Travel without inhibitions

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Last time I populated generalisations about white people and you shall agree with me, they are generally nice, pretty perceptions and you can imagine how they boost those who belong to this race. Race, ethnic issues become a preoccupation of the mind once you embark on a journey.Once you decide on a travel you carry with you generalisations and stereotypes about where you are going.Its natural to think about where you are going? the people you are visiting?Are they friendly, warm, receptive? Will they like me? Will I get stares? etcetera?And most of the time if not all the time we tend to use generalisations, stereotypes as the number one factor into visiting a particular country. Im arriving at saying generalisations and stereotypes about people do exist, they maybe negative or positive. Whether its about over simplifying people or not, generalisations do exit. It is whether stereotypes carry truth in them?

Africans cant make a queue is one that made me laugh like a hyena, couldn’t stop laughing, when I quizzed some of my colleagues about it, some said it is generally true. I asked why, one said, “they don’t trust the system”. And so I thought , a local government department responsible to give each poor person some food ration may decide that day will only give the first 100 people. Make sense? you may offer reasons why, that is if you agree with this stereotype.

Africa, the most beautiful word of all is generally a denominator for 54 countries,designated as Botswana, Kenya. Senegal etc by those who introduced boarders. Before then it was a land of kingdoms, clans and tribal groupings.Africans in diaspora call themselves brothers and sisters and for some Africanity or African identity is more stronger than the actual nationality. One obvious reason is that historically Africans have suffered the most brutal inhumanity from Europe notably, Britain, France, Portugal, Italy. Just yesterday i was reading how the Portuguese treated people of Mozambique and how Samora Machel, the first President of Mozambique finally ascended to liberate his own people from the shackles of Vasco Da Gama and his generation. At the end Africans are to shoulder the blame as well of infiltration from the West.

And so much of what we know about Africa today was profoudly shaped by three powerful forces: Colonialization, Christianity and Capitalism. Having said that we are still wired in categories/stereotypes and we shall agree that generalisations of Africans is usually not pretty.And so you can imagine being squashed/squeezed in between two white people in a flight to NewYork. You dart your eyes and think they may be thinking.

1. Africans are thieves

1. Africans smell

3.Africans are dumb and stupid

4. They are lazy

5.They are only best in athletics and music

6. They are loud

7.They cannot make a queue

8. They are best dancers

9. They lack creative and innovation

10. What can an African do?

11.They are savages

12. They are prostitutes

13. They are uncivilised

14. They cant think

15. They are the poorest

Next time I will talk about how to travel without inhibitions, what to do if you have problems of race and ethnicity. On that note I suggest you consider Botswana as one of your world of holiday destinations for 2011. I have given 10 beautiful reasons why you should come for a safari in Botswana somewhere in this blog.

Posted in At the Mud huts

Safari Africa: Eurocentric Travel versus Colonised Travel part 1

Dear reader you will pardon my switch to different designs and settings of this blog from time to time, it is going through so many phases and may be irritating to some who have had time to come here as visitors or page viewers, 1000 Apologies. It is still under construction, its work in progress.

Ethnocentrism is discussed as one of the factors that may prevent you from travelling to Africa in particular.This attitude and an ingrained trait has been touched elsewhere in this blog.A colonised mind can by and large make you not travel as well for whatever fears and inhibitions you have.

A white man travelling to any of the African destinations with ethnocentrism and swagger is the same as an African man travelling to Europe with a colonised mind.I am saying this from experience, I nearly quit my 2 year study in Norway thanks God I managed to pull through. Ethnocentricism is used here in the sense that Western civilization has always believed their way of life is correct and any opposing way of life is uncivilized. A colonized, occupied mind is rooted from the fact white people have displayed material and psychological power that has significantly deeply shook the views of Africans concerning their social heritage. This heritage is often judged from the European point of view, as such most of us have turned to assimilation, for example having to eat with a fork and knife when you have no clue which of the tools should be held by which hand? My son and daughter are struggling and I have told them many a times eat with what you are comfortable with, forget fork and knife lest you prick yourself.

I have heard some Africans who can afford travel and pleasure refusing to list any of the European countries as their destinations of travel citing white attitudes to Africans. Likewise, goggling I also learnt that many Westerners do not want to travel to Africa because of African habits and attitudes. Before I can offer solutions on how to travel without inhibitions, I wish to give generalizations of white people by Africans, from where I am sitting, Botswana:

1. White people have money, they are rich
2. White people are loving, they love forever, they will take care of you. Mixed couples are cherished and an African who is married to a White is told by the community how lucky he/she is.
3. White people dont steal, Have you ever seen a white thief? You will be asked incase you dont know. However white people are known to steal ideas, you will be warned, don’t disclose all you know about your culture, they will still it and make it their own.
4. Anytime you do good, you will be told “O lekgoa”, you are White:
5. A beatiful woman or handsome man is usually White in vernacular O lekgoa
6. A poor whiteman is equal no white man
7. They live in good shelter, pretty neigbourhoods
8. They are racist: race issues are daily preoccupation of an African
9. They cant dance properly to any music tune
10.White people are innovative and creative
11.White people are not lazy
12. White have no culture
13. A well done job is praised as a White job
14. White people are smart and intelligent

Do you wish to add more and you may partake in listing generalisations of Africans? Next time I will note them down and offer some solutions of how best to deal with such issues. I have also promised you that my visitor with most comments will get this free ebook or you may wish to buy it: “Culture Shock, A survival guide to customs and Etiquette”: South Africa.

Posted in At the Mud huts - Tagged Africa, attitudes, Botswana, colonised, colonised. Europe, colony, Eurocentric, safari, travelling, wild animals

Kalahari gadgets

At Kgalagadi it is all about space. Huge skies. Vast landscape that brings to one a pure sense of isolation. Lonely long stretches of roads.Very lonely. But there is vast knowledge, most of it survival knowledge.I am not going to do any PR to sell Botswana but tell you the truth. I read one blogger complaining about travel blogs who lure tourits to destinations which do not exist.When he said that I understood what he meant. Well for the romantic tourists, the traditional hunting in the Kalahari has by and large disappeared, there are few guys in this region who still can kill with only a bow and arrow. It does take a lot of skill multiplied by a huge experience.I have investigated thoroughly what is contained in the gadgets above and here is what these hunters will tell you.There is bow and arrow, inside the bag are sharpened metals used as bullets, ostrich egg shell and wrapped poison.Prior to metals used as arrows, bones were used and they are equally dangerous.

They say it is not the arrow that kills but the poison. Large animals such as giraffes, lions, antelopes, buffaloes are killed by this. Apparently there is a worm that feeds on the flowers of a certain plant. The flowers later turn into berries which are said to produce poisonoues latex . During the winter season, leaves shed off and so the worms drop off around this area and hibernate. The worms are later harvested to make the poison.It is this poison that is smeared at the tip and shaft of the arrow.As long as the arrow penetrate the skin, slowly and slowly the poison paralyses the animal.Incase he does not find the worm, a certain snake and a certain spider is used as potent.

The names of these plants and other things used as poison are not mentioned for purposes of protecting the intellectual rights of the authors of these know ledges.As you maybe aware Botswana is currently developing a policy to protect, preserve and promote its indigenous knowledge and mainstream it into the country’s macro-economic framework. “Development of the policy will involve identifying, documenting and gathering local traditional knowledge practices from areas includingagriculture, health, culture and religious beliefs, and then feeding them into a legislative framework.The project, which started in February but was formally launched in June, has received nearly US$1 million from the government.

The following plants have been stolen, commercialized at a large scale but communities which have authored these knowledges live in deplorable, wretched homes. So wretched you will cry. These plants have found their way in clinical tests and have amassed billions, this is as far back as the 1980;s. Sadly International copyrights regime formulated have made it so difficult to claim back your knowledge, they say once patented, patented, its history, done. The politics of copyrights infuriate. Some of them are here listed:

1.Devil’s Claw plant, Sengaparile

Devil’s claw is approved as a nonprescription medicine by the German Commission E and is used to relieve arthritis, lower back, knee and hip pain. It is also used to treat a number of ailments including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, bursitis, tendonitis, loss of appetite and digestive disorders. those in the know, visit http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-devils-claw

2. Hoodia

Extracts from Hoodia Gordonii have shown in clinical trials on obese subjects that it can reduce calorie intake by +/- 35%. A significant weight loss resulted from such a drop in calorie intake. These remarkable weight control results are the reason why scientists see Hoodia weight loss pills as a potential answer to obesity in the west.

3. Tsamma melon, in vernacular Kgenngwe

Bitter as is but is used as water during hunting/drought times in the Kalahari. Traditionally, they are an important resource for they serve as a standby source of water. The latest news is that its used by a foreign company to nourish the skin.

Posted in At the Mud huts, Little Big Planet

Safari Africa: Do you have a reason why you dont travel to Africa?

How to avoid perception while travelling to Africa? I know that the first four images that come to mind when you hear the word “Africa” is war, disease, famine and wildlife. The reporting in the media is primarily negative and it hurts. I am all the time increasingly dismayed at the near-total lack of positive news from any part of Africa being presented. I couldnt have said it better goafrica.about.com/ “ Africa, as we know to our cost, is suffering from poor perception practically throughout the world. A coup in one country, a minor armed disturbance in another African country thousands of kilometres away and headlines scream: “Africa in crisis!” The perception of Africa, particularly in the West is of a continent that is backward, violent, unstable and poverty stricken. We know this is not true. Most of Africa is stable, most people are not starving and there is tremendous progress taking place on most of the continent”.

Other obstacles standing on your way may include the following:

ONE: The number one obstacle: Are you ethnocentric? Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones own cultural group is somehow innately superior to others. If you believe your culture, your way of life, your manners and customs are superior than others, you will definitely not enjoy Africa.Do you hold this view, its the most dangerous perspection of life for it limts you in every manner and thinking.

TWO: Do you believe everything reported in the media, do you ever pause to say, how far true is this?The news selection and who is doing it and why he is doing it? If you never do, then you may never consider coming to Africa.

THREE: Avoid perpetuation of stereotypes as far as possible

FOUR: Make time to learn other people cultures, heritage and ways before embaking on your journey

FIVE: Think of unique attributes and characteristics of other people rather than pick negative attributes

SIX: If you know that we are all humans despite our cultural differences, you shall be embraced wherever you go. If you ever read The Marchant of Venice by none other than Shakespear, my one time best excellent read, well read author in all Anglo African schools who has this powerful stanza or is that a verse or line any of those you English people) between Antonio and Shylock, the Jew: when the latter reminds Antonio:

If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?/If you posion us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”

The “us” that Shylock is referring to are Jews.That is the core Shylock.

SEVEN :Carry your swagger but ensure that you contexualise it as far as possible.

Once you have cleared your stereotype and prejudice come to the Okavango, The Okavango Delta, soon to be listed as one of of the World Heritage destinations, come immerse yourself. As Wiki has captured this, Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world’s largest inland delta. You know why you don’t come to Africa, we would like to know why you dont. I recommend this book for you

The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success

By: Foster, Dean

Authored by one of the world’s leading cross-cultural experts.

Invaluable for both business and leisure travelers.
Comprehensive and practical coverage.

Posted in At the Mud huts

Safari Africa: The Heritage of Tribe

The diamond of Africa is in its people, their diverse cultures, customs, totems, dress code, colour, languages, religions etc. As you may be aware there are many different people groups and tribes across the continent of Africa – with their culture varying from tribe to tribe. While this diversity has worked against Africa in many ways in particular the wars that have ravaged Africa for decades based on differences of ethnic groups, in the same vein, this tribal diversities has helped improve and boost tourism industry in many ways. My one time argument has always been had Africa had few tribal groups, notorious, bloody periods such as The Scramble for Africa Disaster may never have taken place. The San population have also suffered this blow because of their variant mini groupings, the many clanship that they created has seen them moving from one place to another whenever an emerging group comes by.Well one may ask how Britain managed to enrol African soldiers into their march to Second World War despite language barrier?

Well today we shall have a look at Botswana ethnic groups. Size wise, Botwana is as big as Texas/ France but only with a population of 2 million at least according to the latest population census conducted in August 2011. With that number, check here the tribal groups of this nation and the list is not exhausted:

Basarwa
Kalanga
Bakwena
Bamangwato
Batlokwa
Bakgatla
Barolong
Bamalete
Batawana
Bangwaketsi
Bayei
Bakgalagadi
Basubiya
Baherero
Bambukushu
Batswapong

Africa must see Cultural diversity as a strength, an asset, a one million value. Like I said consider Botswana as a first stop to Africa wilderness.Wiki has helped me define this outstanding game reserve, you shall never regret your journey. Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² (about twice the size of Massachusetts, and 1/16 of Botswana’s total land area) making it the second largest game reserve in the world.

Posted in At the Mud huts

Africa Safari; How to avoid anger

Before I go into the rumblings of my life remember that Botswana is a Year Round Wildlife Safari Destination and your visit is welcome. The incredible vast space that we offer is second to none, botswanatourism

The devil called procrastination has had its share for the past two weeks for I had vowed I will do a weekly article for those who stumble upon this weblog. On the other hand I have had a number of achievements where I work, not moneywise but a few things have been accomplished for my work in progress project. Me and my wonderful team have secured some funds to be able to do the project but that will be next year. Botswana National Museum on behalf of Batswana wishes to celebrate Ratsie Setlhako, one of the best music folklorist and traditional violinist, we shall be paying tribute to his enormous contribution towards music industry, not only in Botswana, but South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia.

Last time I was here I spoke about the beauty and wisdom of fables and tales and just how they can explain life in general.The abundance of fables and myths are as many as the many tribal groups of Africa and a one time visit in any of the African landscapes will make your visit an unforgettable travel. But I also spoke about why Africans in general tend to moan and groan about things owing to systems of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism. Its very interesting though not surprising to hear that this syndrome of complaining has deeply affected the black race in America so much that Obama has to be worried about: Read how Obama tells-blacks-stop-complainin-fight. Its a phenomenon, a disease that has left Africa in an apocalyptic state.A mental conditioning which feeds negativity and undesirable thoughts. Complaining is the denial of responsibility. And blame is just another way of excusing yourself from being responsible. And I suppose we need drastic measures to fight this, one of those can include topics that can address this attitude possibly to infuse it into school curriculum.Teaching lessons such as Stop Complaining, Avoid destructive Criticism, Dont Blame etc. I want to also acknowledge that I have this trait but finds it so destructive and meaningless.As Obama rightly says, addressing the black mass yesterday at news.yahoo.com And to everyone who is in the habit of complaining:

“Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes,” he said, his voice rising as applause and cheers mounted. “Shake it off. Stop complainin’. Stop grumblin’. Stop cryin’. We are going to press on. We have work to do.”

A common mistake chronic complainers make is to self-identify with the negative thoughts running through their minds. I will give you a scenario, lately I have been so extremely angry I could kill the person who was inflicting this pain in me. In-fact the anger has been building for several months and the first mistake that I did was to think that my anger was justified, that it was a moral anger, that I was right to act it out in whatever manner I could possibly display.The negativity that I carried with me and the justification that I have, got me bedridden for two days and left me miserable. Slowly I am learning how to balance this natural feeling and avoiding as far as possible the trap of negativity:Earned negativity but its deadly to harbor such negative thoughts.

1 Identify your anger, spell it out

2. Check its authenticity, your anger may be baseless

3. If your anger is justified, try by all means to control yourself, this is the hardest moment of your life, but my motto has been I am controllng myself for self worth and integrity, children and family. You may have different reasons.

4. If you’re mired in negativity, your job is to develop your consciousness to the point where you can learn to stay focused on what you want, to create positively instead of destructively.

5. Acknowledge by saying ”I recognize these negative thoughts going through my mind. But those thoughts are not me. As I raise my awareness, I can replace those thoughts with positive alternatives”

6. Knowing the fundamentals that criticisms and complaints lead to resentment and ill feelings that rarely bring about positive, lasting changes is important.

7. Learn to control your emotions by practicing understanding and having empathy.

8. By avoiding criticizing and complaining, you will be better respected in both your personal and professional relationships.

9. Act positively

Ebook offers lessons, experiences on self improvement, you can order anytime. I suppose you are angry, have been angry, then you can offer your experience, it will inspire some?

Posted in At the Mud huts - Tagged angry, safari africa, save your intergrity, travel

Safari Africa:Its fables and Tales

I am so fond of fables and tales and I am glad there are community cultural centers that use fables and tales as part of their touristic products and services. It is a way of resuscitating culture and I think its a good thing. No doubt Africa possesses a several thousands of years old culture, some of it have great commercial potential. It is mostly expressed particularly in myths, legends, fables, in songs and proverbs. The dearth of fables, stories and tales was by and large silenced by the notorious period of Europe Scramble of Africa. In the late nineteenth century, a European scramble to conquer Africa radically changed its literature. “Trickster” tales characterize precolonial African literature, while colonial literature tends to deal with slavery and themes of independence. Postcolonial works often deal with conflicts between the past and the future and the difficulty of maintaining an African identity in the face of globalization.

You will now appreciate why an African man is an excuse maker in all most all forums. Just this week I attended a meeting on intellectual property and copyrights and the only chorus was how the filmmakers from Europe particularly from America have massively gained from the film industry by using Africa wildlife in TV channels such as Geographic Channel without pay. While that is true but tourists may be lured to come to Africa because of watching animal Channels in Europe, it remains to be seen if this assumption is true , until it is verified by research. In the meantime there is no film commission in place here in Botswana , a body that serve as the “administrative window concerned with attracting and supporting the productions that come to their locality, not only from other parts of their own countries, but from abroad, as well”. So next time you travel here, you will hear all sorts of whines and groans.

There is one powerful story that was prescribed during my high school or gosh I forgot its title, all characters were animals except man. Mr Elephant had asked man if he had enough space in his hut so that he could be saved from torrential rain that day. The man refused at first but with the polite insistence from Mr Elephant, he obliged and let him in. The initial agreement was that elephant will only safe his big trunk from the beating rain but over two days elephant had infused his whole body into mans hut. The man pleaded with elephant that he should get out from his hut but elephant refused. After some days pleading, the man finally lodged a case against elephant. the case was handled by Mr Lion who was to preside over the matter.During the court case, elephant argued that he had occupied the mans unused space, that it was under utilized.Elephant had come with all his witnesses from animal kingdom, Mr hare, Mr Rhino etc, man had none. To be continued but i guess by now you guess the moral tale to this story, correct me if Iam wrong, is this short story by Ngugi wa Nthiogo? one of the amazing story teller of Africa. Trickster tales are great favorites in many cultures. Which animal is your favorite trickster? With me, Hare is, with its ever protruding eyes, you will never know when its asleep and the shrewdness that it has displayed at all times.

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Posted in At the Mud huts - Tagged africa fablles and tales, blame syndrome, famine in africa, origin of black blame, safari africa

Safari Qcwihaba: Africa captivating caves

A beaded necklace found in Qcwihaba

In my previous article, I wrote about poverty and famine in Africa especially in Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. Next time if I find time , I will talk about whether travelers consider these said factors, poverty, squalor, famine as reasons for not visiting Africa or any country inflicted by such. It was gracious to see Madrik Jeff who authored, “The Age of Greed” over Press TV yesterday under series The autograph.In a sense he gave me a reason why Africa may be the worst hit in experiencing man made calamities. Today however, I will give an insight why you should travel to the unknown worlds.

There are many reasons why you should travel the unknown territories than the known. Traveling the unknown offers the best peace and serenity. wanderingearl.com blog has some reasons why this is so. But all in all these are destinations that are generally undiscovered and off the tourist trail and here you are expecting the unknown, adventure as it were. Botswana is undoubtedly one of the places in the world which is not known. Travelers may have heard of it but under South Africa geography. It has often given me gratitude when folks from elsewhere do not have a clue of where this country is, especially when you have had an opportunity to travel other than your country. I tend to love mysteries and the unexpected only when they are good though. thisblogrules.com did not mention my country in his article entitled, 10 countries you probably ever heard about but I think it may be so. Oh I nearly forgot, the anthropologists will tell you about Botswana than the rest of the World populations.

Here is a treasure land that you can never miss to visit while you travel Botswana. Its called Qcwihaba, unable to pronounce, ok I will teach you how, fold your tongue a little bit, place or press it against the front palate area, release the tongue, it should produce a softer towards loud click sound and it should have an echo. Qchwihaba translated the hyenas caves, Located in the north western part of Botswana, are every explorer’s/adventurer’s dream come true. Exploring these caves one has to be prepared to share some parts of the caves with the resident bats. This cave system is unknown to the world and my its simply exclusive. To be frank, its a genuine wilderness destination, traveling there, you shall see there kaleidoscope colors in the caves which are exciting and breathtaking. There are magnificent formations inside the caves, which resemble a crystal-like chandelier. The residents of the place who have since left to live in Xaxa, a village 20 kilometers away have stories worth listening over and over again. Have you heard how a man can become a lion over night to kill for his dear family, and be a human being the next day, The survival of the Kalahari hunters, fantastic.

Anybody with animation/cartoon skill? I will offer the scripts based on the tale tales of the Kalahari hunters, the heroes and villains.

Posted in At the Mud huts

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Travel without inhibitions

Safari Africa: Eurocentric Travel versus Colonised Travel part 1

Kalahari gadgets

Safari Africa: Do you have a reason why you dont travel to Africa?

The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success

Safari Africa: The Heritage of Tribe

Africa Safari; How to avoid anger

Safari Africa:Its fables and Tales

Safari Qcwihaba: Africa captivating caves

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The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa and the Middle East: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success

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For the most comments, you will get this copy from ebook