Edition 42: Spring 2008

Looking back to my first safari in Kenya 15 years ago, I can still feel the exhilaration of closely following a rhino on foot in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and the excited anticipation upon arriving at the Masai Mara and gazing across the wildlife-teeming savannah for the first time.

Is it possible to put a price on such experiences? Think of one of the many moments in Africa that you will cherish for the rest of your days and ask yourself what monetary cost you’d put on it. Would you have been willing to pay that price for the opportunity prior to arriving, despite knowing there are never any guarantees when or where these enriching encounters may occur?

Zambia’s recent increase in visa charges – a subject our editor, Matt Phillips, takes up in our Opinion column on page 23 – stimulated a debate on the price we should be prepared to pay for the privilege of exploring Africa’s amazing natural heritage. I wonder what would happen if tourists could set their own price for their travel visas, based on what they thought the experience would be worth to them.

I wonder, too, whether Kenya would have suffered such a severe dip in tourist arrivals following the post-election unrest had travellers been more free or confident to make their own decisions, rather than heed country-wide travel warnings issued by Western governments, in the process negating travel insurance and tying intending visitors’ hands.

Would the response to the crisis have been different if Kenya was not part of Africa? I often feel that the West’s reaction to events in Africa is disproportionately strong. Despite most of these crises being relatively short-lived and isolated, it takes months, if not years, for the fragile tourist sector to recover. When thousands rioted for a solid month against the government in several urban centres, burning cars and firebombing schools, churches, mosques, government buildings, police stations, power plants and other public facilities, there was no such blanket warning to avoid travel to France in late 2005. Why then, when pockets of Kenya erupt in unrest is the entire nation considered unsafe?

Like the elder statesman in a boisterous young family, Africa has a difficult time adapting to the new-fangled tools of the modern world. Its people are learning what democracy means to them – and they need to do it quickly, having emerged only recently into an independent world where they are judged on a highly competitive and often cynical global stage.

So it is no surprise that there are bumps in the road whenever Africa reaches key points in its journey. The recent elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe demonstrate that Africans recognise the value of their democratic vote and are prepared to uphold its integrity. This will be hugely important to the continent’s future stability and wellbeing.

Now is the time for us to befriend Africa, to put our arm around its shoulder and say “we have faith in you”. And the best way of doing that is to visit. Share time with Africans. You will be well rewarded, for there are experiences to be had that will stay with you for a lifetime. And that’s priceless.
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