beyond… WORDS

Nigerian Archive J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere’s book features over 200 images.

NANA OCRAN

Books BY HASSAN HAJJAJ

Published in early 2014 under the umbrella of Rose Issa Projects, the photography book ‘By Hassan Hajjaj’ features personality-packed images of his huge network of subjects, culled from long-maintained London friendships as well as international artists, curators, models, musicians, filmmakers, restaurateurs and everyone else in between. Heavily influenced by the club, hip-hop, and reggae scenes of London as well as by his North African heritage, Hajjaj’s ongoing series of personalised images (titled My Rockstars) established an eclectic and appreciative audience. He now has a growing fan base that extends to Nigeria, Ethiopia, New York and much of the Arab world. Hassan Hajjaj’s playful productions of signature-style Morocco-meets-pop-art prints are captured in what is his first photography book, which showcases 100 colour photos from a vast collection and includes essays by Martin Barnes (senior curator of photographs at the Victoria And

Albert Museum, London) and Mitra M. Abbaspour (associate curator at the Department Of Photography at New York’s Museum Of Modern Art). ‘By Hassan Hajjaj’ is available from the Rose Issa Gallery in London until December, or online for £30 (+P&P), roseissa.com

MONOGRAPH ON NIGERIAN PHOTOGRAPHER J.D. ’OKHAI OJEIKERE

When Nigerian photographer Johnson Donatus Aihumekeokhai Ojeikere passed away this year, he left behind an archive of over 10,000 images from a 60-year career that

documented Nigeria’s cultural history. Through fashion, architecture, portraiture and most memorably through his internationally-acclaimed Hairstyles and Headgear series, J.D Okhai Ojeikere left not just a visual legacy, but one that inspired countless others to

In The Frame Photography book ‘By Hassan Hajjaj’ is out now

SEAT 1A | Reviews

develop photographic lives within a nation that hasn’t always been generous in supporting the arts. Hugely anticipated, this forthcoming publication features 300 pages and over 200 black and white images of Ojeikere’s work. The project was successfully funded by Kickstarter through an initiative by Bisi Silva, curator and director of the Centre For Contemporary Art, Lagos (CCA,Lagos). The publication will contain a timeline of Ojeikere’s career, his updated exhibition history, an introduction by Silva and Swedish curator Aura Seikkula as well as essays including Ojeikere And The Architecture(s) Of Photography by Ikem Okoye, and the last extended interview with Ojeikere by Nigerian photographers Jide Adeniyi-Jones and Don Barber. A difficult life to condense down to a few hundred images, Silva describes the selection process — which was mainly done by her, her colleague Antawan I Byrd and Ojeikere’s son and fellow photographer Amaize — as “an extremely enlightening way to learn about Nigeria’s diverse history”. It’s a project that has seen her meet in the flesh one of Ojeikere’s early sitters, who, 50 years on, “looks just as elegant as she did in the early 1960s”. The book represents more than just memories and aesthetics. Produced via the CCA Lagos

publishing arm, it proves that self-funding can engage a strong local and global community in Nigerian art and artists. Monograph on Nigerian Photographer J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere is priced at N20,000 and $125 and is available at bookshops such as Quintessence and Jazzhole in Lagos as well as via www.calagos.org.

Design Sites DESIGNS ON AFRICA

From products to architecture and urban exhibitions, these sites offer an enticing portal into African design worlds AFRITECTURE

Not so much architecture in Africa, as Africa in architecture; That’s the premise of this online platform that celebrates the built environment from Accra to Zambia with views and reflections

on the past, present and future of African design and designers. afritecture.org AFRIGADGET

Everything you want to know about new devices and problemsolving products coming out of the African continent. Explore the world of organically grown hanging taps, locally adapted wheels for skaters and an online Grassroots Reporting Project for roving techies. Afrigadget.com

MOAD (MUSEUM OF AFRICAN DESIGN)

A ‘cultural laboratory’ and Africa’s first museum dedicated to design, MOAD sits in the Maboneng arts hub of Johannesburg. Not a collecting museum as such, the venue’s a space for collaboration, hatching design ideas and programming events, art fairs and exhibitions. moadjhb.com MAKER FAIRE AFRICA

Africa’s growing community of makers and innovators are annually showcased via a broad palette of inventions that are displayed each year in a different African city. Maker Faire Africa’s end-of-2014 stop was Johannesburg, having previously pitched up in Lagos, Accra Nairobi and Cairo. Their site is a space worth watching for a list of makers and future plans and projects. makerfaireafrica.com

Game AFRO FIGHTERS

Future Forward {Above) Maker Faire, a site for African innovations Creative Hub Museum Of African Design (MOAD) at Maboneng Arts Hub, Johannesburg

Let the games begin! Straight out of Lagos, Kuluya is a game development company that offers free and pay-as-you-play Android games with an African flavour. Afro Fighters is an online conflict with a plot that involves a team of combatants from across the continent. In a tournament set up by Tanko Badinson, a former elder priest in the occult, the fighters (as pictured), Kiptoo Kigen (Kenya), Jama Mtetwe Ndosa (South Africa), Thomas Danso Mensah (Ghana), Safari (Ethiopia), Sadiku Telumo (Nigeria) and Thutmose (Egypt) feature in a mission to thwart the plans of Dark Lord Oti who plans to rule the world. Download from kuluya. com or googleplay.com

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Food & Drink | SEAT 1A

SEAT 1A

FOOD & DRINK Restaurants, recipes & epicurean adventures.

Kitchen Confidential Le Creuset casserole dishes, Japanese knives and exotic sauces and spices — the world’s best kitchen wares and supplies are found all throughout the NYC metropolitan area. It’s the best city to shop for all of your culinary needs WORDS

Timeless Tools Broadway Panhandler, family owned and fully stocked.

ROCKY CASALE

eople nowadays spend more and more time in their kitchens preparing dinners for family and friends, rather than spending their money at restaurants. And so, investing in quality cookware and ingredients is trending faster than ever, and no place in the US has better kitchen wares and

supplies than New York City. Brooklyn and Manhattan are where most of this culinary boutiques can be found, all carrying vast ranges of speciality products to whiz, whip, garnish and decorate all all of your meals. Shops like Whisk, for example, stock their stores with practical tools and artful kitchen

gadgets that double as both useful instrument and handsome decor. Here are some of the best cookery retailers across the city.

Bowery Kitchen Supplies

GREAT FOR: Celebrity chef fans

This kitchen-supply shop’s name implies that it resides in New York’s Bowery neighborhood, when in fact, it’s located at Chelsea Markets. Celebrity chefs from the Food Network, many of whom film their programs inside Chelsea Markets, shop here for all their kitchen needs from fancy pepper and salt mills to bars supplies and even cookbooks. 88 10th Ave, New York, 10011; 212.376.4982 bowerykitchens.com

On The Market Bowery Kichen Supplies at Chelsea Markets.

Broadway Panhandler

GREAT FOR: Serious cooks

Family owned since 1976, Broadway Panhandler was one of the city’s first gourmet

cookware shops in Manhattan to supply savvy chefs with top-of-the-line products like speciality knives, cake decorating supplies, as well as table top accessories. Much of their stock consists of high end European brands like Bourgeat and Paderno, or cutlery from Wusthof and Sabatier, and a good selection of sturdy American made products such as heavy cutting boards by JK Adams. 65 East 8th St., New York; 212.966.3434 broadwaypanhandler.com

SEAT 1A | Food & Drink

heavy-steel lemon or garlic extruders. In the coffee department, the shop is full of top-notch products including Chemex coffee makers, porcelain filter cones and italian espresso percolators by Bialetti. 197 Atlantic Ave at Court St, Brooklyn; 718.852.6901 acookscompanion.com

Whisk

Spice Trail La Boîte produces unique customblend spices.

La Boîte

GREAT FOR: Spice enthusiasts

If you’re searching for unique, hand-blended spices, wander over to 11th Avenue and visit chef and spice blender, Lior Lev Sercarz in his spice boutique, La Boîte. Chef Sercarz travelled extensively throughout South America, learning about spices and spice blending and bringing the art to Manhattan. He works closely with customers to help them to develop the perfect curry powder, or experiments with blending new aromas and flavour combinations according to each client's desires. 724 11th Avenue, New York; 10019; 212.247.4407 laboiteny.com

GREAT FOR: Gift givers

The Brooklyn Kitchen

GREAT FOR: Everyday cooks

One of the best places to shop for home canning and picking supplies is the The Brooklyn Kitchen on Frost Street. Taylor Erkkinen and Harry Rosenblum fill their kitchen boutique mostly with sturdy, useful items like Hammersmith copper mixing

bowls. The store also hosts culinary classes, including learning better knife skills, wine appreciation, and cooking classes on making breads and pastas. They also carry hard to find gadgets like homemade kimchi kits and condiments like Mazi Piri Piri sauce. 100 Frost St. Brooklyn, 11211; 718.389.2982 thebrooklynkitchen.com

A Cook‘s Companion

This quaint cooking supply shop, with locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, is known for its whimsical kitchen tools, like stylish goggles for onion cutting or brass knuckle meet tenderisers. The store stocks its shelves with other well-known brands like Cuisinart or Victorinox kitchen tools,and hosts a range of events like pickling demos, and oyster opening classes. They also have an online registry for weddings and other celebrations. 231 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, 11211 whisknyc.com

GREAT FOR: Kitchen refurbishers

Shop at A Cook’s Companion if you’re in the market to replenish all the old tools in your kitchen that no longer work or work poorly, from expert blenders to

Pantry Pro Whisk host classes and events

Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders Today

e-mail: funtajsch@yahoo.com; principal@funtajschool.com; headteacher@funtajschool.com website: www.funtajschool.com. Telephone: +234 7026349299, +234 7026349298, +234 (0) 92905509, +234 (0) 92903808

Inflight Respite | SEAT 1A

SEAT 1A

INFLIGHT RESPITE Wandering & pondering

Airside Inventions Travel innovations that don’t exist but probably should WORDS

EMMA WOODHOUSE

n 2014 a spacecraft landed on a comet, a headset was introduced to enable virtual reality tourism and a company called Terrafugia introduced a plane/car hybrid called ‘Transition’ – a flying car, basically. You would be clapping if you weren’t currently using your hands to make the transition from full size SIM card to iPhone SIM card with blunt scissors and a tiny card tray. The year’s breakthroughs in travel technology are truly phenomenal but there are basic issues that need addressing too.

READY, JET-SET, GO

And here’s a few travel conundrums that have just been solved…

PROBLEM Your partner is

repeatedly trying to call but you can’t answer the phone because you’re in a meeting or watching a performance. SOLVED Along with the answer and decline buttons on your phone, slide left to enable Callsnap to take a photo of your

For the entrepreneurs and inventors among you: Here’s a few ideas, please feel free to run with one in 2015.

Lovely Lovers THE PROBLEM Hideous

Reunions. I saw a quote on Instagram: “Airports see more sincere kisses than wedding halls.” ‘Anonymous’ is right. Romance junkies need only get their fix by hanging around an Arrivals Hall to watch lovers reunite, casting aside their giant duty free Toblerone with gay abandon. But why is it that the awaiting lover always looks like

surrounds in order to show people why you can’t answer. Callsnapapp.com PROBLEM Your holiday photos

comprise awkward selfies and an uninspired photo taken by the terminally bored security guard at the Statue of Liberty. SOLVED Hire a local photographer in over 100 cities worldwide for a professional, candid one-hour photo shoot or more. Return from holiday with a stunning online gallery and downloadable high-res images. Flytographer.com

they have stepped out of a perfume ad and the travelling lover from the video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller? Because air travel dries your skin, makes your hair static, your eyes red and your clothes creased. You can angle your laptop to make you look as cute as you like on Skype, if your partner is picking you up from the airport, currently one has to settle for looking their very worst. HOW TO SOLVE IT Airport Refresher Pods – Equip every Arrivals Hall with a beauty and grooming pod that releases various sprays, gases and steam to freshen, moisturise, de-frizz and de-crease. Cosmetic brands can offer free mini makeovers too.

Perfect Packing THE PROBLEM Overstuffed

Suitcases. If you have ever packed only the items required for a trip and not left anything useful behind, congratulations. You are officially more impressive than the scientists behind the Rosetta comet landing. Packing is a crapshoot and climate change isn’t helping. There might be Harmattan in London next week and snow in Abuja for all we know (this will at least amusingly confuse Bob

PROBLEM According to Tripadvisor

an Ethiopian café in Woolwich is the number one restaurant in London (it’s not). Can anybody get a trusted and like-minded review around here? SOLVED Flag yours and your friends' favourite restaurants and shops on a virtual pinboard. A new app allows you to ping places you visit and leave a photo and a recommendation for your friends, so that together, you can discover the best outlets all over the world. It’s like a useful FourSquare. Pingspot.com

Geldof and Band Aid). Knowing what to pack isn’t so much a fine art as an act of miraculous future prediction. HOW TO SOLVE IT Packing Algorithm - An app that collates your travel dates, social media posts, the weather at your destination, and events from your calendar. The algorithim then crunches the data to produce a precise list of items and clothes to go in your suitcase.

Sleek Security THE PROBLEM Security

Acrobatics. Forget the Pearly Gates, it’s airport security that’s the great leveller of humanity. It doesn’t matter if you’re booked to sit by the loo or next to Beyonce in first class, we all go through the same process. It goes like this: Fiddle with your boarding pass and tiny plastic bag containing a dripping bottle of contact lens solution while hobbling on one leg to remove your shoe (the other shoe has disappeared along the conveyer belt and is probably lounging by the hotel pool with a drink by now). Use the other hand to stealthily remove your laptop and place it on a moving tray without breaking it. Employ your posterior to passiveaggressively bump the person pushing you from behind and use your elbow to do the ‘I’m a little teapot’ dance (for balance, you see). Meanwhile use lip reading and mime to glean clues from the security personnel about whether or not it’s your turn to walk through the metal detector. Next stop: auditions for Cirque du Soleil. HOW TO SOLVE IT Supersonic Screeners - This machine combines the technology and skills of the x-ray machine, metal detector and human handiwork to detect security risks, allowing us to simply walk through without the need to de-robe while juggling electronics. 29

SEAT 1A

HEALTH & BEAUTY Well-being, inside and out

ealth and wellbeing tourism is booming. Every year the market — which is worth an estimated US$494bn — grows by 12.5 per cent, according to research body SRI International. Paul Joseph, co-founder of specialist company Health And Fitness Travel, says people are looking to make every aspect of their holiday more healthy, from taking part in sporting activities,

to what they eat. He says holiday resorts are having to raise their game this year, as healthy lifestyle menus have become a key factor when booking a trip. People ultimately want a return on investment when they go on holiday, he says, not only for the period they are away, but also for when their holiday is over. “They want to learn how to incorporate a new regime or diet into their life when they get home.”

Fitness First Holidays have always been restorative, but these days’ travellers are using their time away to improve their all-round fitness — and that of their families — on innovative and memorable holidays.

WORDS

EMMA FORREST

Healthy Holidays Take to the skies or blaze a trail – the choice is yours

Health & Beauty | SEAT 1A

Authentic African Experiences More and more travellers are heading to African destinations to experience wellness tourism, according to a report from the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) which took place in Marrakech, Morocco, in

BODY MOVING New sporting trends to try

BOXING & PILOXING One of Health And Fitness Travel’s most popular trips is a holiday to a boxing academy. Or you can try a fusion of pilates and boxing – piloxing. TRAIL RUNNING This hugely popular way of running takes you back to nature, on long hiking trails across mountains and away from tarmac. One of the most challenging trail competitions is the Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc, a 20-hour, 166km race round the Alps’ Mont Blanc mountain range. PADDLE-BOARD YOGA This new craze involves balancing on a surfboard while you do yoga poses; Great for focusing the body and mind and developing your core muscles.

September. Research from the summit revealed a massive 186 per cent growth from 2007 to 2013 in spa revenue alone in Sub-Saharan Africa. After putting spa and wellness at the forefront of its tourism campaigns,

Morocco – a prime example of the industry’s potential – now has a spa industry worth an annual US$253 million. This trend is expected to grow as consumers become more familiar with the specific cultural identities and unique approaches to health, wellbeing and beauty in the continent’s different countries. African panelists at the summit said that an essential factor in the growth of the industry was to keep Africa’s spa and wellness offerings distinctive, rather than importing tried-and-tested techniques from overseas. “Don’t bring your Swedish massages to Africa and ask us to ignore the healing traditions we’ve had for thousands of years. Africa has its own health, beauty and healing arts that must be respected,” said Magatte Wade, a Senegalese entrepreneur, listed in the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa by Forbes, who was given the first Leading Woman in Wellness Award at the summit.

HOLIDAY: From Senegal to South Africa, each of Africa’s 54 countries has its own healing traditions. South Africa’s Singita Spa has a treatment called Ndzi Lorhe Africa (‘I dreamed of Africa’), a rejuvenating scrub, wrap and Inkaba balancing massage. singita.com. EVERY DAY: Discover the diversity of local healing ingredients. Baobob is a nutrient-rich superfood with one of the highest antioxidant properties in the world. Mix it with smoothies, juices and main meals for instant radiance, inside and out. aduna.com

FITNESS FEATS

The family that holidays together, gets fit together

Parents are becoming more aware of the need to instil a healthy lifestyle in their kids, who are leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles, spending more time in front of screens than exploring the great outdoors. Paul Joseph says demand is so strong from longstanding clients who had originally travelled solo but who now want to travel with their families, that the company launched its new range of healthy holidays for families. “It’s the reason why we’re so busy right now. Our most

HOMELAND HEALTH

popular request is for fitness adventure holidays, where they can do group-based fitness activities. Traditional fly-and-flop all-inclusives are not what families want any more. Parents want their kids to see them being active and not just lying on the beach.” Families are looking for general family sports holidays where mum, dad and kids can all try different activities, as well as specialist holidays where family members can learn cricket, watersports, tennis or go cycling, hike in jungles or kayak.

HOLIDAY: From boot camps in rural England to mountain biking in South Africa, inclusive packages will have you home looking and feeling fitter than when you left. healthandfitnesstravel. com EVERY DAY: The NR Project is an independent fitness resource run and maintained by volunteers and fitness enthusiasts, including its founder, Neila Rey. The website makes fitness accessible to all by providing videos, nutritional advice, meal plans and set challenges, all with no specialist equipment required. neilarey.com

SEAT 1A | Health & Beauty

International Triathlon Union, with around two in five of triathletes surveyed saying they would consider travelling overseas to a race in the future. “The ITU World Triathlon Series included eight races in eight different countries in 2013, but more than 80 countries were represented at the series over the year, suggesting that amateur athletes travel to other countries to take part in races.” Triathletes say they compete in order to “embrace personal challenge, self-development, health and well being,” says Greene. The London race for 2015 is almost sold out.

Travelling to a sporting challenge Engaging in extreme sporting activities seems to be the number one answer to a mid-life crisis these days. More and more amateur athletes are going abroad to take part in new challenges, from marathons to trail-running races, with some

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD HOLIDAY: Runners from all over the world train for the New York Marathon. Could 2015 be your year? tcsnycmarathon.org EVERY DAY: Gift yourself a fitness-tracker bracelet that monitors activity, fitness levels and sleep and uses the data to help you achieve a personal goal. jawbone.com/up

going on boot camp holidays in order to prepare. "Travel to triathlons – where participants compete in swimming, cycling and running races in one event – is on the rise," says Erin Greene, spokesperson for the

NOVELTY RETREAT HOLIDAY: Add to your bucket list with an obscure but thoroughly therapeutic activity like a yoga safari. sayogasafaris.com

These days, holidaymakers are now looking for something extra from their health and fitness trip, with new trips offering alternative workouts ranging from jungle gyms to paddle-board yoga. Paul Joseph says his clients like to return having tried out something new – anti-gravity or aerial yoga is one of the company’s most popular

activities, as is high-intensity interval fitness. People want to learn something new, and they also want to come back home and tell people about the new workout they’ve tried. Cheryl Lancellas, owner of boutique travel company Southern Africa Yoga Safaris, runs yoga safari retreats but also offers a dolphin yoga holiday. “Dolphins are

therapeutic in themselves,” she explains. “Just watching them frolic brings smiles to everyone. If you are in the water and they choose to interact with you, they play with you. Their unconditional love and great energy they exude are tangible to us and that is therapeutic, as is just being in the warm water of the Indian Ocean.”

EVERY DAY: From aqua zumba to vogueing (that’s yoga combined with Madonna-style vogueing), fun new classes are popping up all over the world. Do some local research and join a class.

Taking sporting holidays to the extreme

SEAT 1A

FASHION Style news & tips from fashion’s new frontier

Style Stakes Prints, pleats and Afrobeats — Guaranty Trust Bank Lagos Fashion & Design Week 2014, with partners including Wings magazine, steps up a big notch, to showcase and support homegrown design talent. WORDS

HELEN JENNINGS PHOTOGRAPHY KOLA OSHALUSI / INSIGNA

igerians have always loved dressing up. We understand fashion, we wear it, we buy it; we appreciate luxury. It’s nothing new,” says Omoyemi Akerele, founder of Lagos Fashion & Design Week (LFDW). But her event, now in its fourth year, is more than just a stylish get together. Beyond the glamorous catwalk shows and street style frenzy, LFDW has become a force for change in the Nigerian fashion industry. “Each year we see signs of evolution and a ripple effect across the scene,” adds Akerele, who has also taken designers to international showcases such as AltaRoma and Pitti Imagine and hosted a pop-up at London department store Selfridges. “We aim to be a relevant fashion platform that helps the industry grow.” LFDW 2014 ran from 29 October to 1 November at Federal Palace, Lagos and invited both regional and diaspora designers

to present their Spring/Summer ’15 collections. It also saw the launch of two new initiatives. Fashion Focus, in collaboration with the British Council, is a yearlong programme supporting the commercial development of 15 emerging brands and LFDW X Retail showroom connected the catwalk to commerce via partnerships with local stores and e-tailers. “It’s about creating opportunities and getting people to recognise that designers are part of a value chain,” says Akerele. “Despite the challenges Nigeria faces, everyone here is focused, confident and forging ahead.” Upwards of 30 designers showed their collections. Here are our top ten highlights of LFDW 2014.

Maki Oh

THE LOOK Provocative prints Fresh from her trip to the White House for Michelle Obama’s Celebration Of Design event, Amaka Osakwe showed her most commercial collection to date. Delving into the original definition of a ‘virgin’ – an unmarried, sexually independent female she layered silk adire with cotton and mesh to create a series of fiercely feminine looks. From off-the-shoulder dresses and bow-tied pencil skirts, to feathered sweaters and knife pleat shorts, these clothes promise to command the room.

Lisa Folawiyo

THE LOOK African flapper Having shown in both Rome and New York this year, Lisa Folawiyo dropped the ‘Jewel By’ from her brand name and made a strong homecoming at LFDW. Clashing prints — stripes, circles, checks — and hybrid silhouettes with multiple hemlines reflect the mood in which she designed the collection. “From the prints and the pleating to the edgings and

Fiercely Feminine A strong collection by Maki Oh. In A Flap Beautiful beading by Lisa Folwaiyo.

Fashion | SEAT 1A

All White On The Night Gown by Tsemaye Binitie.

Backstage Pass Models, behind the scenes.

squares, it’s about the mishmash of strong emotions I was feeling at that time,” says Folawiyo. “But I’ve still stayed true to my own path and aesthetic.”

Tsemaye Binitie

Here comes the pride This London-based star took Nigeria’s 2014 centenary as the starting point for S/S 15. “I studied Nigerian masks, specifically those from Edo State, and explored why people wear them – for ritual, transformation or disguise,” Binitie explains. These motifs were translated into laser cutting, digital prints THE LOOK

and embroideries on a series of slinky white dresses shot through with flashes of black, lemon and electric blue.

Ituen by Ituen Basi

THE LOOK Back to school Pharrell Williams’ song Happy could have been penned with Ituen Basi’s diffusion line in mind. Models strode down the catwalk with broad smiles, geeky glasses on their faces and feel-good clothes on their backs. Imagery including schoolgirl rulers, gingham, flowers and even Lagos’ unmistakable kekenaps covered jolly shirtdresses,

Fun And Frolics (Above and Below) Ituen Basi‘s schoolgirl style.

cropped tops, wide skirts and city shorts.

Orange Culture

THE LOOK Bold and beautiful Adebayo Oke-Lawal based his menswear collection, H.E.R, on childhood memories of his mother, a Benin beauty clad in coral beads and rich textiles. “I’m playing with the line between masculinity and femininity, and the cliché that women are soft and men are hard,” says Oke-Lawal, who was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize this year. Androgyny reigned with short waistcoats, pleated

SEAT 1A | Fashion

Cultured Man Androgynous designs inspired by Benin.

SEW HOT RIGHT NOW Facts and stats from Nigeria’s burgeoning fashion industry Fashion influencers have their eye on Lagos. LFDW has seen attendants include designer Mathew Williamson, fashion editor Suzy Menkes, representatives from Browns London and an impressive array of international press descend on the front row. Nigeria has a GDP of over $520 billion, making it Africa’s largest economy, according to some analysts. The middle and luxury market is on the increase. In March 2015, Alara will open in Lagos. The David Adjaye-designed concept store will stock regional designers and international luxury brands.

Flashpacker Fashion Globetrotter separates by IAmSigo.

palazzo pants and wrapover skirts realised in heavy denim and printed silk.

IAmIsigo

THE LOOK Globe trotter Bubu Ogisi embraced the luxe traveller trend for S/S 15. Entitled Taboo, the collection comprised backpacks, bomber jackets, hooded cloaks and baggy trousers in shades of black, olive, tan and navy that will equip their

Natural Talent Natural fabrics, inspired by Nigeria‘s musical legends.

wearers to roam far and wide swathed in understated style. Rope detailing and fringing added an Aztec feel to this quietly confident offering.

Kenneth Ize

THE LOOK Living the high life Kenneth Ize caused a stir at LFDW 2013 with his catwalk debut, which earned him an internship at EDUN. The young talent now makes his return with

Easy Breezy Loin Niger Delta nature prints by Republic Of Foreigner.

a collection inspired by Nigeria’s musical legends. Sticking to natural woven fabrics and hues, he focused on wrapping, draping and loose tailoring to create a series of masterfully simple his ’n’ hers looks.

Republic of Foreigner

THE LOOK South-South stylista Carmen and Selina Sutherland raised spirits with their collection, Candy Plantation. The sisters looked to the folklore, nature and crafts of the Niger Delta to create palm fruit and basketry-inspired prints that enlivened a series of easy breezy silhouettes. Knotted jersey shirt

Fashion | SEAT 1A

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Fashion | SEAT 1A

dresses, billowing silk maxis, crisp cotton suits and organza midi skirts came in pretty shades of jade, bronze, white and charcoal.

Lanre da Silva Adjaye

THE LOOK Rock chic This established designer first showed her S/S 15 collection, Rock Delight, at Vogue Talent 2014 in Milan. But its inspiration comes from closer to home, namely the mighty Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Translated into an extensive range of regal looks that emphasised shoulders and hips, her mix of luxuriously hued silks,

lace and velvet shone through – as did supermodel Agbani, who wore the last look.

Tiffany Amber

THE LOOK Grown woman Folake Folarin-Coker celebrated 15 years of Tiffany Amber this autumn, so it was only fitting that her show rounded off LFDW 2014. And what a way to go out. This collection had a little bit of everything she does best – floaty and flattering resortwear, metallic disco diva suiting and, of course, full-on gemstone-encrusted glamour gowns. Bravo.

SCENE & HEARD Reporting from the LFDW frow

Visit the designers’ websites for stockist information.

TEE OFF This year, LFDW had it’s own branded t-shirt designed by Caven Etomi. The cult streetwear brand came up with a colourful print, worn by insiders throughout the event.

INSTA-POW The catwalk selfie phenomenon, started by Cara Delevingne at London Fashion Week in February, was taken to its logical extremes by Mai Atafo. His models all took out a phone on their last lap, struck a pose, and then rushed to the end of the catwalk to surround the designer for a mass point and pout.

Rock Solid Olumo Rock inspired Lanre Da Silva Adjaye.

TUNE IN Glamour Queen Disco diva chic by Tiffany Amber.

The show soundtrack kept the models and the audience fired up all week. Top tunes included Two Weeks by FKA Twigs, Beyoncé’s Flawless, Temi Dollface’s latest single Just Like That (Story), CARO by Whizkid and the unmistakable refrains of Khia’s My Neck, My Back.

Street Cred Fashion lovers arrive at the shows.

SEAT 1A | Fashion

41751/AW

A New Dawn

The design of the CICC is an architectural first for Nigeria

How the CICC could pave a path to prosperity. Find out how the new jewel of West Africa is grabbing the headlines.

he opening of the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) in February 2015, is set to place Cross River State in Nigeria on the world stage. While the country already hosts regular international meetings and conferences, this purpose-built, state-of-the-art convention centre sets a new benchmark in terms of design, scale and ambitions. The centre is clearly aiming at becoming a firm favourite of national and international meeting planners who

and medical facility, an 18-hole golf course and a residential development. Impressively, the flexible building design allows for several types of events to take place at the same time. In fact, the centre is able to accommodate up to 5,000 delegates in 21 different venues with as many as 2,000 for plenary sessions and as few as 10 in a small meeting room. There are also dedicated offices for event organisers, VIP rooms and halls with

The CICC adjoins a designer golf course

A Bold Way Forward The international convention market is relatively new for Nigeria. However, the government of Cross River State expects that Nigeria, which is the biggest economy in Africa, will now have a major new asset to develop this industry. Designed by the award-winning Danish firm, Henning Larson Architects,

the scale and flexibility of this convention centre will truly set it apart. The Calabar International Convention Centre is, without doubt, a major asset to Cross River State. And with a bigger vision in mind, the CICC is set to further secure Nigeria’s place as Africa’s powerhouse.

THE CICC AT A GLANCE It’s Nigeria’s first purpose-built international convention centre.

are looking for a first-class experience. It is set to be a catalyst for major business growth in Cross River State.

A Grand Vision The CICC is part of the remarkable 367 hectare Summit Hills mixed-use development, which includes a business hotel, an international hospital

acoustic walls that reduce sound. The Governor of Cross River, His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke, wants to see the centre turn the state into the proud host of global events, which will benefit the Cross River economy. This major project will add weight to the state government’s investment in its thriving tourism industry.

It can host meetings, conferences and exhibitions, from 10 – 5,000 delegates, in one or more of 21 optional venues. The centre is located in a free trade zone (FTZ), which means exhibitors and conference organisers are exempt from paying VAT, WHT and other state-levied taxes. It’s a 15 minute drive from downtown Calabar and 30 minutes from Margaret Ekpo International Airport. The centre is integrated within the new, 367 hectare Summit Hills mixed-use development.

For more information on the Calabar International Convention Centre, visit the website www.conventioncentrecalabar.com or email info@conventioncentrecalabar.com

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

IDYLLIC OUTPOSTS

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

Urban life can be a ceaseless whirl of glamour and excitement, but everyone needs an occasional break. Here are four of the loveliest rural hideaways within easy reach of Arik Air’s destination cities — ideal places to slow down and recharge WORDS TOM YARWOOD

ike the British condiment Marmite, urban life inspires the most extreme passions. You love it or you loathe it – but, unlike Marmite, it can provoke both feelings in the same person at different times. In fact, from the Roman aristocrat Pliny in the 2nd Century to the Russian aristocrat Tolstoy in the 19th, history resounds with the voices of conflicted urbanites railing against the evils of metropolitan existence and in praise of a life lived close to the soil. The upper classes have always had the best of both worlds, of course, chilling out on their country estates for part of the year and then descending on town during the “season”. But long ago, mass transportation freed most of the rest of us, too, from our exclusive attachment to city or country – and now the only challenge for citydwellers is to find easily accessible country escapes that haven’t already been ruined by hordes of other urbanites with the same idea in mind. That’s where Wings magazine comes in. No matter which of our thrilling destination cities you’re headed to now, chances are you’ll wake up there one tired Friday morning just longing to hear the sound of birdsong or feel the fresh caress of a sea breeze on your face. Where to go, then? You’ve heard of the Hamptons, no doubt, and perhaps the Cotswolds – but so has everyone else and their chihuahua. Read on to discover some quieter and more pristine country escapes: the weekend idylls that locals would probably rather you didn’t know about...

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

UK LONDON

Suffolk Coast

BLEAK BEACH BEAUTY LONDON, SUFFOLK COAST

Wild Things Marsh harriers drift across Minsmere

eave London in any direction and you’ll come across pockets of lovely countryside soon enough. These areas – the Cotswolds, the New Forest, the South Downs – belong to the gentle, pastoral England of popular imagination, their rolling hills long ago tamed by humans. To see a wilder, more ancient side of Britain, it seems you must venture much further afield. Or instead, head north-east for a just a couple of hours, to the Suffolk coast. Five river estuaries – the Stour, Orwell, Deben, Alde and Blyth – pierce England’s flank here, at its easternmost extreme; and today, almost 200 square miles of the marshlands, mudflats, creeks and shingle spits around them are protected as an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This haunting, windswept landscape has changed little in 1,000 years, and scattered across it are some of Britain’s most beautiful historic villages, and two of its prettiest seaside resorts, Aldeburgh and Southwold. Well-heeled Londoners have been flocking to these beach towns in summer for almost two centuries, but their isolation has protected them from overdevelopment. They remain picture-perfect, as if preserved in aspic since their Victorian heyday; and both harbour elegant shopping streets studded with clothing boutiques, antiques emporia and delis. Aldeburgh is best known for its annual music festival, founded by the composer Benjamin Britten and his partner Peter Pears in 1947. Nearby is whimsical little Thorpeness, a fantasy holiday village built by an Edwardian tycoon. But for deeper contact with the region’s ancient soul, you must venture further inland – to the bird sanctuary at Minsmere, where marsh harriers drift across vast cloudscapes over coppery acres of reeds; to Wenhaston, whose church houses a fabulous medieval painting, the so-called Wenhaston Doom; and to Sutton Hoo, where some of the greatest treasures of England’s Dark Ages were discovered in the burial mound of a sixth-century warrior king.

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

This haunting, windswept landscape has changed little in 1,000 years, and scattered across it are some of Britain’s most beautiful historic villages.

WHERE TO STAY

Country Life Suffolk is home to charming hotels like Wentworth House

Wilderness Reserve A huge tract of Suffolk countryside now being returned to its Arcadian 18th-century state by property magnate Jon Hunt, the Wilderness Reserve has seven historical houses for rent, from £200 per night. wildernessreserve.com The Wentworth Hotel An imposing, traditional hotel on the seafront in Aldeburgh, the Wentworth has been in the same family since 1920. Decor is unadventurous, but smart, and food and service are good. Doubles from £150. wentworth-aldeburgh.com

GETTING THERE TRAIN Take the National Express East Anglia Service from London Liverpool Street to Saxmundham (for Aldeburgh) or Darsham (for Southwold or Wilderness Reserve) via Ipswich (two hours). CAR Leave the M25 motorway around London at Junction 28, from which the A12 takes you close to all places mentioned.

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

The balance of culture and outdoor thrills it offers is pretty unique in the area around Johannesburg.

JOHANNESBURG Clarens

ART AND ADRENALINE JOHANNESBURG, CLARENS

Aerial Attraction Hot air balloons take vistors above the Rooiberg Mountains

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

here’s no shortage of bucolic escapes within easy reach of Johannesburg, from the Pilanesberg and Madikwe game reserves to the Drakensberg mountains, the towering massif that runs down South Africa’s eastern flank. But for a diverting mix of culture, good food and idyllic countryside, the village of Clarens is hard to beat. Set amid the spectacular Rooiberg mountains, three hours’ drive south of the city, it lies just 20km from the glorious wilds of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park; but the village itself – a well-known artists’ colony – is so absorbing, many visitors never venture beyond it. The countryside around here saw some of the most dramatic events of the Boer War, including the capitulation of General Cronje and 4,000 Boer troops in 1900 at Surrender Hill, now the site of a national monument. And the village itself, founded 12 years later, was named after the town in Switzerland where the exiled Boer leader Paul Kruger died in 1904. Its leafy streets of mellow old sandstone houses are at their loveliest in autumn, when the local poplar trees blaze red and gold; but artists and photographers flock here at every time of year. The local galleries are of variable quality, but works by well-known South African artists and exciting new talents are never hard to dig out; and there are good vintage furniture stores and clothing boutiques, too. Most deservedly popular among the village’s bars and cafes is perhaps the Clarens Brewery, well known for its artisanal beers and cider.

Alternative Living Fill up on art, and artisinal beer, at Clarens Brewery

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

Waiting To Exhale Johannesburg residents visit Clarens to unwind

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

“The trout fishing around Clarens is some of the best in South Africa,” says Johannesburg-based travel guru Steve Ellis of Personal Africa, “and the area is also great for hiking, mountain-biking, horse-riding and white-water rafting. In fact, the balance of culture and outdoor thrills it offers is pretty unique in the area.” Adventure junkies should head to the nearby Golden Gate Highlands NAtional Park, famed for its lush grasslands and titanic, multi-hued sandstone rock formations. There are also ancient rock paintings by the San people to discover, and a wide range of plains game to see.

WHERE TO STAY Patcham Place It’s hard to fault this friendly bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town – plus the views are glorious, and the breakfast is hearty. Rooms from R530. patchamplace.co.za Protea Hotel Clarens Most people staying in village-y Clarens opt for a b&b, but those looking for a hotel will find this member of the Africa-wide Protea chain clean and reliable. Rooms start from R1455 for two people sharing. proteahotels.com

GETTING THERE

CAR From Johannesburg, take the N3 to Warden, then the R714 to Bethlehem, and finally the R712 to Clarens. The journey takes about three hours on well-maintained roads.

Great Outdoors Spend a weekend white water rafting and horse riding

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

USA

NYC

The North Fork

THE FOODIE’S FORK

NEW YORK, THE NORTH FORK

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

instein spent the happiest summer of his life in a cottage there in 1939, and F Scott Fitzgerald set parts of his famous Jazz Age novel, The Great Gatsby, on Long Island’s rural North Fork. But today, it is New York’s most underrated summer destination. One of two 35-mile-long peninsulas at the island’s eastern tip, it has long been overshadowed by its southern neighbour, site of the celebritythronged resorts known as the Hamptons. Perhaps that’s because the South Fork’s beaches are bigger. But the North Fork’s are lovely nonetheless, and it has other charms – notably an organic, farm-totable food and wine scene that’s second to none in the region – and all just a couple of hours’ drive outside New York City. The North Fork’s roads are less busy than those of the South Fork, and its coast wilder and more peaceful. Among the prettiest stretches

Traditional Charm The Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Restaurant and Speakeasy

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

are Potato Beach, the perfect place to launch a kayak, with clear, shallow water backed by oyster flats; and Goldsmith’s Inlet, a popular fishing spot on an estuary fringed with riotous rose bushes. Proximity to the sea is one key element in the area’s terroir – similar in this, and other respects, to Bordeaux’s. Its first winery opened only in 1973, but today there are 40, and some now supply wine to Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan. The Fork is peppered with organic smallholdings, some now the pride and joy of recent escapees from the city, drawn out here to the ocean’s fringe by a yearning for a slower and more sustainable way of life. It’s easy to while away a long weekend in wine-tasting, and rootling through fresh produce at the countless farmstands that line the roads. Don’t miss pretty Sherwood House, which combines a retro interiors store with a tasting room, or McCall Wines, which makes a Pinot Noir often considered the region’s best (try the 2010 Reserve). And sample a few of the region’s stellar restaurants, including The Frisky Oyster, the North Fork Table & Inn, and First And South in Greenport.

Farm To Plate The North Fork is peppered with organic smallholdings

Idyllic Outposts | COVER STORY

ÂŠ Long Island CVB

Hot Potato Sunshine and sea air at Potato Beach

WHERE TO STAY The North Fork Table & Inn This traditional inn has four simple but comfortable rooms, but the real attraction is the sublime breakfast served in its excellent restaurant. Doubles from $200. nofoti.com Jedediah Hawkins Inn An Italianate 19th-century house-turned-boutique-hotel with a huge garden, beautiful vineyard views and an acclaimed restaurant. Doubles from $250. jedediahhawkinsinn.com

GETTING THERE TRAIN Take the Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station in Manhattan to Mattituck, Southold or Greenport. CAR Take the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495), then turn right down Highway 25 to Jamesport, Mattituck and beyond.

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

INTO THE GROOVE ACCRA, ELMINA

GHANA

ith its crumbling old colonial buildings, lively fishing port and ravishing beaches, the little town of Elmina is among the ACCRA jewels of Ghana’s coast – and it lies just three hours by car to the west of Accra, the country’s Elmina capital, making it ideal for a weekend break from the city. First-time visitors might want to explore the majestic, whitewashed old Dutch fort that overlooks its streets, caught between the Atlantic breakers and the calm waters of the Benya lagoon – but a tour of it is not to be taken lightly: as a prison for newly captured slaves, it was long a place of unimaginable cruelty. In any case, there’s much else of less distressing cultural and historical interest to see nearby. Elmina’s fish market is wildly busy, and its harbour teems with colourful pirogues daubed with flags, cartoonish sketches and slogans, from Old Testament saws to popular wisecracks. Hidden away among the warren of streets beyond is a fascinating array of posuban shrines, sometimes grand and elaborate concrete monuments built and decorated with colourful statues by the local warrior groups known as asafo. An intriguing small museum, the Elmina-Java Museum, traces the history of Ghanaian soldiers recruited to serve as colonial troops in the Dutch East Indies during the 19th Century. And stretching away down the coast are some of 54

Boat Show Colourful pirogues at Elmina harbour

Ghana’s loveliest beach resorts, set among tranquil groves of soaring coconut palms. “Elmina’s a good place to go if you just want to flop beside a beautiful beach all weekend,” says Roberto Cerea of the tour operator TransAfrica. “But part of its charm is that there are also lots of interesting things to do nearby.” The city of Cape Coast, just 10km away, has a fine museum of the slave trade. And not far to its north is the Kakum National Park, an expanse of primary rainforest that’s home to monkeys, 200 bird species, 600 butterfly species, and one of the world’s longest canopy walkways – a breathtaking, 1,150ft-long rope bridge suspended between the treetops 130ft above the jungle floor.

COVER STORY | Idyllic Outposts

Swinging Good Time Breathtaking primary rainforest at Kakum National Park

Sea Of Tranquility Get away from it all at Ghana's loveliest beach resorts

WHERE TO STAY Coconut Grove Beach Resort Set beside a sweeping beach within walking distance of Elmina, this resort has a large swimming pool and a nine-hole golf course. Doubles from $125. coconutgrovehotels.com.gh Elmina Bay Resort Overlooking a beautiful beach 10 minutes’ drive outside town, Elmina Bay has a big swimming pool and 24 clean and comfortable rooms. Doubles from $125. elminabayresort.com

GETTING THERE © transafrica.biz

The N1 runs directly down the coast from Accra to Ghana. Go by car, or take a bus from the main STC bus station to Takoradi or Cape Coast (from where it’s a short shared-taxi journey by to Elmina).

New York Hotels | FEATURE

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59 ...follow the leader

FEATURE | New York Hotels

BIG APPLE Over the last decade, the most exceptional new hotels are pushing the boundaries of design or repurposing old buildings for their quirky architectural character. Wings curates the hippest new hotels in New York City. WORDS ROCKY CASALE

inding beds in New York City for the city’s ever swelling tourist population has always proved a tricky feat. While the global market for new hotels seems to be slowing, new hotels continue to spring up in every borough in the city. New York City will offer travellers nearly 100,000 hotel rooms by 2015, and the hotel-building boom is only expected to continue. According to Vali Brown, vice president of global sales at the research firm STR who is quoted in USA Today Travel: “New room supply growth will remain muted for the overall industry in the coming years. An exception is the New York City market; they are in the middle of a new hotel construction explosion.” Anyone familiar with New York knows that it’s the kind of town that will squeeze every last inch of its real estate to build and accommodate hotels for travellers dipping in and out of town. Be it for work or pleasure, some of the more interesting and innovative hotels to arrive on the scene in recent years have not only pushed the design boundaries for the neighbourhoods that they moved into, but also challenged the ways we use and reuse old or abandoned structures for the benefit of travellers and locals alike. New York’s latest and most curious hotel projects to hit town in recent years will inspire guests and hoteliers alike, the world over. 60

New York Hotels | FEATURE

THE MARLTON

uilt in 1900 just off Washington Square Park, The Marlton House has seen its share of history. Jack Kerouac wrote two novellas here while living in the hotel, which by dint of his presence attracted a motley crew of other Beat Generation figures such as Neal Cassady. For a short time, when not hosting artists and actors, the building was a dormitory for New School students. This all came before hotelier Sam MacPherson reopened the hotel in 2013, restoring the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original European-style details like herringbone wood floors and beautiful crown mouldings. He also opened the rollicking 98-seat Margaux, a restaurant at the rear of the lobby that serves fresh Mediterranean and California-inspired fare. 5 West 8th Street, New York 10011; 212-321-1011 marltonhotel.com

FEATURE | New York Hotels

THE POD HOTEL

iven New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outrageously expensive hotels, it is always refreshing to hear when new propositions come to town, like The Pod Hotels, that allow travellers on middle-range budgets to find accommodation in the city. Of course, the rooms are tiny (it is called The Pod, after all), but the designs are meant to be functional, entertaining and with contemporary amenities. The best part is that you can upgrade from a bunk bed to your own private studio, and they have two locations in the city; one on 51st Street and the other on 39th Street. 230 East 51st Street, New York 10022; 212-355-0300 thepodhotel.com

New York Hotels | FEATURE

THE LIBRARY HOTEL

ith over 6,000 books organised by the Dewey Decibel System, The Library Hotel is a far cry from where most people choose to check in. What makes the hotel’s 60 guest rooms and public lounge and reading areas even more unique is that the art and books in each space explore specific topics like literature, history art and religion. The third floor, for example, is devoted to the social sciences, while the eleventh floor is all about philosophy. There is also a handsome writing den where guests can go to relax with a drink, and a rooftop poetry garden; a lovely spot to pass summer evenings. 299 Madison Avenue, New York 10017; 212-983-4500 libraryhotel.com

THE JANE

ne of the city’s most fascinating West Side waterfront hotels is the 159-room Jane in New York’s West Village. Finished in 1908 by William A. Boring, the architect behind Ellis Island’s immigrant stations, the building served as a hotel for U.S. sailors, complete with a bowling alley, concert hall and chapel. Survivors of the Titanic disaster were temporarily put up here as well. In the 1940s, the building became a YMCA and later a public theatre space. Restored in 2008 by Sam MacPherson and Eric Goode, The Jane is now a gathering point for its affordable rooms, colourful history, and enviable location. 113 Jane Street, New York 10014; 212-924-6700 thejanenyc.com

FEATURE | New York Hotels

THE NIGHT HOTEL

hough it may not be for everyone, at least The Night Hotel pushes the boat out where design is concerned, taking a chance on black and white contrasting colours that play over and over again throughout the entire building. But if you are into dark, almost gothic decorum and also looking to splurge, the hotel is also unique for its large duplex penthouse suite with three terraces. The Night Hotel’s Red Moon Bar & Lounge will, in a pinch, or if you’re here on business working late, be a good place to pop in for a freshly prepared sushi roll, green curry, or any of their pan-Asian themed dining options. 132 W 45th Street, New York 10036; 212-835-9600 nighthotelny.com

THE PAPER FACTORY

ust five minutes outside of Manhattan, the 122-room Paper Factory Hotel is probably one of the most unique property conversions in Long Island City. The 100-year-old former paper factory, with its works of art and gorgeous furnishings filling in its functional public and private living spaces, is a repository of curious design touches, like walls made from former elevator doors and flooring laminated with old New York newspapers. Those wanting to splash out can check into the hotel’s King Deluxe Suite, a homey, lofty space with banks of giant industrial windows and its own cute kitchenette. 37-06 36th Street, Long Island City, Queens 11101; 718-392-7200 thepaperfactoryhotel.com

New York Hotels | FEATURE

citizenM

NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE

eeking to escape the tourist cliche that Times Square ultimately has become, European hoteliers, citizenM, opened a new 230-room property in June 2014 in this chaotic midtown stretch. What makes it unique is that they actually succeeded in adding a new conversation to the abysmal hotel scene of the area by partnering with furniture suppliers like Vitra, and filling its large public lounges and canteen with bright artworks, design books and so on. Guest rooms are wired with technology that allows visitors to choose and create music playlists, change the temperature, alter the lighting, and play with most of the room gadgets, all by remote control. 218 West 50th Street, New York 10019; 212-461-3638 citizenm.com

FEATURE | Gambia Adventure

Gambia Adventure | FEATURE

The Gambiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West African Powersports appeals to holidaymakers with a need for speed from the usually laid back Sene-Gambia strip. WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY

JASON FLORIO

FEATURE | Gambia Adventure

aving walked around the entire Gambia by foot, paddled the length of the her mighty river, and soared over her palm forested hinterland in micro-lights, Helen, my wife and I thought we had ticked all the ‘adventure boxes’ for this tiny swathe of West Africa, until we meet Pete. Peter Morril, a young Brit, and card-carrying ‘petrol-head’, tells us, after a chance meeting in Banjul, that he had grown bored with repairing mammoth road building machinery in Sierra Leone, and had decided to find a more fun way to make a living in The Gambia. By combining his love for all things mechanical, and to satiate his daily adrenaline requirements, Gambia’s West African Powersports (WAPs) was born of his gasoline-infused romance. Wuri Bah, Peter’s trusty Gambian ‘mechanic-medic-guide’, meets us at WAPs’ HQ a few kms from Sene-Gambia, The Gambia’s tourist strip. “You don’t steer these machines like you would a bicycle o r motorcycle. It’s all in the arms — no leaning!” he says, as he gives Helen and I a rundown on how to operate the 200cc Polaris ATV quad bikes that will be our metal mounts for the next five hours. Groups for the off-road adventure are limited to ten riders, so anyone who’s a neophyte to these little powerhouses on four chubby tires can have close supervision. In reality, once Wuri has given us half an hour of skills training, we feel confident to hit the trail. With Wuri leading the pack in a Polaris 570cc buggy (imagine the spawn of a golf cart bred with a Transformer robot), and Pete himself following up the rear, we thumb our accelerators and cruise into the unblinking Gambian sunshine. Although quad biking is not brand new to The Gambia, entrepreneurs who have attempted to rent out ATVs soon fell afoul of their inability to service and repair the machines; for Pete, his love of cogs and carburettors keeps his machines purring. We exit directly into the sandy backstreets of Brusubi’s grand houses — edifices to Gambia’s burgeoning affluent set — which soon gives way to ‘the bush’. But, before the last McMansion and suburbia can disappear into an eddy of our dust, rural Gambia unapologetically ambles its self right across our track, and we skid to a halt to respect its place in society. A Fula man in a long smock and conical hat, waving a stick, pushes his two-dozen cows around us, without surprise. Seeing our helmeted reflection in the cow’s giant dark eyes makes me feel we have somehow torn through the space-time fabric and landed in Gambia in 1814.

At a tight left-hand bend around the village Bantaba, a few elders were coolly watching our approach from the 21st century

Firmly in the grip of the timeless bucolic byways, flanked by copses of cashew and mango trees and luminous-green rice fields, we grow more confident, and when an open stretch clear of cattle and humans appears, we throttle forward. I am in the middle of my own mini Paris-Dakar rally fantasy as we respectfully slow to enter Banyaka village. At a tight left-hand bend around the village Bantaba, a few elders are coolly watching our approach from the 21st century. I can see Helen ahead of me, leaning hard to the left to attempt to guide her quad around the elders and the bend, but the bike sails on a straight trajectory and she burrows into a dry mud bank fringed with ‘wah’ grass. “You forgot use your arms to steer!” Wuri gently admonishes her, as Pete extracts her and the bike from the bush. We cool off further down the track by charging the bikes through a clear, wide stream with the excitement of kids jumping into puddles. The water lilies on the creeks outer edge, Wuri says, signified it was fed 68

Four-wheel Frolics Gambia West African Powersports is an unmissable experience for thrillseekers.

Gambia Adventure | FEATURE

FEATURE | Gambia Adventure

Gambia Adventure | FEATURE

by a nearby spring, and their pads are soon glistening with the outstretched spray of our multiple plunges. For tourists visiting Gambia, it has, until now, been a fairly passive holiday destination, where one of the biggest exertions available was heaving themselves into the back of a safari jeep and keeping a grip on their fizzy drink. But only one year old, WAPs already has the thumbs-up from not only the tourists, but ex-pats and local residents looking for some fresh thrills — previously only available in Senegal, where the Paris-Dakar has left its mark in the form of quad-bike adventures, de rigueur in coastal hotspots. Just after 1pm, when even the most sun-hardened of expats has retreated to the shade with their dogs, we stop short of a set of sand dunes and the Atlantic Ocean. Helmets in hand, we saunter into Fansue’s beach bar on Tujering’s pristine and empty beach, with the air of folks who have just thundered across the whole Sahara. Pete is already at Fansue’s, having jetted ahead to make sure lunch is ready. With another two hours and 30kms of ‘full throttle’ action ahead, the fish benechin lunch is virtually inhaled in our eagerness to remount. Helen and I switch places with Wuri and Jere Sanyang, a local Gambian student in the Polaris buggy, just as a squadron of hooded

Steer Clear Mind the pedestrians as you rev your way across Gambia‘s countryside

Only a year old, WAPs already has the thumbs-up from not only the tourists, but ex-pats and local residents looking for some fresh thrills

FEATURE | Gambia Adventure

With another two hours and 30kms of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;full throttleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; action ahead, the excellent fish benechin lunch was virtually inhaled in our eagerness to remount

Culture, Vultures Meeting the locals on the quad-bike trail

Gambia Adventure | FEATURE

FEATURE | Gambia Adventure

Gambia Adventure | FEATURE

vultures explode into slow-motion flight around us. “Aaaawesome!!” Helen yells in a fake American accent and punches the accelerator with her foot, as we careen up a rutted incline. My normally mild-mannered wife is turning into a fuel-injected off-road junkie before my very eyes. Slowly entering a hamlet, an old lady frantically waves her right arm up and down in a “Stop immediately!” motion, as Gambians do when hailing a taxi. Smiling, we wave back and rattle on past her down the diminishing track, only to see a group of school kids ahead, their arms also flapping, but their yells indiscernible to our helmeted ears. Pete broadsides in front of us, and our mechanised caravan grounds to a halt, just a few metres from a quad-bike-eating crevasse in the middle of the road. “Blimey that was close,” Pete laughs. “That wasn’t there before the rainy season. I love this job — never a dull moment!” The school kids wave us homewards as we holler thanks over the engine noise. A few kilometres further down the sandy path, we arrive back at the WAPs HQ. We dismount, dusty as all hell, all gritty grins, faces muddied, but unbowed.

THE BASICS WAPs will soon be introducing electric all-terrain buggies for bird watchers who need to move around the bush more stealthily. For those who want to experience the thrill of the ride, but prefer to do so as a co-pilot, WAPs also offers a ‘chauffeur driven’ buggy option. TOURS The tours are approx. 60km and take about five hours, with a lunch stop. Prices include lunch and soft drinks. Quad-bike tour prices begin at 65 Euros per person. Buggy-tour prices begin at 75 Euros per person. CONTACT West African Powersports, AU Summit Highway, Brusubi, The Gambia; +220 222 0303 / +220 222 0550, westafricanpowersports.com

Speed Bumps Expect the unexpected on your quad adventure.

Glorious Mud Jason and Helen, back at WAPs HQ

The King Within | FEATURE

The King Within Award-winning filmmaker Tamara Gordon’s upcoming film The King Within follows the remarkable life story of Dein Keagborekuzi I, King of Agbor in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Though fantastical, it’s one, she says, that so many of dual heritage backgrounds can relate to. WORDS TAMARA GORDON PHOTOGRAPHY GEORGE OSODI

FEATURE | The King Within

ave you ever seen Coming To America? Well this is ‘Returning To Africa’!” laughs Dein Keagborekuzi I, King of Agbor of Delta State, Nigeria. In that classic 1988 comedy movie, Eddie Murphy plays Prince Akeem Joffer, from the fictional nation of Zamunda, who travels to the United States hoping to assimilate into normal life on the streets of New York, and to find a wife. Real-life royal Keagborekuzi’s tale mirrors the film with uncanny accuracy. I first became aware of his story at an exhibition of Nigerian Monarchs by the photographer George Osodi, curated by Ziggy Golding. The subject matter proved fascinating: Nigerian monarchies have experienced massive changes in the last century, and although stripped of their constitutional power in the 1960s, they still rule their kingdoms and function not just as living symbols of customs and traditions, but as portals of ancient wisdom. I decided immediately that I wanted to make a film about Keagborekuzi’s life. For this is the story of a supposedly ordinary kid from the streets of West London, who returns to his ancestral land and turns out to be a King. For all intents and purposes, his life is the 78

perfect modern fairytale, but also reveals the complexities of today’s multicultural world.

Everybody has a king within

Nestled in the premise of Keagborekuzi’s fairytale lie more complex issues. Today, the clash between traditional cultures and imported elements of modern Western culture is playing itself out across the world. Many of us have dual identities, and as a consequence, don’t necessary have a fixed concept of ‘nationality’ and ‘home’. Yet often we feel forced to take a side, which, in effect, neglects another part of ourselves. I’m setting out to make a film that essentially examines how a King navigates between contrasting worlds, and ask if it’s possible for him to reconcile the differences; how does he use the many facets of his experience to his advantage, in an ever-more globalised world? As a filmmaker, I am tired of the stereotypes and negative images of black youth in the British press. A report conducted as recently as 2013 by The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that in some areas of the UK, young black people are 29 times more likely to be stopped and searched than any other group. It’s a

The King Within | FEATURE

first- or second-generation immigrants, they would have so much more wisdom to draw on, and so many more options to play out. Dein Keagborekuzi has certainly experienced juggling two worlds and living with a bittersweet cocktail of identities. As the first-born son in his family, born after five daughters, there was much anticipation. His father finally had an heir to a throne that went back as far as 721BC; like so many aspects of Keagborekuzi, even his name has dual significance, since it will always be a reminder of both his father’s relief, as well as a not-so-subtle message to all who had an eye on his throne. When I ask Keagborekuzi to translate, he says, in his strong West London accent: “It means: ‘What you gonna say about that then?’” Royal Role Surrounded by his Chiefs On Tour Arriving in Budapest for the opening of Nigerian Monarchs

If every child could grasp the true richness of their cultural heritage alongside their often adopted nationalities, they would have so much more wisdom to draw on, and so many more options to play out

shocking statistic, and media portrayals undoubtedly have a role to play in the cultural assumptions behind it. “Never judge a book by its cover,” says Dein Keagborekuzi. “Who would have known that hidden amongst us was a King? You never know who you are speaking to.” And this, I feel, is perhaps how every young black person in the West should be seen as The King Within instead of being too often ostracised and vilified. If every child could grasp the true richness of their cultural heritage alongside their often adopted nationalities as

The world’s youngest monarch

In 1977, after the untimely, tragic death of his father, he was crowned King at only two-and-a-half years old. He was recorded in the Guinness Book Of Records as the youngest monarch in the world. Following concerns for his safety, the 28-month-old monarch and a select few from the royal family relocated to the UK, where they lived for the first two decades of his life. Dein Keagborekuzi was addressed by his Roman Catholic name Benjamin, and for the next 20 years, he dropped out of Nigerian public life. But now the film will reveal the ‘other life’ of Benjamin in Britain, in the hope of creating a bridge of understanding between his two worlds. “I wasn’t thinking of my Kingship, I was experiencing life like any other young boy in London,” says the Dein of his time growing up in London. “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth; none of that was a reality to me.” There were only one or two other black boys in the boarding schools he attended, so it felt inevitable for Keagborekuzi that would come across racism. “But I never experienced too much,” he says. “The most I got was, ‘I don’t like black people, but you’re alright’. I was always the alright one.” About his education, he simply says: “I felt frustrated at school. I knew there was more to black history than slavery I was living proof of that.” When he eventually left school, he began nurturing his independent identity, revealing to those close to him the story of his Kingship, which by now seemed a far-off fairytale. Then, an elder said it was his destiny to return. 13 years ago, young and hopeful of making a positive difference to his people, the Dein embarked on the extraordinary journey back to his roots, to claim not just his throne, but a whole other identity. Aged 79

FEATURE | The King Within

Duty Calls The Dein meets subjects outside of his palace Street Style (From left) Musician Will.i.Am, Benjamin — the Dein and Tim Wade

23, he resumed full duty of his Kingdom. I ask him what I should call him as we traverse his life between Nigeria and the UK. Spontaneously, he suggests “HM.” I admire his navigation of identity, a skill he has down to a fine art. Rising up to be a King is a huge undertaking. The Dein had everything to learn about Kingship and power; he had everything to learn about being Nigerian. There were numerous challenges, not least of which was being a young monarch surrounded by elderly statesmen. “Times have changed so much,” he says. “The divide between the elders and the youth needs to be bridged. We younger people need their wisdom, knowledge and experience. We must never forget the sanctity of our elders, but they, as our elders, can benefit from our zest for life, vigour, strength and vision.” Having grown up in England, with no one knowing who he was, he adds: “I grew up amongst the people, so I feel comfortable with the people. I think monarchy should be close to the people for effective leadership. But in Nigeria, my subjects have a reverence for the monarch and that keeps them at a distance. I don’t have magic – I can’t solve problems unless I know who or what those problems are. God has blessed me with a conscience, I hate to see people suffer. I see boats and Bentleys in Nigeria where there’s no electricity or roads. It’s crazy.” Perhaps understandably, on some days, our charming King feels like an alien in Nigeria, frustrated with the slow progress he wishes to see in his country. But on others, he will quietly acknowledge progress. The Federal University of Ilorin, now ranked number 1 in Nigeria, and rated as the 20th-best University in Africa, accepted the Dein as one of the world’s youngest Chancellors. A major challenge in the reconciling of his two worlds comes down to his search for a wife, and his deep longing for a family of his own. His people would like him to be married by now, but having grown up abroad, Dein Keagborekuzi finds it hard to accept an arranged marriage for himself. Back in England, his friends have settled down and had children. He feels if he wasn’t for his Kingship, he would have started a family by now. “I absolutely love children. They are God’s most precious gift to us all,” he says. “I wish I’d had my first at 28, but plans and reality are not always good bedfellows.” 80

I ask him if he feels lonely. “Yes,” he stresses. Given his situation, I ask him whether he’d marry a foreign woman. “It would take a very strong woman,” he says. Would his people accept his heir if the mother was foreign? “They say they would,” he replies. “But it would give the child unnecessary problems.” Though the Dein remains shy with women (“I keep myself to myself, it is a complicated life to explain,” he explains), he is the recipient of numerous amorous accolades from the ladies. “You need to see the Dein speak, I am yet to see a more charming monarch,” and “You will fall in love with him! He’s truly royal a figure, I must say,” are just two such reviews. Will the fairytale find its ‘happily ever after’ ending? Only time will tell, of course. Or, as one local journalist put it: “We wish him well as he strives to recreate an ageless kingdom in alluring garbs of civilisation and relevance.‘Doo Dein! Doo Dein! Nito ni-enyi fe. Ogi azun gbomee ohimii’.” which translates as: ‘the King uses his back to brace the Big River’. I, for one, wish him luck.

The King Within production is looking for associate producers in order to reach full funding. Details of how to be involved are on the website: tamaragordon.com/KingWithin. The next exhibition of Nigerian Monarchs, entitled Royalty And Regalia, will take place at Newark Museum, New York on 25 February, 2015. Extracts from the film will be screened, and those involved in funding the production will be invited to an audience with Dein Keagborekuzi.

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FEATURE | Lagos Photo Festival

Tall Tales LagosPhoto 2014 celebrates its fifth anniversary by going beyond photojournalism to explore the timely theme, Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction WORDS HELEN JENNINGS PHOTOGRAPHY

ightning strikes twice. Snakes glide across the surface of the water’s endless surface, masquerade spirits cast wordless spells and flesh turns to gold. These and other fantastical apparitions come to life in Cristina de Middel’s latest body of work This Is What Hatred Did. It was shot in Makoko, the densely populated Lagos Lagoon community that has been much documented by photojournalists due to its reputation for crime and poverty. But through Middel’s lens, it becomes a magical place. This project is just one of many success stories of LagosPhoto. Having exhibited her award-winning series Afronauts at last year’s annual festival (which reconstructs Zambia’s 1960s failed entry into the space race), the artist was invited to delve more deeply into African fact and fiction. She turned to Amos Tutuola’s 1964 novel My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts to create her vision of Nigeria’s contemporary hyper reality. 84

COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS

Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

Tales from the World Nicolas Henry, Ongoing Nicolas Henry incorporates staged photography and theatrical techniques to create large-scale productions with props, sets, and cinematic lighting. Executed in many different parts of the world, including Japan, Turkey, China, and South America, his work throughout Africa highlights local issues and challenges.

FEATURE | Lagos Photo Festival

The results, shown at this year’s recently concluded LagosPhoto, are the perfect reflection of the festival’s 2014 theme Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction. The month-long event brought together 40 photographers from 21 countries whose work engages with Africa today to explore the boundaries between photography, belief and truth in order to reimagine new realities and futures for the continent. “We have taken a tilt away from traditional documentary towards a new truth,” explains Azu Nwagbogu, director of the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) and founder of LagosPhoto. “Photographers realise that they can reach new audiences and tell real stories using fiction. With Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction we have a pool of artists who make you look at the familiar with fresh eyes.” The programme comprised a main exhibition at Eko Hotel & Suites plus shows in galleries and public spaces around the city. Dutch photographer Hans Wilschut debuted his latest project, which depicts how various areas of Lagos function after dark with – and without – electricity. “The images look staged but they’re not. I used long exposures to draw out the energy of the people as they move through this organic urban landscape,” Wilschut says. “I’ve been shooting in Lagos since 2007 and it’s important to me to show the work in the city where I made it.” Young Nigerian talent Jenevieve Aken only took up photography three years ago but is already making waves with her brave self portraiture. At this her second LagosPhoto, she exhibited The Masked Woman. “It confronts the representation of gender in Nigerian society,” Aken says. “When an independent, successful woman hasn’t gotten a husband at a certain age there’s always gossip. Even if she’s happy in herself, she’ll be made to feel incomplete.” Aken name-checks Mary Sibande and Namsa Leuba, also part of LagosPhoto 2014, among her inspirations. “When I carry my camera, people give me a funny look because photography is still a male dominated area. But that only fuels my work.” Exhibits were complimented by a programme of workshops, talks

Legendary Lensman A self-portrait from a series exploring identities, by Samuel Fosso Imagining Makoko Cristina de Middel’s This is What Hatred Did, inspired by Amos Tutuola novel ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’

and screenings promoting cross-cultural exchange and education. They also bolstered Nwagbogu’s on-going mission to create a platform for the development of photography in Africa. Having opened AAF in 2007 as a centre for art and academic discourse in Lagos, he went on to launch LagosPhoto in 2010 as the first and only international festival of photography in Nigeria. “I wanted to establish a community for contemporary photography that would unite local and international artists through images that encapsulate individual experiences and identities from across all of Africa,” he explains. Back then, the need for such a showcase was abundantly clear. “Africa has

Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

had a perverted image in history rooted in Afro-pessimism. Our antidote was to seek out more intelligent, nuanced and well thought out long-term projects produced by artists and photographers who represented what we felt was the diversity of African sensibilities.” The first two editions did just that with works by the likes of Viviane Sassen, Nana Kofi Acquah, Jodi Bieber, Adolphus Opara and Glenna Gordon delivering multiple narratives and rejecting clichés. In 2012, luminaries such as Akintunde Akinleye, George Osodi and Kelechi Amadi Obi paired up with budding photographers to capture their host city in unexplored ways. And last year’s LagosPhoto delved into Africa’s megacities and digital pathways while welcoming Martin Parr into its fold. Now in its fifth year, LagosPhoto 2014 has spread its wings further still, not only with its ambitious theme and impressive roster of artists but also through its collaborations with interventionists and institutions such as the Archive of Modern Conflict, POPCAP ‘14, World Press Photo, Ford Foundation, Goethe-Institut, Neue Schule für Fotografie, Stranger Lagos, and Omenka Gallery. “LagosPhoto has grown tremendously and inspired a swell of local photographers,” says Omenka director Oliver Enwonwu. “It’s also taking photography beyond the white cube into the public space – to the people. In a country where the focus is so often on other issues

like basic infrastructure, LagosPhoto generates time to enjoy art, document our lives and define our own identity. Lagos is taking its place in the art world.” Samuel Fosso’s participation in LagosPhoto – and indeed his life story - is case in point. Born in Nigeria but forced to flee as a child during the Biafran War, he settled in the Central African Republic and went onto develop a unique oeuvre centred around self portraits of fictional and historical characters. Discovered internationally in 1994 at the first edition of the African Photography Encounters in Bamako, he’s become an inspiration to the new generation of African photographers. “There is no one more relevant working as an artist, from Africa, than Samuel Fosso,” says Nwagbogu, who invited Fosso to exhibit his Emperor Of Africa series last year, and this year selected him for the inaugural LagosPhoto Award for Excellence in Photography. The respect is mutual. “It’s important for Lagos to have a foundation for photography such as this. Nigerians now have an experience of their own art and I’m proud to see so many young photographers starting to make self portraits,” says Fosso. “I’ve been honoured in Mali, Senegal and the Netherlands but as a Nigerian I take this prize as my highest recognition. I am back home after 40 years and that makes me very happy.”

Images of Africa Leading photographers stage reality and document fiction

Love Radio Anoek Steketee and Eefje Blankevoort, 2014 Love Radio is a transmedia documentary about reconciliation in postgenocide Rwanda. Using the popular radio soap opera Musekeweya (‘New Dawn’) as the starting point, the project explores how formerly marginalised and conflicting groups are able to come together though fictional narratives and imagine a new future. Love Radio consists of a photographic exhibition, a web documentary, and tap stories for smartphones. See more at loveradio-rwanda.org

FEATURE | Lagos Photo Festival

Cocktail Namsa Leuba, 2011 Namsa Leuba’s fashion portraiture series comments on the representation of the female body in Africa today. The images are about female archetypes that are at once fictional, fantastical, and commercially viable. The series explores the cultural imagery of “Africa” where props, poses and mood speak to a future — and historically informed — aesthetic.

Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

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Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

Lagos (Iyana Ipaja) Hans Wilschut, 2014 Hans Wilschut was commissioned by Lagos State Electricity Board to explore public spaces previously in perpetual darkness. He depicts the social change of areas undergoing the ‘New Light’. His images are like a tableau vivant where Lagosians appear almost as actors in a movie scene — staging reality. For the residents in these areas, it amounts to ‘documenting fiction,’ for most never imagined a day like this would ever come.

One Day I'm Gonna Make It Karine Versluis, 2013 In the summer of 2012, Karine Versluis travelled to Lagos where she met young women who had come from Eastern Nigeria to start a new life. Some of them dreamed of going further to Europe. Versluis interviewed women who made the journey. How did things turn out for them? How do they look back on their experience and what is their advice to the dreaming girls of Lagos? Ultimately she explores to what extent their dreams are compatible with reality.

FEATURE | Lagos Photo Festival

Long Live The Dead Queen Mary Sibande Mary Sibande creates imagined narratives that focus on a fictional character named Sophie, a domestic housemaid. Referencing the limitations of female stereotypes in post-Apartheid South Africa, Sophie morphs out of her routine existence and becomes a myriad of personalities and sculptural forms that allow her to express her desires and inner longings. Whether flanked by Victorian garments or her signature apron, Sophie is always presented in a state of transformation. Using the human body as a platform to question social norms and their basis in history, Sophie explores the historical representation of black women in South Africa and opens up a space of imagination that transcends racial bias and marginalisation.

Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

FEATURE | Lagos Photo Festival

Lagos Photo Festival | FEATURE

Sin Is A Puppy That Follows You Home: Romance Novelists in Northern Nigeria Glenna Gordon, 2014 If a man offers you flowers, money, or meat, always choose meat, Rabi tells me. She’s one of several dozen popular romance novelists living in Kano, the biggest city in Northern Nigeria. In a region too often associated with the terrorist group Boko Haram, there is a small but significant contingent of women like Rabi in Northern Nigeria writing books called Littattafan soyayya, Hausa for “love literature.”

Fantasy Land Opening night of ‘Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction’ in Lagos Camera Comrades Lagos Photo team members and friends

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You First

Love Through A Lens | FEATURE

As the number of interethnic relationships in the world increases, British photographer Briony Campbell explores Britain’s contemporary relationship with Africa through intimate portraits of couples throughout the continent. Lisa & Sylvester

BRIONY CAMPBELL

LOVE WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY

THROUGH A LENS

he story starts with me. I’m a white British girl and a Londoner born and bred. When I was 19, I fell for a Zanzibari boy while on a teaching placement there. My relationship to his ‘paradise island’ was hugely influenced, if not defined by, my feelings for Saidi — both familiar and beguiling; I was simultaneously at home in his home, and lost in its strangeness. To be a foreigner is to be an outsider, and yet to fall in love is to be let inside. Did this intimate connection to a person in a new land offer me a shortcut on the road to assimilation? When I began exploring neighbouring countries, these feelings of connection developed further. The catalyst for this project was my desire to understand my own relationship with these ‘far away places’. At the heart of this compelling bond is a thrill in becoming fractionally less foreign each day. Every conversation, every glance brings me a little closer to knowing. But I will never really know, and that’s the magic. As a young photographer I wanted to counterbalance the tired media portrayals of a hopeless Africa. I photographed creative and ambitious people on the continent, throughout my twenties, but felt inhibited. This was due to a recognition that all my interactions, both socially and photographically, were influenced by my foreign-ness; my relative wealth and my gender. While this unearned privilege helped me to meet the people I photographed, I was concerned that it also threatened the authenticity of my stories. I'm now exploring the contemporary manifestations from an intimate perspective by

immersing myself in my subject's daily lives. The stereotype of the African/foreigner romance is one of exploitation; the African woman as plaything of the powerful white man, or perhaps the older European woman, cruising the beach for a holiday romance with a six-pack. These superficial relationships are widely discussed by Africans and Britons alike; however, scant attention is given to the real and lasting relationships that exist in Africa between locals and foreigners. These genuine partnerships reveal uniquely intertwined perspectives on issues of equality and assimilation in Africa today.

Lisa & Sylvester Sylvester came to England from Nigeria to achieve his dream of studying quantity surveying at the highest level. Lisa met Sylvester on a Christian dating website and they talked for three months before meeting. They married a year later and now have Asha and Lemarchi. When Sylvester couldn’t find work during Britain’s economic downturn they came to Lagos, where he works for an oil company and she runs a school.

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FEATURE | Love Through A Lens

Shaz & Juma Juma, a Ugandan rafting instructor, met Sharon, an English education manager, when Sharon was on an overland truck tour in Africa for the first time. Six years later, they are still living together in Jinja, Uganda with their daughter, Aisha. Before they became parents, Shaz and Juma were musicians and won awards for their collaborations, with Shaz singing in Juma’s mother tongue, Lusoga. Having literally put their relationship on stage, they’ve experienced the whole range of public responses to an English/Ugandan couple, including Ugandan men approaching Juma, pointing to Shaz and saying, “Can you get me one of them?’’

Kala & Matayo Kala, who is fluent in Swahili, had lived in Africa for most of her twenties before she met Matayo. On completing her degree in African history in London, she was convinced that she wanted to spend her life in Tanzania. Matayo works long hours running a construction company and doesn’t have a lot of time to be with his young family, but his earnings are building them a luxurious family home on the outskirts of Arusha. Not only is Kala working and bringing up their own daughter Ora, but is now mother to Matayo’s three kids from previous relationships.

Alex & Cat Four years ago on the main street of Jinja, Alex, a softly spoken Ugandan, lay on his boda-boda (motorbike taxi) waiting for a customer. Cat, an unabashed English girl, following assurances from a friend that he was a safe driver, asked him to take her to the nursery school where she was volunteering. A few rides later, in stilted English, Alex asked Cat to go to the Jinja fair with him. Since then, they have built a school near his home village which Cat runs, and a year ago she gave birth to their daughter Aliya.

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Shaz & Juma

Alex & Cat

Love Through A Lens | FEATURE

Kala & Matayo

Simon & Reen

Simon & Reen Simon came to Uganda with his Mother’s church missionary group. He spotted Doreen in the pool of a local hotel, and hoped that helping her to learn to swim would win her affections. Five years later, I arrived to stay with them in Mbale, Uganda the evening before their third son (Doreen’s fourth child) was born. Doreen studied Law, but hasn’t practiced since she qualified as she’s been bringing up the children. When I met them, they were living in her parents crowded home and Simon was looking for work. They plan to relocate to England next year.

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FEATURE | Love Through A Lens

Paul & Wahida Wahida and Paul were both suffering from the breakdowns of their previous marriages when they met three years ago in Arusha, Tanzania. Despite their respective families' disapprovals, they were married within two weeks with a simple Islamic ceremony (Paul had converted to Islam some years ago in order to marry his first Tanzanian wife). He has children and grandchildren in Tanzania and England, but Wahida was keen to have a child of her own. Last year, she gave birth to a daughter and though their relationship has been turbulent, little Jaima has given them the strength to stick together.

Paul & Wahida

Kate & Afera

Kate & Afera Kate and Afera met whilst working at the same NGO in Gambella, Ethiopia. After living together for two years, by Ethiopian standards they were considered married, so Kate agreed to make it official with a huge traditional Ethiopian wedding in Aferaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home village of Godere. They lived and worked in four countries before returning to the UK last year, after a dramatic evacuation from their home in warring South Sudan when Kate was five months pregnant. Afera is currently working with victims of human trafficking in England, but they will move to Kinshasa, DRC next year with their son Natnael.

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The full project from which these excerpts are taken will be launched in late 2015. Briony is keen to hear from new couples interested in being part of the project, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana. brionycampbell.com/projects/ britain-loves-africa

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INSIDE ARIK REGISTER ONLINE Receive 1000 Affinity Miles straight away!

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ARIK AIR CELEBRATES OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF AFFINITY WINGS

The A Team The Affinity Wings team in Lagos

n the 1st October 2014 Arik Air officially launched its robust frequent flyer programme, Arik Affinity Wings. Passengers can log onto arikaffinitywings.com to complete an enrolment form and earn an immediate 1000 bonus Affinity Miles. Membership starts from age 18 and above, with Pearl membership being the starting point, progressing through to Bronze,

Silver and Gold levels. Affinity Wings is run by a team of 15, headed up by Kaushalya de Alwis, Senior Customer Loyalty Manager, who points out some of the factors that are key to maintaining the success of the membership programme, “We are the only domestic airline of our magnitude in the West African region that has a frequent flyer programme whereby you can earn and redeem your air miles” he says. Once members achieve silver

and gold levels, their excess baggage allowance automatically increases. The fact that the programme operates a secure digital platform is another bonus, and the airline’s vision is to create a 100 per cent online programme for customers to check for updates or edit personal profiles, ‘in line with the likes of Emirates or Virgin Atlantic.’ De Alwis also highlights additional benefits that the loyalty programme provides for members. These include lounge access at certain frequent flyer tiers. He’s also keen to point out the fact that the operation is powered in Lagos, with a huge amount of energy invested into the West African hub to provide an upstanding service for all regional, domestic and international travellers. Arikaffinitywings.com

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AVIATION PARTNERSHIP ARIK AIR & EMIRATES SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING Business development between Arik Air and Emirates continues with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding

Commercial Ties Chris Ndulue of Arik Air and Adnan Kazim of Emirates

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(MoU). The agreement was signed in August 2014 by Adnan Kazim, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Planning,

Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, and Chris Ndulue, Arik Air’s Managing Director. According to Adnan Kazim, “Both Emirates and Arik Air have expressed interest in exploring ways to expand on our existing commercial relationship and to look at different areas in which we can cooperate that will be mutually beneficial to both airlines, including seamless connectivity for our customers on our respective networks," while Chris Ndulue added in reference to the new partnership, ‘The invaluable cooperation offers synergy to both airlines in achieving their objectives.” Other areas that might be explored include frequent flyer programmes as well as passenger and cargo handling.

KITS FOR KIDS New child amenity kits introduced There is good news for young travellers. Child amenity kits were developed in September this year, which means that junior passengers – on international flights only – will receive activity packs that include a sticker box, book, pen and key ring, distributed in both cabins. The colourful bags can be used as sportswear after the flight.

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Executive Evening Dr. Michael ArumemiIkhide (right) at the Young CEO’s Business Summit

GILBERT MABUYAKU, PROTOCOL & TRAVELS I have been with Arik for 7 years now, supervising and coordinating the entire activities of the protocol and travel unit. I oversee visa and travel ticket processing, liaising with service providers, embassies, and the Nigeria Immigration Service. I see what I do as a contribution to the growth of the Nigerian aviation industry and I’d say that the most rewarding part of my job is achieving on time delivery of scheduled tasks. I don’t travel much but I do try to find time for yearly family vacations. Jerusalem is my dream destination. My advice to anyone wanting to do the job that I do is to be innovative, proactive and honest.

YOUNG LEADER GROUP CEO DR.MICHAEL ARUMEMI-IHKIDE RECEIVES YOUNG CEO PRIZE The Young CEO Business Summit took place at the Sheraton Creek Hotel in Dubai in August 2014, recognising innovative and pioneering business leaders. Arik Group CEO, Dr.Michael ArumemiIhkide received a Young CEO

prize for Global Corporate Governance. He was in good company as the forum provided an opportunity for dynamic group CEOs and entrepreneurs from around the globe, who came together to share ideas and to forge potential business

relationships and collaborations. A key award to receive, this particular prize reinforces the fact that Arik Air is a company that consistently aspires to conduct business in line with global best practices.

ROUTE DETAILS Outbound Departure

MOBILE TRAVEL

RAISING THE PLATFORM Booking airline tickets just got even easier. Arik’s travel mobile platform has been upgraded to allow international payments, which means that guests from anywhere in the world can now purchase on the airline’s mobile platform. Travellers can search for the best ticket price deals, select flights and pay for their tickets using MasterCard, Visa Credit or Debit cards. Currencies for ticket purchases include Dirham, US Dollars, South African Rand and Pounds Sterling, via the use of Mobile devices including IOS Apple, Android, Blackberry, and Windows. Visit m.arikair.com

Office Inauguration Arik Air celebrates the opening of the Dubai CTO

MIDDLE EASTERN REACH ARIK AIR TICKETING OFFICE OPENS IN DUBAI Arik Air’s Dubai route was launched in July 2014 when the airline became West and Central Africa’s largest commercial

carrier to expand its reach to the Middle East. To consolidate the launch of the new international destination, the airline opened a Dubai office situated at Oud Metha and open to the public from Sunday to Thursday. Inaugurated by Arik Air Chairman, Sir Arumemi-Ikhide Johnson and Group CEO, Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide along with senior colleagues, Arik Air's City Ticket Office should become an important hub of activity in this residential heart of the city.

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ONBOARD TIPS

HEALTH & COMFORT DRESS FOR COMFORT

EQUALISE EAR PRESSURE

Loosen shoe laces, belts, tight socks and ties for maximum comfort.

During ascent and descent, changes in the cabin pressure can cause a feeling of discomfort in your ears. Chewing gum or sucking and swallowing will help equalise the pressure in your ears. Babies or young passengers may suffer more acutely. Consider providing them with a dummy to suck on.

ENTERTAIN YOURSELF Enjoy a film, read your copy of Wings or explore your personalised in-flight entertainment system. Arik Air offers a great choice of Hollywood and Nollywood movies, radio channels and a map display.

HYDRATE Try and drink eight ounces of water every hour. Avoid drinking too much tea, coffee and alcohol, which are diuretics.

ADJUST YOUR SEAT Use the seat recline as well as the lumbar support to find a comfortable position. All Arik Air seats are fitted with a footrest that, while aiding your comfort, will also help relieve pressure on your calf muscles.

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MOISTURISE To combat dry cabin air, pamper yourself with a good-quality skin moisturiser, provided as standard to premier class passengers.

GIVE YOUR EYES A BREAK Contact lenses may cause eye irritation due to the dry cabin air. We recommend that you wear your glasses in flight. Your eyes will feel fresher and less tired when you arrive.

CIRCULATION SAFETY Try doing seated leg exercises every couple of hours throughout the flight to help prevent stiffness and swelling. Lift your knees while at the same time clenching your thigh muscles and pointing your toes up and down and around in a circular motion. Repeat this between 10 and 20 times with each leg. Doing these exercises whilst flying will help you feel better when you arrive. When resting, try to make sure your body is in a comfortable position and turn frequently so your body is not constricted or stretched for long periods of time. Try to avoid sleeping for long periods without changing position.

n Pay close attention to the safety briefings at the beginning and end of the flight and know the location of all exits including how many rows away you are from an exit. n Be aware of which electronic devices are and are not allowed to be used during the flight. If you are unsure of our policies, consult a crew member. Mobile phones are not permitted for use at any time whilst on board. n Follow the instructions of the crew at all times and be respectful of them and the other passengers. n Inform the crew of any disruptive behaviour, follow their instructions, and be courteous. n Be aware of safety procedures, relax and enjoy your flight!

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FLEET AIRBUS A340–500 n Number of aircraft in fleet 2nn Number of seats 237nn Length 69mnn Wingspan 63.45mnn Cruising speed 881km/h

AIRBUS A330–200 n Number of aircraft in fleet 2nn Number of seats 217nn Length 58.82mnn Wingspan 60.3mnn Cruising speed 871km/h

BOEING 737–800 n Number of aircraft in fleet 4nn Number of seats 148nn Length 39.5mnn Wingspan 35.7mnn Cruising speed 828km/h

BOEING 737–700 n Number of aircraft in fleet 9nn Number of seats 124-149nn Length 33.6mnn Wingspan 35.7mnn Cruising speed 828km/h

BOMBARDIER CRJ1000 n Number of aircraft in fleet 1nn Number of seats 92nn Length 39mnn Wingspan 26mnn Cruising speed 870km/h

BOMBARDIER CRJ900 n Number of aircraft in fleet 4nn Number of seats 74nn Length 36.40mnn Wingspan 24.85mnn Cruising speed 881km/h

BOMBARDIER DASH8 Q400 n Number of aircraft in fleet 2nn Number of seats 72nn Length 32.8mnn Wingspan 28.4mnn Cruising speed 660km/h www.arikair.com

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SAFETY & SERVICES TICKET PURCHASE Bookings and e-ticket purchases can be made by calling our reservation desks or call centres or online at www.arikair.com. They can also be made by visiting our airport or regional offices or via select travel agents. Please see the Contact Us page or our website for further details. You can access all up-to-date fares by going to the booking engine on our homepage. A booking cannot be cancelled online once it has been

confirmed. However, you can call our reservations office or visit your local Arik Air office for cancellations or to reschedule a booking. Note that an administration charge may be charged for cancellations or rescheduling of flights. If you choose to pay for your fare by cash, you may collect your ticket from our city office, or local airport office. Passports should be valid for more than six months from the date of travel. We advise you to contact the embassy or consulate of your transit and final destination for visa requirements.

Special Fares Promotional and special fares are posted on our website on a regular basis. Please go online and check www.arikair.com for updates.

CHECK IN n Arik Air check-in counters open in Nigeria two hours before departure for domestic flights, three hours before regional flights, and four hours before international flights.

Arik App With the Arik Air App, you’re in charge of your flying experience. The app is free to download on Blackberry, iOS, or Android devices For more information visit arikair.com/arik-airmobile-app

www.arikair.com

For international flights, checked in baggage allowance is:

PREMIER BUSINESS CLASS 3 pieces at 30kg max per piece.

ECONOMY CLASS 2 pieces at 30kg max per piece. n The total number of bags allowed for any guest is eight pieces. n Do not overfill suitcases and bags beyond their weight or volume capacity. This can lead to breakage of handles, zips, wheels or other damage caused to your baggage. The airline is not liable for these types of damages. n It is advisable to label all baggage with your name, destination and contact details.

n Keep any baggage labels or receipts in a safe place. You may be required to present them upon leaving the airport. n It is advisable to clearly label or tie a coloured ribbon to your luggage in order to identify your bags easily. n Guests are permitted to carry one piece of hand luggage at 12kg maximum. n Knives, nail scissors, tweezers, lighters and other sharp or explosive objects are not allowed in hand luggage.

n At check-in, please present your passport and ticket together with anything else you were asked at the time of booking to bring with you, such as your company ID card. n Knives, nail scissors, tweezers, lighters and other sharp or explosive objects are not allowed in hand luggage. Please see the notices at the airport. n Guests who fail to complete check-in procedures on time will not be permitted to travel. n Premier Business Class guests are entitled to use business class lounges at Johannesburg International, London Heathrow, New York JFK and Lagos Murtala Muhammed International airports. n All guests must complete check-in for their Arik Air flight prior to check-in closure which is 30 minutes for domestic flights, 60 minutes for regional flights and 90 minutes for International flights. Strict

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closure of check-in at all airports is to ensure our flights depart on time. Once we have accepted guests at the check-in desks, we close the flight at the stated latest check in time to permit the necessary calculations and preparations for an ‘on-time’ departure. Re-opening our guest list after check-in closure puts the flight at risk of delay, i.e. the flight could miss its allocated take-off slot.

ONLINE CHECK-IN Online check-in allows you to avoid long check-in queues at the airport and confirm your seat in advance. It opens 24 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight and closes five hours before international flights and three hours before domestic and regional flights. Log on to www.arikair.com and follow the prompts to the online check-in service, and follow the instructions.

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UNACCOMPANIED MINORS Unaccompanied minors are well looked after on all Arik Air flights. Our crew will assist with all of the complicated airport details and forms and will help unaccompanied minors call home at our cost to let parents know they are okay. Onboard, we make sure the youngsters have a great time with lots of goodies and attention. In fact, they probably won’t even notice that mum and dad aren’t around! We will carry unaccompanied minors only upon completion and signature of the necessary forms by a parent or guardian. n Domestic Flights Arik Air does not carry unaccompanied minors under five years.

SAFETY STANDARDS

MEALS

Arik Air is committed to ensuring that a safe, hazard-free environment prevails throughout its areas of operation, for both employees and guests, by meeting or exceeding all flight, occupational, and environmental health and safety standards. The management considers safety as the number one priority for the airline, and is committed to minimising the possibility of accidents by implementing a safety program provided by the Corporate Safety and Security Department.

A choice of international and Nigerian cuisine is available to all guests on Arik Air flights. Vegetarian and children’s meals are available to guests on designated routes. Requests must be made at the time of ticket purchase online or via our call centre or reservation desks a minimum of 48 hours before the flight. On international flights, soft drinks, wine, cocktails and snacks are available to Premier Class guests at the Kira Bar.

WHEELCHAIR SERVICE Elderly guests and guests with walking difficulties are entitled to wheelchair service. However requests must be made at the time of ticket purchase or reservation.

CHILDCARE We provide a variety of amenities to ensure a stress-free flight for parents of babies and small children. Please ask a flight attendant for assistance. Diaper changing boards are located in selected toilets.

AIRBUS A340 & A330 CABIN FEATURES

n International Flights Arik Air does not carry unaccompanied minors under five years of age and also if there is a transfer prior to the final destination.

CARRIAGE OF INFANTS If you are travelling with an Infant under 24 months you can include them on your seat booking by making an Infant reservation. Newly born Infants under seven days old will not be accepted. For safety requirements Infants must be accompanied by a guest aged 21 years or above and booked in the ratio of one infant per adult. Infants under 24 months on the day of travel may fly for a significantly reduced infant fare per one-way flight, provided they sit on an adult’s lap. If the Infant reaches the age of two years prior to the return journey they must contact Arik’s reservations directly to book a seat, as safety regulations require that a seat is allocated. Proof of age may be required so please have the Infant’s valid photo-ID available for inspection.

Premier Business Class guests on international flights enjoy fully flat seats with a 10-motor vibro massage system, full control by touchscreen suite, electric leg, head and armrest extension and rotation, mirrored privacy dividers and on-board social bar area. Our economy seats provide extra leg space, and all seats are equipped with individual entertainment systems.

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ROUTE MAP

NEW YORK CITY

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SOKOTO

KANO MAIDUGURI KADUNA

GOMBE JOS

ABUJA

YOLA

ILORIN IBADAN ENUGU

LAGOS

ASABA BENIN CITY WARRI PORT HARCOURT

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OWERRI UYO CALABAR

ARIK AIR DOMESTIC ROUTES

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UK LONDON

DUBAI

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SENEGAL REPUBLIC OF BENIN

DAKAR BANJUL GAMBIA

GHANA

SIERRA LEONE FREETOWN MONROVIA

COTONOU

LIBERIA

ACCRA

NIGERIA ABUJA LAGOS DOUALA CAMEROON

ANGOLA LUANDA

JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA

ARIK AIR INTERNATIONAL ROUTES www.arikair.com

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CONTACT Reservations Nigeria +234 (0)1 2799999 +234 (0)1 906 7000 Angola +244 222 391150 Cameroon +237 33428248 +23733432285 The Gambia +220 4399966/77 Ghana +233 (0) 233 044 800/1/6/7 Liberia +231 (0) 22 00 76 54 Republic Of Benin (229) 2131 84 10 (229) 21 30 34 81 Senegal +221 33 821 7497 Sierra Leone +232 25203949 South Africa +27(0)11 666 7470 UAE +971 4 3885510 United Kingdom +44 (0)844 482 2324 USA + 1 877 900 2745

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

To provide feedback on your travel experience with us: T +234 1 906 7000 +234 1 279 9999 E talktous@arikair.com

TRAVEL TRADE SALES

If you are a travel agent and have a question or request: T +234 (0) 8077791664 E travelagencydesk@arikair.com

CORPORATE SALES

If your company has a question concerning business travel: T 08077791154 08077911466 E corporatesales@arikair.com

GROUP SALES

To make a booking for nine (9) or more guests travelling together: T +234 (0) 8077791667 E gdm@arikair.com

CHARTER SALES

For enquiries into our Charter services: T +234 (0) 8077791652 E chartersales@arikair.com

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

If your query does not fall into any of the above categories: E info@arikair.com

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ARIK AIR TRAVEL SHOPS & AIRPORT TICKET OFFICES

NIGERIA ABUJA Arik Air Travel Shop Arik Air Travel Shop Arik Air Travel Shop Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Terminal Abuja Domestic Airport Terminal LAGOS Arik Air Travel Shop Arik Air Travel Shop Arik Air Travel Shop Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Lagos Murtala Muhammed Domestic Airport (GAT) PORT HARCOURT Arik Air Travel Shop Port Harcourt International Airport Port Harcourt Garden City Terminal REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ANGOLA Arik Air General Sales Agent Aeroporto Internacional 4 de Fevereiro Luanda CAMEROON Arik Air General Sales Agent Douala International Airport THE GAMBIA Arik Air Travel Shop Yundun International Airport GHANA Arik Air Travel Shop Kotoka International Airport LIBERIA Arik Air Travel Shop Monrovia Roberts International Airport REPUBLIC OF BENIN City ticketing office Airport ticketing office SENEGAL Arik Travel Travel Shop Dakar-Yoff-Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport SIERRA LEONE Arik Air Travel Shop Arik Air Sales Desk Lungi International Airport SOUTH AFRICA Arik Air International Sales Agent O.R. Tambo International Airport, International Terminal UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Arik Air General Sales Agent UNITED KINGDOM Arik Air General Sales Agent London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4 USA Arik Air General Sales Agent John F Kennedy Airport, Terminal 4

Melita Plaza, Near Efab Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Area 11 Transcorp Hilton, 1 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama 417 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi, Maitama

45 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi 44 Toyin Street, Ikeja Sheraton Hotel & Towers, 30 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja

47 Aba Road, Eastern Garden House

Valeria Tours, Rua Dr Alves da Cunha Nº 4 1º A (descendo o Largo Mutu Ya Kevela) Luanda

Inalex Voyages 1595 Blvd de la Liberte, Akwa, Bp 15080 Douala FIB Building 2, Kairaba Avenue, Serekunda Banjul Ground Floor, Phillipa, 89 Ringway Estate, Osu, P.M.B 95 KIA, Accra Accra Rose Garden Plaza, Crown Hill, Monrovia Monrovia Olizair Bénin, angle Avenue Steinmetz / Rue Chagas, Immeuble Kougblenou, 01 P.O. Box 3530 Cotonou Olizair Bénin, Aéroport international Cardinal Bernandin Gantin, Cotonou Immeuble Amsa Assurance, Amadou Assane N’doye, Dakar Dakar

13 Howe Street, Freetown Zenith Bank, 18-20 Rawdon Street, Freetown Freetown Suite 14, 1st Floor Daisy Street Office Park 135 Daisy Street, Sandown, Sandton, Johannesburg Johannesburg

S5, Ground Floor, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Road, PB. 120002, Dubai, UAE Aviareps PLC., 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0AU London Aviareps INC New York City

WINGTIPS Your definitive guide to Arik Air destinations 118 Abuja Accra Asaba 119 Banjul Benin Cotonou 120 Calabar Dakar Douala 121 Dubai Enugu Freetown 122 Gombe Ibadan Ilorin 123 Johannesburg Jos Kaduna 124 Kano Lagos London 125 Luanda Maiduguri Monrovia 126 New York City Owerri Port Harcourt 127 Sokoto Uyo Warri 128 Yola

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world at www.gladng.org. There are a few family restaurants at Ceddi Plaza. If you’re only in town for a drop-in visit, try a taste of Nigeria at Jevinik (494 Bengui Road, off Adetokumbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II). For upmarket dining, you can’t beat the choice of restaurants at the Transcorp Hilton.

ABUJA NIGERIA

Nigeria’s neatly planned capital boasts quite a few intriguing landmarks. Among them are the National Mosque, Zuma Rock, the Ecumenical Cathedral and the Arts and Culture area of Garki. Take in the view from Kpaduma Hills and find events listings at Gladng.org. BUY Bring on the bling at Wuse Market in Zone 5 which sells gold and bespoke jewellery along with stunning Nigerian fabrics. Pick up contemporary and traditional art at Life Strokes gallery (Life Strokes, , Dunes Center, 44 Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama, 0803 304 3822) and Signature Gallery (Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, 09 5233849). BON APPETIT Abuja has some of the best restaurants in the country. Find a comprehensive list of cuisine from around the

BED TIME The international hotel chains are concentrated in Central Abuja. The Transcorp Hilton in the Maitama District houses 4 restaurants, a large shopping area and a casino. (Transcorp Hilton, www.hilton. co.uk/abuj, 234 (0) 9413 181 184). Bolingo Hotel & Towers on Independence Avenue is also excellent. Mid-priced hotels include Valencia Hotels (Valencia Hotels, Plot 799, Blantyre Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, 234 (0) 9 524 0669 70, 524 0644) and Savannah Suites Hotel & Resort (Savannah Suites Plot 1091, Faskari Street, Garki-Abuja, 234 (0) 9290 6119, 234. Mob: 234 (0) 804 211 6322). HIP TIP Come for the annual Abuja Carnival towards the end of November. Spend the daytime along the parade route and the night partying alongside the country’s celebrities at Tucano bar (23,Usuma Street, Maitama, Formally Congress Lounge Bar).

28th February Road. Both stock stunning handicrafts and kente fabric. BON APPETIT Accra is home to varied cuisine. Discover the much-loved Buka, a casual, partly open-air rooftop, chop house (Buka, Osu R.E, adjacent to the American Embassy Visa Section. Tel 233 21 782 953). The nearby Osu Foodcourt on Cantonments Road and cafes on Labadi Beach are good for fuss-free family dining.

ACCRA GHANA

Ghana’s exceedingly welcoming capital marries a vibrant music and nightlife scene with a distinctive traditional culture. Add easy links to ecotourism hotspots, and you have yourself a spot-on holiday destination. A lot of attractions are contained between the Waterfront High Street and Makola Market. Other historically-relevant pockets include James Town, and Cape Coast Castle, the seat of British colonial administration from 1664—1877. www. touringghana.com posts up-to-the-minute information. BUY Hone your bargaining skills at Makola Market on Kojo Thompson Road and The Centre for National Culture on

Ijaw, Hausa and Yoruba communities. Asaba is replete with cultural sites, the most popular of which are Asaba Beach, River Ethiope source, Kwale Game Reserve, Jamieson River, Chief Nana’s Palace Living History Museum, The Royal Palace Of The Obi (traditional ruler), Mungo Park House, and Escarvo Beach. Enjoy recreational fare at the Bombardi Beach Party Resort, Olona Ranch & Holiday Resort and Leisure Palace Amusement Park in Effurun.

ASABA NIGERIA

With vibrant neighbourhoods and a swath of the River Niger running through it, Asaba has a vibrant urban culture that is great for business and leisure. The city is ethnically diverse and mostly composed of Igbo speakers with Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko,

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BUY Ogbeogonogo Market is the biggest street market in Asaba, located in the heart of the town within Oshimili south local government area. The market has over one thousand traders and attracts large crowds of daily customers. BON APETIT In addition to a variety of local cuisine on offer at street corners, eat

BED TIME Budget hotels are concentrated between Adabraka, through Asylum Down and up to Kokomlemle Road. The Cavalry Methodist Guest House comes recommended (Cavalry Methodist Guest House, Barnes Road, opposite the National Museum, 021 234507). In the upper bracket, The Golden Tulip is good value with a free airport shuttle service (Golden Tulip, Liberation Road, 021 213161). Luxe it up beachside at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, 5km from the city centre and one of Accra’s most upmarket hotels. (La Palm Royal Beach, Pleasure Beach, 021 771700). HIP TIP Head out to one of Ghana’s national parks or craft villages. Kumasi is famous for its kente cloth loom-workers. Visit Ntonso for Adinkra cloth, Asuofia for bead-making, or Anpobame Krofron for brass.

out at one of many city hotels and restaurants, including Larryville Hotel & Restaurant on Brigid’s road, and Dema Kitchen on Ezenel Avenue. BED TIME Place a reservation for a stay at the Grand Hotel (grandhotelnigeria. com/+234 8037584941) or enjoy the sedate atmosphere of the Amena Hotels & Resort (+234 056342646) in Oghara. Other accommodation spots are the Nelrose (+234 046300688) on Government House road and Wellington (+234 080550244) in Effurun, a little over a 10-minute car ride from the city centre. HIP TIP Festival season is between March and December. The more popular festivals that you might want to mark in your calendar are: Ulo (held in July), Aja (in August) and Iwaji (celebrated in September to mark the end of harvest).

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BANJUL

THE GAMBIA Often bypassed in favour of The Gambia’s seaside resorts less than an hour away, Banjul is an unlikely gem. Originally named ‘Bathurst’ after British colonial Henry Bathurst, Banjul was once a port used to hamper the slave trade after the Abolition Act of 1807. Today, the crumbling city on an island is a destination with a compelling national museum, an

atmospheric old town and views across the Gambia River. Its manageable size is an added bonus. Discover the pleasure of Banjul with a leisurely stroll coupled with a flexible itinerary. BUY Barter and banter at Albert Market where aisles of shabby stalls burst with a treasure trove of quality souvenirs. BON APPETIT In contrast to the Atlantic coast which has a more varied selection, simple chop shops abound. Michel’s on 29 July 22 Drive, is one of the few restaurants open from early morning until late at night. Afterwards, head to Queens Nightclub on Renee Blain

Street. The slightly seedy late-night scene is made up for with sublime Gambian music. BED TIME A lot of the better hotels are on the coast though Carlton Hotel is a satisfactory city centre guesthouse (Tel 228670; fax 4227214, 25 July 22 Drive). On the top-end, try Atlantic Hotel (Tel +220 4228601/6, corinthiahotels.com; Muammar al Gadhafi Ave). The sprawling resort has all the amenities you would expect including a private beach, pool, gym and nightclub. Gambia.co.uk is one of the best sites for detailed holiday and accommodation information. HIP TIP Birdwatch from a pirogue along the mangroves of Oyster Creek. Most hotels organise pirogue trips, though you can also book independently at Denton Bridge, 3 km west of the city centre.

voodoo apparatus. If you prefer handicrafts to whole dried goat, check out the Centre de Promotion de l’Artisanat on Boulevard St Michel.

BENIN NIGERIA

The Kingdom of Benin is still immersed in age-old traditions making it one of Nigeria’s most fascinating destinations. According to local lore the Bini people founded the empire in 1880 AD. Today’s reigning Oba is the spiritual leader of the people of Benin. Sights include The Oba’s Palace at King’s Square, and The Benin National Museum, which houses a large collection of bronze, brass and ivory treasures spanning five centuries and the ramparts of the Old City Wall, once the world’s second largest man-made structure after China’s Great Wall. BUY Purchase brass statues and witness the making of Benin brass heads at the shops along Igun Street or go for the full market experience at the Oba’s market. BON APPETIT New Benin Market, northeast of the city centre is home to great street

food and suya along with bars and shops that stay open late. Saidi Centre has one of the best restaurants with a Chinese, Lebanese and European menu. BED TIME Numerous hotels of varying standards are dotted around the ring road. Among these, the Constantial Hotel sets a high standard coupling well-appointed suites with internet access, a gym and pool (24–26 Airport/Ogba Road, opposite Benin Airport exit gate; +234 52-257-122, constantialhotel.com). Samsy Hotel on Adesuwa Road in GRA also comes recommended. HIP TIP Make a trip to Okumu Eco Resort, 35 km from the city centre. On tailored nature walks visitors can look out for over 200 species of birdlife, monkeys, civets and butterflies (okomuecoresort.com, Tel +234 808 468). Also, on the last Sunday of every month a Motocross race is held in the town and is often attended by Edo State’s governor.

COTONOU

REPUBLIC OF BENIN BEHOLD Many visitors use Cotonou as a starting point en route to Ouidah or Porto Novo however the city offers a number of points of interest such as the Italian neorenaissance cathedral in the city centre. For cultural performances contact the Centre Culturel Francais located near the French Embassy on route de l’Aeroport (21 30 08 56) or the American Cultural Centre on Boulevard de la Marina (21 30 03 12). BUY The incredible Dantokpa market near the Boulevard Saint Michel spreads all the way to the lagoon. Inside, discover an enthralling fetish market selling dried, whole animals and

BON APPETIT Local cuisine consists of Beninois street food and a small but growing selection of international restaurants. Chez Maman Benin near Cine Benin and Chez Clarisse are favourites. Le Petit Four on Boulevard Steinmetz is a charming art-deco coffee shop with Wi-Fi, pastries, pasta and oven-baked pizzas. After dinner head to So What! Off Boulevard Steinmetz for infectious live music (21 31 06 66). BED TIME Most accommodation is found in the Ancienne Pont area or Akpakpa rather than in the centre, including Benin Marina on Boulevard de Marina (21 30 01 00, www.benin-marina.com). Business travellers flock to Novotel Orisha on Boulevard de la Marina which has a large pool and high-end French restaurant (novotel.com, 21 30 41 77). HIP TIP VooDoo followers from around the world travel to the beautiful coastal town of Ouidah for the annual VooDoo festival in early January to receive blessings and participate in ceremonies. 60% of Benin’s population practice the religion.

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CALABAR NIGERIA

BEHOLD Since the colonial era and crowning of King Archibong III by Queen Victoria in 1878, this 16th-century port city has been a popular holiday destination. Explore colonial architecture around Henshaw and Duke Town including the governor’s residence, Mary Slessor Residence and the Calabar Museum. Nature enthusiasts: spare the time to travel to Agbokim Waterfalls surrounded by lush green valleys and near to the Afi Wildlife Sanctuary, Refome Lake and Kwa Rapids. For wildlife, visit the Afi Mountain Drill Ranch (pandrillus.org) and Cercopan Primate Rehabilitation Centre (cercopan.org).

BED TIME Recommended hotels include The Mirage (themiragecalabar.com, Plot 230, Mcc road Calabar, +234 80372 26046) and Transcorp Hotel at Murtala Mohammed Highway (+234 (0) 807 773 1111, transcorphotels.com). 25 km from the airport, Tinapa Business Resort offers a host of facilities and activities +234 87 232300, Tinapa.com.ng). HIP TIP Every December 26th, Calabar comes alive for a weeklong carnival featuring parties, parades and a load of fringe activities (calabarcarnival.org).

BUY Pick up textiles and handicrafts at Watt Market or delve in to a local experience at Marian Wet Market. BON APPETIT Food from Calabar is renowned. Sublime suya is served up at Bogobiri Corner. More formal diners can head to Freddy’s for Lebanese (Freddy’s, 90 Aketong Drive, 087/232 821). If you’re a fan of bars with kitsch names, have a post-prandial boogie around Nelson Mandela Street at La Luna, Paradise City and Tuxedo Junction.

DOUALA

CAMEROON Cameroon’s economic centre is a bustling port city known for business rather than tourism. In contrast to the capital Yaounde, visitor-worthy spots can mostly be covered within a few hours. Your best bet is to visit the cultural centres. Highly recommended is Doul’art (Place du Gouvernement, Bonanjo, + 237 33 433 259, doualart.org), a non-profit cultural centre and gallery opened in 1991. Artists work on the cultural and urban identity of Douala. BUY Find art, crafts and antiques at Marche des Fleurs (Street R1.221, DoualaBonapriso). Conveniently located on the main road from downtown towards the airport, it’s famous for Cameroonian wood products. There’s also a good souvenir market on Ahmadou Ahidjo Avenue.

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DAKAR SENEGAL

Senegal’s capital is a frenetic study of contrasts, brimming with creativity. Take in the views with the Chi Chi Dakarois, from the roof of the Hotel Independence on Place de l’Independence. Stroll through the IFAN Museum on Place Soweto. Go for a beach dip at N’Gor or on private beaches such as at the Hotel Lagon 2 or Plage de la Voile d’Or. Better yet, catch a 20 minute ferry ride to the tranquil Île de Gorée. After sunning, pop a long dress over your bikini for a tour of Dakar Grand Mosque, styled after Casablanca’s Mohammed V Mosque. BUY Fill up on fruit and veg at Marche Sandaga, the city’s centreville market where you will also find unique souvenirs like briefcases made of recycled beer cans. 500m downhill from Sandaga, you’ll discover a former Mauritanian silversmiths’ yard, the Cour des Orfevres.

BON APPETIT There’s an open-air drinking and dining culture in Douala so places to eat are not hard to come by. The city is also home to quality international cuisine. French restaurant, La Fourchette (Quartier AKWA, Rue entrée SHO plus et AXA, +237 99 92 64 66), is favoured by business visitors. Try local dishes, seafood and steak at La Cigale, in the Bonanjo neighbourhood, where you can also enjoy live music and a glass of South African wine. BED TIME Unlike in some West African cities, Douala’s hotels are mostly reasonably priced. Business hotels equipped with swimming pools and work facilities include the Akwa Palace (920, Boulevard de la Liberte, hotel-akwa-palace.com), as well as international chains such as Le Meridien (35 Avenue des Cocotiers, +237 3 343 5000, starwoodhotels.com) and the

BON APPETIT Dakar teems with world-class restaurants, bistros and cafes, though many are closed on Sundays. Scrumptions Senegalese meals can be had at Keur N’Deye (821 4973; 68 Rue Vincens). Excellent, free listings magazines are available at hotel lobbies. BED TIME Hotel Lagon 2 is modelled on the interior of a ship and has views over the rocky cliffs as well as access to a private beach (www.lagon.sn, 338 89 25 25) The luxury Sofitel Teranga remains popular with business travellers (889 2200, Place de l’Indépendance) but for a boutique experience try Hotel Sokhamon (hotelsokhamon. com, 338 89 71 00). HIP TIP Discover unrivalled nightlife like Thiosanne, owned by Youssou N’Dour (Sicap rue 10, 338 24 60 46) or head to Just 4 U, a live music institution, serving authentic local fare (824 3250, just 4u@sentoo.sn, Ave Cheikh Anta Diop).

Ibis (Rue Pierre Loti, Bonanjo, (+237 334 25760, Ibis.com) HIP TIP Tourists are advised to venture out. Nearby beaches include Limbe, 90kms from the city and Kribi, a popular beach two-hours drive from Douala. Further afield, wildlife lovers flock to Waza National Park and trekking in the Mandara Mountains.

WINGTIPS

DUBAI

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BEHOLD Dubai is known as the glittering city; it’s surrounded by desert, studded with skyscrapers and dripping with opulence. Plus there’s loads of adventure and culture right alongside the gleaming glass towers. BUY As one of the most luxurious destinations in the world, Dubai’s malls are packed to the rafters with diamonds and designer goods, and you can find the biggest selection at Mall of the Emirates (malloftheemirates.com). An authentic shopping experience is to be found at one of Dubai’s many souks where you can pick up goods such as carpets, gold, textiles, and perfume for attractive prices. Some of the best souks are in Deira, on Baniyas Road, where you’ll find both the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk. Remember to bargain!

ENUGU NIGERIA

The Igbo capital of Enugu has regained its vitality from its heydey when coal was discovered in the area. Enugu which means ‘top of the hill’ became the capital of the Eastern Region in the 1930s. The National Museum (58 Abakiliki Road) is open from 8am-4pm daily and features Igbo artefacts, textiles and weapons. BUY For an authentic experience, head to the city’s main market, Ogbete Market. Hanidcrafts, souvenirs and household goods are also available at the Artisan Market and New Market. BON APPETIT Station Road has a large selection of chop houses. BED TIME Nike Lake Resort has 200 air-conditioned rooms, a

BON APPETIT You have your pick of swishy restaurants encompassing every cuisine in Dubai, but for authentic Emirati food you should head to the Al-Mallah restaurant in Satwa, where you can get the tastiest shawarma in the city. If you’re looking for high-end food without the fuss, head to Marta’s Workshop (martasworkshop.com), which serves modern international fare with a focus on fresh ingredients and a menu that changes daily. BED TIME The pinnacle of luxury Dubai hotels is known to be the Dar Al Masyaf and Malakiya Villas (jumeirah.com), where butlers will attend to every need. Thankfully the quality of the service and amenities is so high in Dubai that even the budget and business hotels are enjoyable places to stay. Among the most popular is the Savoy Suites (savoydubai.com), which offers comfort beyond what you’d expect for the price.

HIP TIP Get out of the city and plunge yourself into some sand – some sandboarding, that is. Similar to snowboarding, but understandably hotter, this is one of the best ways to have fun in the desert – second to camel riding, that is. Check out tour operators like Desert Safari (desertsafaridubai.com) or Wonder Sand (wondersandtourism.com) for more information.

restaurant, bar, pool and tennis courts (Nike Lake, 042 557 000, proteahotels.com). The nearby, and smaller Zodiac Hotel also has a good restaurant, a pool and satellite TV (042 457 900, 5 Rangers Ave, Independence Layout). Lucha Guesthouse caters to the budget traveller (042 253 795, Nweko Lane, off Ogidi Street).

Balmaya Arts & Cafe (32B Main Motor Rd, Congo Cross). BON APPETIT Aberdeen is home to many good restaurants. Dine on exemplary seafood and international cuisine at Alex’s Restaurant with a clear view over Man of War Bay (64 Cape Road, 23222 272957). There's a nightclub next door for night caps.

HIP TIP Visit the Holy Ghost Cathedral near Ogbete Market or catch a Sunday service and gain a sense of Enugu’s religious scene.

BED TIME Football fanatics should book the ‘Beckham Room’ at Hotel Barmoi named after their most famous hotel guest. The football star may have skipped town, however, the excellent amenities, pool and sea view remain (hotelbarmoi.com, 75C Cape Road, Aberdeen 232-22-234933). Budget travellers: check out Family Kingdom Resort on Lumley Beach Road which boasts – strangely but charmingly – extensive playgrounds and the wandering deer.

FREETOWN SIERRA LEONE

THE APHROLOUNGE

Enugu’s coolest lounge/hangout. Visit Aphrolounge Kitchen with Chef Stan for exquisite breakfast, Continental and African dishes. Bring your own bottle every Thursday night. Aphro-Jazz night on Sundays. Space for events rental: Weddings, Parties, Luncheons and more. 5/14 Cathedral Drive, Independence Layout, Enugu info@aphrolounge.com Phone 080 5418 6612, 070 6647 3825, 07054509700 Open 9am-Midnight weekdays Club nights Wednesday, Friday & Saturday www.aphrolounge.com

Despite recently emerging from a decade-long civil war, Freetown is blossoming rapidly. Enjoy the nightlife and beaches before the tourists rush in, in their droves. Take in the 500-year-old cotton tree, a symbol of freedom since former slaves settled the town in the 1800s. Thousands of bats fly out en masse at dusk. From here, hop to the Sierra Leone National Museum. Take in views of the city from Tower Hill, ocean views from Lumley Beach and Krio architecture around Pademba Road. BUY The Big Market on Wallace Johnson Street brims with bric-a-brac and traditional household goods. For a more streamlined selection check out

HIP TIP Sample Freetown’s ‘anything goes’ nightlife. Try Paddy’s Bar (Sir Samuel Lewis Road, 232 22 272 962). The club, which once entertained diamond dealers, UN troops and an exotic range of and sordid characters has a new lease of life, post-conflict. It now boasts a large dance floor, cheap drinks, seafront outside area, and great hip hop, West African and dance music to get you moving. www.arikair.com

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Tangale in the south. There are also numerous minority tribes each with their own language. The state has a population of over 2,300,000 and 11 separate administrative areas. BUY The traditional crafts of weaving and dyeing are common practise while modern textile manufacture began in the early ’70s. A tour of the markets and roadside stalls offer up endless colourful souvenirs.

GOMBE NIGERIA

A confluence of economic activity, Gombe is positioned with Borno and Yobe to the north and east, Taraba and Adamawa to the south, and Bauchi to the west. Lying in the savannah lands of the Gongola River basin, Gombe has been a major agricultural centre since the railroad was built in 1963. The State boasts captivating hilly scenery, best seen by driving along the Filiya – KushiBurak-Bangunji road to places like Tula, a historical town with an old prison and mud hut housing. Gombe is predominantly Hausa-speaking with the Fulani in the centre and north and

BON APPETIT There are chop houses as well as hotel dining options however a trip to Bauchi offers a more extensive range of eateries. BED TIME The Gombe Holiday Inn on New Market Road is a good bet (Tel +234 72 20295) or try the A.Y Guest House on Dukka Road for budget accommodation. HIP TIP Yankari National Park, a short trip from Gombe, is a stunning hidden gem for wildlife watchers and is probably Nigeria’s best national park. Late December to May are good months to watch birds, buffalo, baboons and elephants. The park has a safari truck that takes tours at 7.30am and 3.30pm daily or you can drive your own vehicle. Kip at the nearby Wikki Warm Springs Hotel (077 542174).

ILORIN NIGERIA

A sojourn to Alfa Alimi’s mosque would not go amiss if you are looking for some of the true local culture. Built in 1831, it is relatively undeveloped as a tourist destination but a beautiful example of the importance of Islam in the city and surrounding region. Further afield are the Owu Falls, the highest natural waterfall in Nigeria, and surrounded by lush rainforest. BUY Ilorin allegedly has the biggest traditional pottery workshop in Nigeria, so head to Okelele to find some great gifts for family and friends back home. Aso Oke textiles are also great traditional gifts from this area. You can find souvenirs at the Kwara State Council For Arts And Culture gallery.

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IBADAN NIGERIA

Ibadan is the largest city in Africa in terms of geographical mass; it was the former capital of Southwest Nigeria excluding Lagos, and currently the capital of Oyo State. Its historic significance in the affairs of the declining Oyo Empire have endowed it with a lot of places to see and its location at the edge of the Yoruba heartland makes it an ideal location for an exploration of the major Yoruba cities. There is charm in the old colonial city seen in the sprawling rusty rooftops of its downtown houses, tropical weather and varied geography. Your itinerary should include visits to one or more of the city’s iconic landmarks: Mapo Hill, Irefin Palace, IITA Forest, The University of Ibadan and its Zoological & Botanical Gardens, Cocoa House, the Bower Memorial Tower, and Old Oyo National Park.

BON APPETIT If you’re looking for Nigerian food, try the eba and okoro soup at the Royal Restaurant Ilorin (Ahmadu Bello Avenue GRA; +234 31 741 666), whose bakery also sells pastries. During the day, enjoy a light meal at competitive prices at the Brunch Café Ilorin (9B Ahmadu Bello Avenue GRA; +234 805 569 4022). The meat pie comes recommended. BEDTIME The Kwara Hotel (9A Ahmadu Bello Avenue PMB 1476; 031740836;), 3 km from the airport, is ideal for the business traveller and others who are used to comfort. Leave time between meetings for a stint in the squash court and a dip in the pool before heading out after the day is done to the in-hotel nightclub. Closer to town is the Kingstone Grand Suites (7 Ahman Pategi Road; 07031184505; 08076553519), where you can drink at the in-house bar before heading to the

BUY Do your grocery shopping at the Agbowo Shopping Complex, opposite the University of Ibadan, in the city centre or the Big Treat Supermarket (+234 8 074 386 831) on Oluyole industrial estate. Local farmers and flea markets at Dugbe, Bodija and Mokola are also standout shopping spaces. BON APETIT The most noteworthy spots in the city are the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant (Premier Hotel, Mokola/+234 8 051 222 640), Kokodome Restaurant (Cocoa House, Dugbe/+234 0 275 10918) and the popular Mama Ope (Mokola/+234 8 0 6969 6141) for good, home cooked traditional Nigerian meals. BED TIME Premier Hotel (+234 2 201 2345) is located on top of a hill in Mokola where visitors can see the city below. It offers a range of services and recreation facilities including a swimming pool, restaurant, bar, car park, and internet access. Other choice hotels are Kakanfo Inn (+2342 2 311 471) and D Rovans (+234 275 08128) . HIP TIP Be brave and jump on a bike for an urban adventure. A journey from one end of the city to the other costs around N100. Okadas (motorcycle taxis) are cheap and are available everywhere.

restaurant for African or Chinese (or both, if you’re an adventurous eater). All rooms have air conditioning and satellite TV. HIP TIP Go to Shao for the colourful Awonga Festival. This fun-packed event is held every year in celebration of the River Awon, which is said to house a goddess who oversees the marriages of maidens during the festival.

WINGTIPS

JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa’s beating heart is a dramatic metropolis and stage for the ups and downs of a fascinating country. A trip on a

City Slicker bus, which you can hop on and off at your leisure, will take you to major tourist attractions. Good places to hop off are Constitution Hill (constitutionhill.co.za) and Gold Reef City. In Ormonde you’ll find the illuminating Apartheid Museum (011 309 4700; www. apartheidmuseum.org), which is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. BUY The City Slicker buses go past major shopping centres like Eastgate Mall on Bradford Road in Bedfordview (eastgateshops.com). Wire-work and other township-produced crafts make great gifts. Held every Sunday in Rosebank Mall’s multilevel car park, the Rosebank Rooftop Market has a great range. Head to Sandton for upmarket shopping. BON APPETIT Jo'burg caters for all tastes.

Recommendations can be found at food24.com, a website that has an easily searchable database by cuisine and city, with customer reviews. BED TIME No matter what your price range is, you have your pick of hotels in Johannesburg, but try to stay in the northern suburbs as the city centre can be dangerous at night. Good listings can be found at johannesburg-venues.co.za, which you can search by suburb, type of hotel, and star rating and which has a clickable area map. Tripadvisor.com is also a highlyreputable source for unbiased recommendations. HIP TIP Want a good night out but trying to avoid the same old tourist traps? joeblog. co.za is a comprehensive daily look at what’s going on in Jo’burg.

KADUNA NIGERIA

JOS

NIGERIA The lush countryside surrounding Jos, especially the area around the plateau, is well worth a visit. In Jos itself, you’ll find an interesting exhibition on the pottery and artefacts of the central Nigerian people at the Jos National Museum, open daily from 8am to 5:30pm. A more unusual museum is the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture, which houses impressive full-scale reproductions of the country’s monuments. BUY Most consumer goods can be found at Terminus Market on Bauchi Road or between Bauchi Road and Ahmadu Bello Way. Leather and basket-work crafts are sold in the shops on Museum St, the south end of Beach Road, and on Noad Avenue. BON APPETIT There isn't as large a selection of restaurants in Jos as in other cities. Bight of Benin (Zoo Garden Road) has a selection of well-cooked

The Kaduna National Museum (Alli Akilu Road) is open from 9am to 5pm every day. Of particular note is its Gallery Of Nigerian Prehistory, from Neolithic times, as well as the recreation of a Hausa village behind the museum. authentic dishes and there are a smattering of Lebanese and Chinese restaurants. BED TIME Rooms at the Hill Station Hotel (Tudun Wada Road; 073 455 300) have air conditioning, satellite TV, and tranquil surroundings. There are several guesthouses, most of which are comfortable and equipped with wifi and other amenities. These include Les Rosiers (1 Resthouse Road; 0803 357 5233; lesrosiers.sampasite. com) and Elim Suites (elimtopsuites.com). Rooms are at a range of prices, but most are generally inexpensive.

BUY Although most of Kaduna’s market (off Ahmadu Bello Way) is given over to consumer goods, you can also find gifts for friends and family. Good things to buy are textiles, leather goods and Kaduna pottery. BON APPETIT Sample traditional Northern Nigerian food at Food Palace (1 Alkali Road). For relaxing al fresco dining, head to Sou’s Place (2 Waziri Ibrahim Crescent; 0803

588 6404), where you can also knock back a few beers, a rarity in Kaduna. BED TIME If you’re used to your creature comforts, go to Mohammed Buhari Way, where the best hotels are located. The Command Guest House (Mohammed Buhari Way; 062 242 918; commandguesthouse@ yahoo.com), offers air conditioning, TV, and hot water. You can also take advantage of its snooker room, and tennis and squash courts. A good option for the budget traveller is The Duncan (6 Katsina Road; 062 240 947) which has a good restaurant. Some of the 20 rooms have air conditioning and TV. HIP TIP Artisans in the back of Kaduna National Museum produce beautiful handloomed cloth, metalwork and other crafts. These make for excellent gifts.

HIP TIP Interested in ethical shopping? You’ll be pleased to note there is a fairtrade craft shop run by the Alternative Trade Network of Nigeria (1 Museum Street; open from 8am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm). Have a look at the goods on offer before you travel by going to fairtradenigeria.org. www.arikair.com

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LAGOS NIGERIA

KANO NIGERIA

Built in the 15th century and declared a national heritage site, the Gidan Makama Museum holds ethnographic and historic exhibits on the Kanawa Civilization and Hausa Land. The majestic Emir’s palace opposite the museum is also architecturally striking, but its interior is by invitation only. Also go to the Kofar Mata Communal Dye Pits, which are a relic of Kano’s skin dyeing trade and the oldest in Africa (1498!). BUY Go to Abubakar Rimi (Sabon Gari) Market for household items, jewellery and clothing. If you’re looking for gifts, Kurumi Market, founded in the 15th century, has brass, silver, stone and wood carvings, sculptures, and leather products. Textiles and fabric can be found at Kwari Market.

BON APPETIT Relaxing drinks can be had at the French Cafe (Race Course Road). Good places to go for Nigerian dishes and meals from the rest of the continent are Ten-O-Five (Post Office Road) and Pounded Yam & Co (Lodge Road). BED TIME Business travellers enjoy Tahir Guest Palace Hotel, which has in-room WiFi, conference facilities, and a travel agent (4 Ibrahim Nastsugune Road; 234 64 315281; tahirguestpalace.com). Set in a quieter part of the city, is the Prince Hotel, with a pool and a well-rated restaurant (1 Tamandu Road; 234 64 200601; princehotelng.com)

Succumb to the all-consuming rhythm of Africa’s largest metropolis and discover one of the world’s most multi-faceted cities brimming with cultural curiosities, and some of the best music, art and literature to be found anywhere. Exciting developments are effecting the megacity from droves of diaspora Nigerians returning home to a population bursting at the seams. Most of the best bars, restaurants, galleries, hotels and boutiques are on Victoria Island. BUY For souvenirs, visit Lekki Market or try Quintessence (Suite C6, Falomo Shopping Center, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, quintessenceltd.com). Head to Palms Shopping Mall for restaurants, a supermarket and international brands (BIS Way, Lekki – Lagos, 234 1 27144913, thepalmsshopping.com). BON APPETIT Lagos is home to an ever increasing number of

UNITED KINGDOM London is one of the world’s most multicultural and creative cities, home to 7.5 million people, with 300 languages spoken and set against stunning historical architecture. Arm yourself with an A-to-Z map book

available at most corner shops and an Oyster Card which allows you to travel easily on public transport. Take in the city from a double-decker bus and trawl free museums like the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, and Natural History Museum. Go for a night stroll along the South Bank or a whiz around the London Eye. Time Out London Online posts the day’s events in theatre, film, art, comedy, music and dining. BUY Swing by Oxford Street for Topshop, Selfridges, and Liberty. Vintage lovers love Portobello Market in Notting Hill (Fridays) and East London’s Brick Lane. BON APPETIT London is arguably the food capital of the world. It's impossible to choose our favourites. Search for unbiased

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BED TIME Eko Hotel & Suites is a self-contained expat hub (www. ekohotels.com, +234 1 262 4600 19). The Sofitel Lagos, in Ikoyi, is equally high-end (Bankole Oki Road, Ikoyi, +2341 4615 40922) as is The Federal Palace Hotel (26 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, 1-262-3116). Of the boutique hotels Bogobiri Guesthouse is a favourite (9 Matatma Sule, Southwest Ikoyi, bogobirilagos.com , 270 7437). Another is Manuela’s Residence, a simple retreat with great Italian food (Taslim Elias Close V.l, manuelaresidence.com). HIP TIP Pay homage to Afrobeat at The New African Shrine (1 Nerbc Street, Agidingbi, Ikeja). Sleep off Sunday at Bar Beach.

HIP TIP The annual Durbar Festival is a dazzling display of cultural and equestrian might held at the Emir’s palace to commemorate the Eid-el-Fitri and Eid-el-Kabir festivals.

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good restaurants. Pick up a copy of Time Out Nigeria available at Quintessence gallery (see above) or check out www.lostinlagos. com for the latest listings and openings. If it’s authentic street food you’re looking for try the suya at Ikoyi Hotel Ikoyi Hotel, Kingsway Rd, Ikoyi).

reviews at www.london-eating.co.uk. Foodies adore Borough Market by London Bridge tube. BED TIME Visit www.laterooms.com and www.lastminute.com for bargains. Business travellers often choose the Hilton Paddington for its proximity to Central London and the Heathrow Express. HIP TIP London’s a big city. Simplify airport transfers to and from wherever you are staying (+44 207 701 4321, Simplyairports.co.uk) leaving you free to enjoy the best of each season. Welcome Spring at Regent’s Park and late Summer at the Notting Hill Carnival. In Autumn, climb Primrose Hill for bonfire night. Come Winter, ice skate at Somerset House.

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LUANDA ANGOLA

Perched on the Atlantic coast overlooking a narrow sandbar known colloquially as the Ilha, the hot oceanside setting of Angola’s capital city is a study in contrasts. After decades of conflict, Luanda has seen a massive boom in construction where stability has attracted foreign investment in the city. The government is also investing heavily in and around Luanda, including in the construction of several six-lane highways leading out of the city; the reconstruction of railroad lines and a large new airport. BUY Get local crafts at reasonably low prices at Benfica Handicrafts Market just south of Luanda. Other shopping sites

MAIDUGURI NIGERIA

The strength of local traditions in Borno State’s capital make for a fascinating visit, best enjoyed without an itinerary and with an open mind. Pit-stoppers can check out the Borno State Museum off Shehu Lamido Way or the National Museum on Bama Rd. BUY The main markets, the Monday Market off the Nepa roundabout and the New Market along the Alo River can be visited in a day. The northeast’s scant resources make the markets a vibrant focal point

include Maianga Luanda (+244 924 091680) and Belas Shopping, Angola’s first shopping mall. It features nearly 100 different shops, a cinema, restaurants, and a central square for live entertainment.

HIP TIP Wildlife park Kissama (also spelt Quiçama), situated 70km south of Luanda comprises a swathe of coastal savannah where elephants, water buffalo and sea turtles are easily accessible.

BON APPETIT If you’re in the mood for Portuguese cuisine, visit Portugalia (222 309677) located on the coastal Ilha de Luanda or the more international Restaurante Bordao (Avenue Murtala Mohamed Luanda, Ilha/222 309028) where the hip flock in the evenings. BED TIME Four star guesthouse Rouxinol (+244 923 745 078/ +244 923 581 308, Beco de Moçambique no. 16, Bairro Cruzeiro), located near the embassies in Miramar is popular with foreign visitors. Rooms start at $180 per night.

where people and livestock converge from far and wide.

MONROVIA

BON APPETIT Hanna’s on Shehu Laminu Way near the Dujima Hotel serves a range of affordable African dishes and is next door to the equally formidable Villagers. Jil Restaurant, half-way between West End and Banks roundabout by the race course, serves European dishes. Its popularity is down to a TV showing foreign news channels and cold soft drinks. Most independent restaurants are closed on Sundays and do not serve alcohol.

There is an understandable lack of tourist traps in Monrovia – but all the better to see the local flavour. The National Museum (Broad Street, open every week except Sunday and Monday) is worth a visit. About threequarters of its collection of 6,000 artefacts were looted during the war, so it is both an example of and a chronicler of Liberia’s recent history.

BED TIME There are around five good local hotels. Rooms at the Deribe Hotel (Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road, 076 231 662) are clean and tasteful with AC, satellite TV and a pool. Also on Sir Kashim Ibrahim Road is the cheaper Ali Chaman Guest Inn (076 236 939). Further from the centre and on the expensive side, you will find the Maiduguri International Hotel (Stadium Road, 076 235 102) which has a pool, tennis courts and nice views. HIP TIP The Chad Basin National Park situated between Borno and Yobe states is home to spectacular wildlife. Hire a guide, 4x4 and get information from the National Park Office next to the Maiduguri International Hotel.

LIBERIA

BUY Waterside Market (Mechlin Street) is definitely the place to go for souvenirs, especially beautiful textiles and intricatelymade handicrafts. The market is big and bustling, so it’s also a great place to people-watch. Be your own oasis with a cool drink as the frenetic atmosphere surges around you. BON APPÉTIT There is an extensive array of good food in Monrovia, both on the street and in restaurants, especially around Sinkor. Liberian chop shops are as close as you can get to home cooking here, and fortunately they are located on almost every street. The long-standing Golden Beach restaurant (Tubman Boulevard) serves fine food and, as its name suggests, is a great place to grab a cocktail and watch the sunset. BED TIME Business travellers will find comfort at The Cape

Hotel (Mamba Point; +231 77 006633; www.thecapehotel.com. lr), which offers internet and all other modern conveniences with a smile. The restaurant here comes particularly recommended. For comfy and affordable accommodation, the Mokos Bed and Breakfast (19th Street Payne Avenue; +231 11 23165 15897) is clean, homely, and very good value for money with TV, A/C, and internet included. By far the best thing about Mokos, though, is the good security and very friendly staff. HIP TIP Head to Robertsport (Robert’s Port), a small fishing village near the Sierra Leone border, for some great surfing. It is also the home of the Robertsport Community Works, which alongside its community outreach programs also offers eco-tourism, sea turtle rescue programmes and free yoga lessons. www.arikair.com

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BON APPETIT You can rely on hotel restaurants and chain fast food like Crunchies on ITC Junction and Mr.Biggs on Okigwe Road. There is also a good choice of Nigerian eateries on Ekwena Crescent off Wetheral Road including Best Lady, Renny’s Place and DE Simeons.

Williamsburg. Looking for something to take back home? T-shirts and mugs emblazoned with the iconic ‘I Love NY’ logo make great souvenirs.

NEW YORK

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Places to sight-see are a dozento-the-dime in NYC . Don’t miss views of the Statue of Liberty from the free Staten Island Ferry (1 718 727 2508; www.siferry.com) and the Empire State Building (1 212 736 3100; www.esbnyc.com) or get lost in artistic reveries at the Museum of Modern Art (1 212 708 9400; moma.org) For those who want to get off the well-worn track try the numerous walking tours available. Official tourist information can be found at nycgo.com. BUY New York is famous as a shopper’s paradise, and many flock to the big department stores like Macy’s (151 W 34th Street; macys.com), Barneys (660 Madison Avenue; barneys. com) and Bloomingdale’s (1000 Third Avenue; bloomingdales. com) for everything from designer duds to kitchenware. Children will never want to leave the giant toy paradise FAO Schwarz (767 Fifth Avenue; fao. com). For hip boutiques, go to the Lower East Side and

BON APPETIT Order the pastrami on rye and recreate the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene from When Harry Met Sally at Katz’s Deli (1 212 254 2246; katzdeli.com). You’ll be hard pressed to go a block without finding an amazing restaurant selling everything from bialys and bagels to Michelin-starred cuisine. Remember to tip well. Waiters earn much less than the minimum wage; 15 to 20 per cent of the bill is expected. BEDTIME You are spoiled for choice with New York’s luxury hotels, one of the most famous of which is The Plaza (1 -212 759 3000; 1 800 759 3000; Fairmont. com/theplaza). Rooms start at $595 a night, though, so for cheaper options try newyorkhotels.com. A notable one is the Pod Hotel (1 212 355 0300; thepodhotel.com), where for $89 dollars a night you can have clean rooms with iPod stations, free WiFi and LCD TV. HIP TIP Things move fast in NYC. Find up-to-date information at Newyork. timeout.com. For deals on tickets visit lastminute.com.

OWERRI NIGERIA

The heart of Nigeria’s tropical Igboland and formerly the capital of the Republic of Biafra, the lush landscape of Owerri has a lot of natural and cultural attractions to lure visitors including outdoor activities around the Oguta Lake, hot springs, craft markets and ancient shrines. Reliable listings and updates can be found at www.imostate.gov.ng BUY Igbo arts and crafts are aplenty at Owerri’s Mbari Cultural Center, Eke Nguru in Aboh Mbaise and lgwekala Shrine in Umunoha.

BED TIME The city centre is home to an extensive range of accommodation, most located on or off Port Harcourt Road. Two of the better mid-range options are the East Gate Hotel (eastgatehotelowerri.com, Plot C, Ugwu-Orju Layout, + 234 083 233560, 305387) and the recently opened Rockview Hotel which also has branches in Abuja and Lagos (Rockviewhotels.com) If you’re into 80s maximalist decor and Russian roulette, the sprawling Imo Concorde Hotel and Casino, 30 minutes from the airport off Port Harcourt Road has 203 rooms, each with a balcony, a business centre, bustling nightclub, conference rooms, sports facilities and of course, a casino. HIP TIP Imo State plays host to vibrant festivals, dance performances and masquerades. To find one that coincides with your visit, see the following website: imostate.gov.ng/ festivals.

has some of the best Chinese in town. Sopranos Bar (7 Abacha Rd, 0803 312 3878) is a local favourite for night caps.

PORT HARCOURT NIGERIA

If time and flexibility is limited, head to Port Harcourt’s State Museum at the bottom of Azikwe Rd for outstanding examples of objects from the area’s ethnic groups, including colourful masks and utensils. There are also a few small parks throughout town. Port Harcourt is known

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throughout Nigeria as ‘the garden city.’ BUY There are supermarkets on Azikwe Rd and two markets in the Old Township including the bustling Creek Rd Market. BON APPETIT For upmarket dining, eat at Ororo at Le Meridien Hotel. Hotel Presidential, on Aba Expressway houses Why Not Lebanese Restaurant, and 4,5,6

BED TIME Hotel Presidential is the city’s oldest and very popular with foreign visitors (GRA Phase II, Aba Road, +234 (0)84-461 500, hotel-presidential.com). Le Meridien Ogeyi Place is possibly Nigeria’s most luxurious hotel. Each room has a jacuzzi and there is a pool, spa and meeting rooms (45 Tombia Street, GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt, +234 84 461 770). The Protea Hotel Garden City is another good business hotel (Km16 PH/Aba Expressway Port Harcourt, +234 84 465 700 proteahotels.com). HIP TIP The Old Township by the waterfront is a bustling hive of activity and the most atmospheric and interesting part of town although going with a guide or local resident is recommended.

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SOKOTO

terminal serves good Nigerian food. There is also a supermarket and Middle Eastern restaurant called Double 7 on Abdulahi Fodio Road. Don’t expect to find alcohol. Northern Nigeria is an Islamic region with strict restrictions on nightlife and alcohol consumption.

NIGERIA

Located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, Sokoto is the seat of the Sokoto Caliphate, and home of the Sultan of Sokoto, regarded as a spiritual leader to many Nigerian Muslims. The proud and orderly town has a rich and colourful history. The Fulani are thought to have migrated there from Mali in the 13th century. In 1807, Usman Dan Fodio’s jihad led to the creation of the caliphate. Historical sites of interest include the Sultan’s Palace, Shehu Mosque and Bello Mosque on Sultan Bello Road. The Waziri Junaidu History & Culture Museum on Alli Akilu Road is also worth a visit. The colonial era room contains fascinating – and amusing – artefacts including a throne given to the Sultan by Queen Elizabeth with a carving of a naked boy on it. The culturally insensitive chair had to be

BED TIME There are four or five hotels on and around Kano Rd. However service and amenities are not of a high standard. These include Giginya Hotel (060 231 262, Bypass Rd) and Shukura Hotel (060 230 006, 10 Kano Rd).

redesigned before the Sultan could sit on it. BUY Shopping is limited although roadside stalls sell a range of textiles and food. One would be better off ambling through Sokoto Central Market, an adventure in itself. BON APPETIT The Young Shall Grow bus

HIP TIP Time your journey to coincide with the legendary Argungu Fishing Festival, easily the world’s most visually explosive fishing event. Thousands of participants compete to catch fish in the Matan Fada River, diving in to wrestle the fish with their bare hands – some weighing upwards of 50 kilos. Fringe events include wrestling and a parade.

find in the Akpan Andam Market or the Entrepreneurial Village. BON APPETIT Try the delicious afang soup, featuring smoked fish and shredded afang, and ekpang nkukwo, made from two types of yam and yam leaves. You can get these and other dishes at the amusingly named Oliver Tweest (Dominic Utuk Avenue), which is also good for breakfast. Please, sir, can I have some more?

UYO

NIGERIA Satisfy your inner historian at the Uyo Museum (Wellington Bassey Way). Beach lovers can head to the Ibeno Beach, farther afield but worth the journey. Ask your concierge for directions on how to get there. BUY Akwa Ibom state is famous for its raffia creations, with everything from baskets to ties made out of the fibre – it’s evidently more versatile than most people think. Good souvenirs also include textiles from Uyo’s textile mill, and handicrafts, all of which you can

BEDTIME Lovers of luxury will revel at the brand new Le Meridien Ibom (234 0 708 0660; Nwaniba Road PMB 1200). The resort offers everything you’d expect from the Starwood Group, along with a golf club and riverside marina. Those who want clean, comfortable surroundings but don’t want to empty their pockets too quickly should try the Tevo Hotel (+234 852 00694; 41 Udoh Street), which is cheap and cheerful. HIP TIP If you’re lucky, you can catch a show by the Ekemini Dance Group, which builds on Akwa Ibom State’s tradition of dance and drama. The group’s performers come from all ages and walks of life. Most performances are arranged around major events in the traditional calendar.

WARRI

Uvwie Modern Market is also worth a visit.

Warri is a predominantly Christian oil city in Delta State with a population that has increased rapidly since the oil boom in the 1960s. The city developed as a port during the late 1800s, when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins. Warri has a vibrant culture and kind people. A good way to spend a weekend is a visit to Abraka Beach, 30 minutes away from Warri by car. The beach is famous for its natural flowing spring water, and recreational facilities including canoeing, golf, fishing, and swimming.

BON APPETIT Most hotels have decent restaurants and there are a handfull of fast-food joints and Nigerian eateries on Effurun Rd.

NIGERIA

BUY Warri’s main market is an incredible site to behold. Weave your way through colourful vendors touting fruit, vegetables, ankara textiles and more.

BED TIME Thanks to the number of oil companies operating in the area, there are a lot of hotels in the Effurun neighbourhood. Of the larger hotels, Hotel Excel (Refinery Rd, Effurun, www.hotel-excel.com) is quite professional. A step down but equally comfortable is the Godatin Hotel Number 2, Ayoro Lane, Off Enerhen Rd, www.godatinhotelslimited.com). HIP TIP Wetin you dey talk? Try learning a few phrases in Pidgin, the common language of Warri. Warri pidgin is famous throughout Nigeria for being expressive and authentic. Its superstrate is English with influences from dialects like Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. www.arikair.com

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YOLA NIGERIA

The capital of Adamawa State is a spacious town on the banks of the Benue. Formerly the capital of the Fulani State until the British arrived in 1901, the town is divided in to two parts, the old town and administrative centre, Jimeta. Yola is also home to the American University Of Nigeria. BUY Yola is an easily navigable town where most of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available is visible on the roadside including textiles, fruit and vegetables. BON APPETIT Choice is limited. The Pool Bar Restaurant on Garkida Road on the north side of Jimeta has a choices of dishes, a garden and cold drinks. Dreams on 13 Atiku Abubakar Road next to the police roundabout serves burgers, chicken and other fast food standards.

Advertisers in this issue Construction Abumara GBL Ventures Ltd

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adventurers will be rewarded with an experience to remember.

HIP TIP 6700 square kilometres of mountainous forest and savannah land border Cameroon. The area is now Gashaka-Gumpti National Park, site of a major World Wildlife Fund project and home to chimps, lions, elephants, leopards and hartebeests. There is simple accomodation in Serti, a village on the Yola â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gembu road where rangers and vehicles are available to hire. The trip is not for those who like creature comforts, but

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BED TIME Located across the road from AUN and the new Federal Law School, AUN Hotel opened in 2012. It's wellmaintained, tastefully decorated and comprises a conference center and spa, (AUN Hotel, 228 Modibbo Adama Way, 0805 870 5555, www.aunhotel.com). While most hotels are located in Jimeta, 5km north of the city centre. Jokems Airport View Hotel, (075 627127, jokemsairportviewhotel.com, 9 Gumti Rd, Kofare Industrial Area) is near the airport.

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Healthcare ASI Ukpo Diagnostic & Medical Centre P33 Bristol Cardiology P98 Nizamiye Hospital P23

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Travel Arik Explorer

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WINGTIPS

Now in our sixth year Over 3 million readers and growing n Complimentary to all passengers n Largest print run in West Africa n Best distribution in West Africa Wings is the award-winning quarterly inflight magazine of Arik Air www.arikwings.com

DESTINATIONS Lagos • Dubai • London • New York Johannesburg Abuja • Accra Asaba • Banjul Benin • Calabar Cotonou • Dakar Doula • Enugu Freetown • Gombe Ibadan • Ilorin Jos • Kaduna • Kano Luanda • Maiduguri Monrovia • Owerri Port Harcourt Sokoto • Uyo Warri • Yola

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