Amazing Africa! CNN Correspondent Shares Africa’s Hidden Gems with the World
CNN correspondent David McKenzie, who has over 55,000 followers on Twitter, has shared some of the ‘hidden’ gems he has discovered while reporting from more than half of Africa’s 52 countries. McKenzie said he has “reported in more than 30 countries on this glorious continent” and asked his followers to add some of their own […]
CNN correspondent David McKenzie, who has over 55,000 followers on Twitter, has shared some of the ‘hidden’ gems he has discovered while reporting from more than half of Africa’s 52 countries.
McKenzie said he has “reported in more than 30 countries on this glorious continent” and asked his followers to add some of their own hidden – or not so hidden – gems. To start the ball rolling, the award-winning reporter said these are just some of the amazing places and things in Africa that pop into his head:
- The road from Kigali to Ruhengeri (Rwanda)
- Pretty much any Nyama joint in Nairobi
- SCUBA diving in Lake Malawi
- The baguettes in Guinea, the fish in Ivory Coast
- A Semba party in Luanda
- Lamu and any of the Swahili coast
- Sunsets in Botswana
- Road trips in Uganda and Nile Perch
- The extraordinary talent of Nigerians to get things done
- The graciousness of families letting you into their home – across the continent
- The way Congolese can outdress you – no matter the location
- Nsima in Malawi. I’m sorry, it’s better than pap or Ugali
- Snowfall in the Maluti mountains
- Pasta in Somalia – I once had lobster pasta in Hafun that would put a lot of Michelin chefs in a corner
- The grandmothers of Southern Africa who are the rock of communities and families
- Sierra Leone’s beaches. My word
- The light in Madagascar. Never experienced anything like it. Crisp, clear.
- Flying over Mt Nyiragongo and the glow of the volcano from Goma (when there isn’t an eruption)
- Sailing on a Dhow from Bagamoyo to Zanzibar
- Music in Mali and the extraordinary art
- The Sudd in South Sudan and the worlds youngest country
- Hibiscus tea in Khartoum
- A chat with pretty much any Zimbabwean
- Namibia after a rain shower
- The tents in the desert of Mauritania with Mercedes diesel sedans parked outside
- Kalahari sand and chilly nights in the desert
Senator David Coltart, former Zimbabwean Minister of Education, Sport, Arts & Culture, has added “Mountain biking in the Matopos (Zimbabwe)” to the list, and several South Africans have added some of SA’s most beautiful gems to the list too.
South Africa’s hidden gems, according to Twitter users, include:
- Quiver route Northern Cape. Drive through small dorpies. Stop at padstals. Eat koeksisters. It’s the most beautiful, underrated province. I can’t wait for August/September to come to drive for the flowers from Upington to Yzerfontein
- A lion’s roar at night, anywhere wild
- The incredible light, cloud formations, greenery and the Chill African House sounds of Johannesburg. PS. Them late afternoon summer storms that are almost a daily occurrence over the Highveld
- The pristine beaches on the East Coast from Kosi Bay up to Maputo
- Fish ‘n Chips in Pringle Bay
- Durban’s beautiful beaches
Follow David McKenzie on Twitter here.