Vohemar (Iharana)

Vohemar, also referred to as Iharana, is the northernmost town in Madagascar’s north-eastern SAVA region. It is located right at the Indian ocean and vast Iharana bay which is subjected to the tides. Historically, Vohemar seems to be one of Madagascar´s oldest settlements, if not the oldest, where Swahili merchants installed a port for trading […]

Andapa

Andapa is the only of the four major towns in SAVA region to be situated away from the Indian ocean 100 km southwest of Sambava. It has around 30.000 inhabitants of whom 90% are farmers, mainly cultivating rice. The place is ideal for that because of its location at the eponymous basin to where all […]

Sambava

In Madagascar`s northeast lies the SAVA region, covering more than 25.000 km2, and the name SAVA derived from the four main cities Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemar and Andapa. From north to south, Vohemar, Sambava and Antalaha are the region´s seaside towns while Andapa is situated inland a good 100 km southwest of Sambava. The triangle between […]

Mutomboko – War dance of the Luba-Lunda – Kriegstanz der Luba-Lunda

As a westerner, being part of Mutomboko ceremony seems to be an entire series of puzzling moments, but if you think hard enough, you will recognize striking similarities to our own societies. Not that the bewilderment would go away. Als Europäer an der Mutomboko-Zeremonie teilzunehmen, heißt, sich einer ganzen Reihe von verwirrenden Erfahrungen auszusetzen. Wenn […]

Mansa & the African children – Mansa & die afrikanischen Kinder

Mansa is the capital of Zambia´s northeastern Luapula province right at the border to the DR Congo. It has got a population of around 40.000 people, a Shoprite supermarket, a gas station, schools and the provincial government, but in the end Mansa feels just like a village, like a huge dispersed settlement. There is a […]

Samfya & Lake Bangweulu – Samfya & Bangweulu-See

On the way to the north Samfya, Lake Bangweulu and the eponymous swamps are the gate to a, tourism-wise, completely undeveloped part of Zambia. Samfya is a sleepy little town with estimated 20.000 residents. It is the biggest village around the lake, which is 40 x 60 kilometers wide with seasonal variations, but the swamps […]

Livingstone & Victoria falls – Livingstone & die Victoriafälle

Livingstone Modern-day Livingstone is located where once Constitution hill had been, only a few kilometres from Victoria falls and the original settlement. That settlement had been founded in 1898 but was relocated to the present place as early as 1901 because of the problematical climate conditions right at Zambezi river. Das moderne Livingstone liegt heute […]

Through the vastness of Zambia / Durch die Weiten Sambias

The landlocked country Zambia that had been a part of the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia since 1890 encompasses 752.614 km2 which makes it twice as large as Germany – but with only 18 Million inhabitants most of which are living in the big cities. The country is the place where south, central, and east […]

Mbale

Mbale is a pleasant town in eastern Uganda with approximately 100.000 inhabitants. Located on 1.200 m altitude, Mbale has a moderate climate amidst an incredibly attractive landscape close to Mount Elgon. It is only 60 km to the Kenyan border, and there are quite some smuggled goods on the local markets. Mbale ist eine angenehme […]

Arua

The small town of Arua is situated in a far north-western corner of Uganda, right at the border to the DR Congo. In the past, Arua has gained a certain fame because of being the place where Id Amin has been born, a world-famous lunatic. We took some “Shared Taxis” from Pakwach to Arua, which […]