THE BEAT
STORIES FROM WE ARE AFRICA, THE AFRICAN CONTINENT & AROUND THE GLOBE
Tintswalo Safari Lodge’s spectacular revamp responds directly to the growing demand for luxury exclusive-use safari properties. Richard Holmes provides the goss on and pretty pics of our hotspot of the week.
To kick the We Are Africa Innovation Awards proceedings in 2018, we caught up with our last panel of expert judges to get the low-down on 2017’s entries: what impressed them; what moved them; and what they thought was missing… (Hint: now’s your chance to fill that void!)
South Africa has just got that little bit closer: there’s been a slew of international carriers launching flights to Cape Town and South Africa and Johannesburg – which is just in time for We Are Africa 2018. To lower airfares and increased connectivity on the horizon…
Conservation is the “sexy cause of the moment”: countless celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon to help rescue animal kingdoms – but even with their international reach, are their efforts beneficial – or even appropriate – to the cause at hand?
Heather Richardson tells the inspirational tale of how nature tourism revived the almost barren landscape surrounding Grootbos, a luxury lodge a few hours away from Cape Town. See what how conservation goals can be achieved with bucketloads of perseverance and collaboration…
Africa, get ready for your close-up! With travellers snapping their way around the globe, looks may not be everything, but they sure do help. Check out just a few of our most Insta-ready new recruits who’re showcasing our continent from its finest angles…
From theatrics to flavours of brandy with mushrooms and Oloroso with squash, mixology is reaching way beyond the bar. As fine dining pushes its creativity through the roof, the divide between bar and kitchen is growing ever narrower…
Richard Holmes introduces the Wolwedans Foundation Trust, a stellar example of how to walk the walk when it comes bringing tangible benefits to the local community.
In the run-up to the much-awaited We Are Africa, we have decided to honour our fantastic new exhibitors for 2018 with a warm shout-out. Up first are the three companies who fulfil and delight every rover’s African fantasies…
Truly secluded beach retreats are hard to come by, even in low season – but pockets of true tranquility can still be found; you just have to know where to look. Lucy Shave points you in the direction of a trio of new tribe members, from Zanzibar to Plettenberg Bay.
When just 0.05 per cent of the works shown at Art Basel or the Frieze Art Fair are of African origin, the African-centric 1:54 Art Fair has proved revolutionary in raising the profile of African art outside of the continent, and consequently, in bringing more tourism to Africa. But are region-specific shows excluding Africa from art’s central stage?
Introducing Sara Ouhaddou, the French-Moroccan artist combining the craft traditions of the Arab and Islamic world with international contemporary culture – an inspiration for African nations in an age of globalisation, showing them to move forward while keeping their own singular identities.
Forget tired tours and predictable routes – from Sideways-inspired wine excursions to immersive festival experiences, discover three new exhibitors who are are blazing an experiential trail across the continent.
Britney-Spears-obsessed performance artist Jana ‘Babez’ Terblanche deviates from Africa’s historical, same-old narrative, instead moving towards an outrageous feminist statement that unites Africa and the world at large.
Over the past two years we have seen many of the world’s most iconic travel destinations suffer from terrorist attacks. In the wake of such public assaults, how has tourism been affected – and how can it recover?
Delicate filigree jewellery handcrafted in a centuries-old tradition is perhaps the last thing you’d expect to find on a far-flung Mozambican island… Richard Holmes discovers the famous silversmiths of Ibo.
Shout-out to the unsung heroes going above and beyond to conserve their ecosystems who are joining the We Are Africa tribe this year.
Get acquainted with four of our newest tribe members who are offering a secluded, private-island experience with a difference that’s guaranteed to call out to travellers as the ultimate opportunity to reboot this festive season.
2018 may still be young, but its calendar is already jam-packed with new openings across our continent. From the lush forests of Rwanda to the sparkling sands of the Seychelles, there’s no shortage of exciting new destinations to entice visitors to Africa. Here are five of our favourites…
Wilderness Safaris is ending 2017 on a high note with the opening of a brand-new camp, Qorokwe, in Botswana’s iconic Okavango Delta.
It’s time to introduce you all to three more new tribe members: allow us to introduce We Are Africa’s new, nature-loving exhibitors who allow their guests to unleash their wonderlust for the elements.
With a few exceptions, conservation has traditionally been seen as a man’s world. However, an emerging generation of determined African women are flipping the script and bringing new solutions to Africa’s conservation challenges. Diana Odero and Olivia Squire meet a few of these pioneers.
Fired up on a disdain for the establishment and a spirit of resilience, African creativity has embraced DIY ethics and trodden its own radical path. James Davidson dives into modern Africa’s punk rock rebellion.
Richard Holmes reports on the winners of 2017’s Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards, which took place in Cape Town on 20 November. Get the low-down on the winners plus a list of the top 20 restaurants from the Awards… ¥ou’re welcome.
After years upon years of slow, non-sensical restrictions on air traffic in Africa, Mozambique has become the first to to loosen the reigns on their air policy –
and Fastjet was the first in line to cross over the border: a change which will, with luck, help pave the way towards a brighter, more convenient future for African travel.
High-end travel in Africa might be fabulous, but without venturing outside of their hotel, travellers can be left none-the-wiser to the cool happenings around and about in today’s contemporary Africa. For the real deal, get them to lace their boots and book their spot on one of these top-notch urban street tours across Africa.
New to the tribe are three secret hideaways that stand as proof that some of Africa’s coolest corners may still lie camouflaged under the surface.
Richard Holmes spoke to Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, a thought leader in destination marketing, about the importance – and impact – of millennial travellers in Africa.
We’ve covered the killing of elephants for their ivory and rhinos for their horn, but it seems there is a new animal under threat: the hippo, the unexpected victim of a most barbaric practice.
The evocative approach of multimedia-talented Angolan artist, Kiluanji Kia Henda, may well be the key to the moving Africa’s image away from the colonial and towards the contemporary: it’s all about spreading word of the past without letting it cloud the now.