Rawan Dakik
A TANZANIAN ON TOP OF THE WORLD
In May, 20-year-old Rawan Dakik became the first Tanzanian woman and the youngest African to climb Mount Everest. It was the literal summit of a mountaineering journey sparked by a love of ‘being active in nature’ and the wealth of natural wonders in her home country. Here Rawan relays the highs and lows of her adventure to Mark Edwards.
E
dmund Hillary once said: “Life’s a bit like mountaineering, never look down.” It’s a slice of worldly wisdom that’s a good lesson to us all to keep striving for our goals, but what if you are Rawan Dakik and you have climbed to the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point in the world, by the age of 20. Where’s up from there? Both Dakik and Hillary will be forever in the Everest record books.
While New Zealand mountaineer Hillary was the first – along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay – confirmed to have reached the summit, Dakik, who was born in Arusha to Lebanese parents, is the first Tanzanian woman and the youngest ever African to get to the top.
Tourism ambassador Rawan reached the summit on May 22 and since news broke of her accomplishment across the world’s
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