Last updated on December 30th, 2025 at 09:25 am
TRAVELS FOR THE LOVE OF AFRICA
- Transcendent journeys of avid object d’art collector and African theme shopper Bonnie Kriel, who travels for the love of Africa.
- As she chronicles her many stays here and there, Bonnie happily reminds us why her heart is tied to this land of vibrant artistic expression, color and sound.
Since 1998, my husband and I have been living in various parts of Africa as expats from South Africa. My time in all these countries has prompted me to share my experiences with you.
ZAMBIA:
Ndola, Zambia was the start to my travels, and the unknown. A shock to the system as I had never before experienced a true third world country. This country was formally colonial run, and it flourished with copper as its major source of income. However; at the time of our arrival, there was virtually nothing. Many of the homes were in disrepair; and the most exciting shop was a newly acquired Shoprite store. It had an abundance of motor vehicle and bicycle tyres. Very little food was on the store shelves. When certain items arrived i.e. butter, Bovril, etc. the news spread like wildfire. Everyone raced to stand in a very long queue to get our hands on these precious rare commodities.
A local man would come around once a week on his bicycle selling anything from wilted vegetables to swimming pool chemicals – also a rare item.
Life was made difficult by the lack of infrastructure and very limited luxuries to be had. Getting around by car was like riding the rocky road to Dublin. But we joked that one needed a neck brace, kidney belt and good sports bra, and all would be fine. We still wouldn’t swop the beat of Africa for any other country in the world. They say that once Africa gets in your blood you can never leave.
Africa induces introspection:
Expat ladies from all over the world formed a group which contributed to the wellbeing of the community. They were mainly involved in child welfare and health projects. Of course, we would never forget our loving animals either. So, between all these projects we were busy all the time.
An incident sticks in my mind and I find myself laughing out loud when I think about it: One sunny afternoon, we were in the beautiful garden of our host’s home, playing cards and enjoying each other’s company. Suddenly her dog came running towards us, and in his mouth was the hugest bone we had ever seen. The owner jumped up screaming and was most distressed. We later learned the reason for her dismay. Her grandmother had passed away. And without cremation facilities, family members of the deceased were not given ashes to take home, but bones which they later buried. In this case, grandma’s bones were still in a bag in our host’s garage. And the poor dog only did what dogs do and was happy to find a bone. As horrendous as this was, once we got home we screamed with laughter. As they say: picture the scene…
I dedicated myself to sharpening my skills:
One good thing about living in countries where skills are minimal is that you learn to hone your own skills. Quite soon I became a builder, carpenter, tiler, painter, etc.
Our goods container arrived in Zambia. But before we departed South Africa, I had gone to Ndola to see what was needed to refurbish our new home. So, my lovely roll of carpeting had arrived and I took a basic crash course on carpet laying. I found a young local man to assist. He said he was a professional carpet layer – and who was I to know any different.
There was no carpet underfelt to be had. So, upon the carpet layer’s recommendation, I had gone into town to buy the glue needed to lay the carpet. During my absence, my professional decided that he would start and surprise me. When I arrived home, I found him cutting my beautiful carpet into squares. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. He had never seen anything but carpet squares and wondered why silly me had arrived with a huge length of carpet. Fortunately, I came in the nick of time and managed to save the rest of the carpet, and it still fitted.
MOÇAMBIQUE:
We moved from Zambia to Moçambique, arriving the year before the great floods of 2000 which claimed many lives. The area we lived in was brand new, and there were a handful of houses and dirt roads. When the floods came, we got around in small paddle boats. Our neighbor was manager of one of the upmarket hotels. He had to wade through the water in swimming trunks, with a suitcase on his head containing his work clothes. His driver met him along a main road which was accessible to motor vehicles, and that his how he got to work. For days we were marooned in the house and my husband couldn’t get to work.
Finding beauty after the war:
The scars of war were very evident in this country, and many people lost their limbs due to landmines. Many years after the war, people still found landmines. But during the flood they were relocated to areas where there were no landmines. It took a very long time to get this country rebuilt. Today Moçambique has become a wonderful tourist destination boasting stretches of beautiful beaches. Here we enjoyed many long lazy evenings eating seafood and drinking katemba (a mixture of red wine and coca cola).
FROM MOÇAMBIQUE TO A SHORT STINT IN TANZANIA, THEN ONWARDS TO UGANDA:
From there we had a short stint in Dar es Salaam, which I think was my favorite country. I loved its powder sand beaches and beautiful homes. It was here in Dar that I fell in love with the art and crafts and vibrant colors in the markets. This is where I knew for sure that I would open my own art and craft shop in South Africa. I practically lived in the markets of Dar, and went to every possible corner to see what was available. I was in awe of the talent and craftsmanship that existed in this country.
Zanzibar was just a short flight or ferry trip away and we loved going there as well. (There you will find the little town of Stonetown, which has a million hidden treasures in its dark corridors).
Our travels took us from Dar to Uganda. This country too was troubled by civil war between the government and opposition parties. But since those days, the country had grown in leaps and bounds, and agriculture flourishes. Vast amounts of sugar and coffee are produced in Uganda – only to mention a few of their yields. The ‘market mammas’ – as they called themselves – made paper beads. And the ‘mamma’ who supplied my store educated four children through school and university – just by working tirelessly making these beautiful items.
Meeting the challenges with a sense of humor:
My dear friend from South Africa, also living in Uganda, accompanied me to assist with stock shopping. We were walking through the market when I suddenly lost sight of her. One minute I was talking to her and the next she was gone. She had fallen down steps while we were looking upwards at brightly colored handbags hanging outside the shops. We never noticed the flight of very primitive steps. My friend was white with pain and I could clearly see that her ankle was broken.
Imagine this: There are thousands of people are busy in the stalls and milling around; and all of a sudden there is chaos. But the people were amazing. Some assisted to carry my friend to one of the stalls, away from the sweltering sun. I ran to find a taxi and get permission for him to drive into the market arena. My friend and I couldn’t reach our husbands who were attending meetings, so we were in the hands of our taxi driver. “Oh” says he, “you will be needing a bone doctor”. With visions of being taken to a witch doctor or somewhere as frightful, we kept asking him to make sure it was a good doctor.
We arrived at a hospital with thousands of people sitting on every available square inch of floor space. I started to get really worried as my friend was in the most terrible pain. It was obvious that we would be there for the rest of the day – if lucky. My friend sat on a low wall while I went into the reception area to report our emergency. Within a few minutes an orderly arrived with a wheelchair and took my friend through to be x-rayed. Even though in pain we had a good laugh because the x-ray machine was also x-raying a dog.
My friend’s ankle was fractured in two places and her leg encased in a plaster cast. Poor thing was flat on her back for a very long time, and for her there was no more market hopping for a while.
NAIROBI:
Finding perfection is part of the adventure:
In search of the perfect leather beaded sandals for my shop: I was told to fly to Malindi in Nairobi – about 45 minutes from Kenya in a small aircraft. Upon my arrival at a tiny airstrip, there was no shortage of taxis and eager guides to show me around. After giving my brief to the chosen taxi driver, I was taken for a ride in more ways than one. I endured being driven around the dusty streets in 40 degree plus heat and humidity, and was not at all happy. Eventually the taxi got me to my accommodation which was modest yet clean and neat. All I longed for was an ice cold shower and a clean bed to sleep in. My clothes were drenched in perspiration and stuck to my body. So, I hurriedly made my way to my room where I stripped off and headed for the shower.
When I turned on the cold tap there was a rattling sound in the pipes. Then suddenly a gush of warm stinky sludge poured down my back. I was furious and frustrated and thought I was going to be physically ill. With only a towel around myself, I stomped across the large garden to the reception area. Heaven alone knows what I must have looked like to the patrons who were eating their lunch there. A petrified manager saw this wild half naked woman storm into his office and cowered behind his desk. Needless to say, I frog marched him to my room and told him that sewerage was in the geyser. Then I demanded to be relocated to another room. This would not help my situation as all the rooms were on the same water line.
Africa has taught me that ALL problems have a solution:
The manager duly opened the tap and saw the muck coming out of the shower. He said in a matter of fact tone that it was not sewerage but “THE creature that had died in the pipes.” He also could not understand what the fuss was about. To make matters worse, there was no usable water anywhere – not even bottled water, as his order had not yet arrived. I called the taxi that had ferried me around and asked him to buy lots of bottled water and bring it to the guest house. I used that water to have a bath. Fortunately, I managed to wash off the muck before it hardened on my body and hair.
What I deeply realize is that I am privileged to travel to all these wild and wonderful places, even with the not so pleasant experiences. This makes for great storytelling to my grandchildren one day.
Now in Accra Ghana, I am still having the most wonderful fun time exploring places and finding treasures to take back to my shop in Ballito, South Africa.
My travels and adventures continue, and I am truly blessed. TMLM
- This article’s featured image by Omotayo Tajudeen.
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