Did I Leave Africa Without Knowing It?
I’m currently in Malindi, a town that I thought was located along the central coast of Kenya but – judging from the surreal experiences I’ve encountered recently— may in fact be a little-known settlement in the southernmost region of Italy.
Imagine going into a small market in an African town and encountering an aisle full of pasta and wine, opposite a refrigerated case of mozzarella and salami. At a local bar, a group of white-haired Italian men play Scopa, a popular card game, while the television shows an Italian soap. You turn toward a few small Kenyan children who, instead of greeting you with “Hello” or “Jambo,” yell “Ciao—come va?” And they aren’t the only ones—the touts who want to sell you safaris, diving trips, wooden giraffe statues, or just “be your amico,” speak Italian fluently.
Seriously?
Matteo, being Italian, is naturally thrilled at this surprising turn of events. Apparently, the Kenyan coast—especially towns like Malindi and Watamu—have been huge spots for tourists from Italy for years, and some even own homes here that they can escape to during the summer months when their own towns are inundated with Americans and other foreigners!
Having seen absolutely nothing like this when I lived in Ghana several years ago, I’m feeling confused by this version of Africa and—with all of the coast’s luxurious resorts and ristoranti with wood-burning pizza ovens—think that Matteo might be getting rather upscale African experience for his first time on the continent. (He keeps turning to me with a big smile on his face saying, “Third-world travel’s pretty rough, huh?”)
I’m becoming more and more convinced that Kenya—and especially its “Little Italy” colonies—is “Easy Africa.” But whatever—maybe I can have some tiramisu after dinner tonight!
Tags: Italians, Kenya, RTW 07/08
admin
Leave a Reply