This Is My Africa
Inside Naomi Campbell’s Stunning Kenya Ocea By Parker Diakite
K
enya’s Ministry of Tourism recently named British supermodel Naomi Campbell the country’s tourism ambassador to promote Kenya as “an ideal tourism destination.” But after her latest video showing off her home, she might be promoted to ‘why you should relocate to Kenya’ ambassador. Like many other countries, the East African nation’s tourism sector has struggled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visitor numbers plummeted 72% between January and October last year. The selection of the high-profile Campbell is an attempt to give the industry a much-needed boost. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala defended the decision, tweeting, “Naomi Campbell will be Magical Kenya’s International Tourism Ambassador. That doesn’t take away from our domestic market, it only strengthens it. #MagicalKenya.” In a recent interview with Architectural Digest, Campbell revealed that when she needs to unplug from the world, she heads to her luxurious villa in Malindi, located on the Indian Ocean coast, which she has owned for more than 20 years The villa features an airy, open-ended design and at the top is a Makuti roof – a thatching technique made from the sun-dried leaves of the coconut palm. It is widely used across East Africa and can withstand sun, rain, wind, and other harsh environments. She has a total of four swimming pools, including a saltwater pool that extends outdoors from the center of the living room. “It’s a very calming place,” she told Architectural Digest. “You don’t really want to be on the phone. You’re not trying to find a television. You just want to read and be with yourself. It’s nice to just have the silence and the crickets.”
▲Naomi Campbell, wearing a Jacquemus top and skirt and Cult Gaia sandals, at her Kenyan getaway.Khadija Farah
►A voile-draped tent often hosts family-style dinners. Table made by a local carpenter. Khadija Farah
Everywhere in the home is stunning. She says that most of the furniture in the home is workmanship done right in Kenya. Other decorative pieces have come from her travels throughout Africa. Upstairs in the villa is a chill space and gaming area that she says can fit a lot of people and great for hosting people. She adds that there’s a space for everyone upstairs to do their own thing if they
26 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL |May 2021
