LAMU ISLAND - KENYA:
Lamu is a town, an island and an archipelago. The archipelago is a chain of seven islands and a multitude of islets, separated from the mainland at its narrowest part by a channel just a few metres wide. The mainland and the inland sides of the islands are fringed by dense mangrove forests, while the seaward sides are protected by reefs and lined with dunes. Throughout the archipelago there are numerous historical sites, visible and tangible evidence of ten centuries of a colourful, and often violent past. Most of these settlements are Arab in origin and started as small trading stations. As these small colonies grew they absorbed much of the local people and a distinct Afro-Arab culture emerged. This culture, which came to be known as Swahili, today dominates not only Lamu but the urban centres of Mombasa and Malindi and its language has become the principal language of East and Central Africa.
The beach on Lamu island is 12km of empty sands backing on to an ocean unprotected by a reef and therefore more lively and more powerful than you find elsewhere in Kenya. But no one comes to Lamu only for the beach. The town is now well known, a delightful anachronism carrying on its daily life as it has done for centuries so that the visitor has a science fiction experience of being transported back through time. The town is a living monument to its past. The old houses, built with walls of coral two feet thick, have a series of alcoves about ten feet wide, rather than rooms. Their width is decided by the length of the mangrove poles used for the floorings and ceilings. Many are three stories high, with precipitous staircases which end on a flat roof where much of the life of the community goes on. The town is crowded with houses and people, the streets so narrow that you can shake hands with your neighbour in the house opposite. The main street, ndia kuu, is lined on either side with shops and workshops, each no more than a room stretching from the street to the living areas behind. Here you will find carpenters and herbalists, jewellers and grocers.
In the centre of the town stands the fort. Built for Omani invaders around 1812 it later became a prison and is now a cultural centre operated through the museum. The Lamu Museum itself is on the waterfront housing a collection of Swahili artefacts, jewellery and crafts unequalled anywhere else. The two most important items in its collection are the siwa – ceremonial horns; one made of ivory, belonged to a former sultan of Pate the other is from Lamu itself. As befits a maritime community the museum houses a collection of sea going vessels and marine tackle and there is a wonderful model of the rope sewn vessel known as mtepe.
A 45 minute walk from the town (or 15 minutes by motor boat) brings you to the sleepy village of Shela. This is where the beach begins and the complexities of life end. Even the beach is simple, just a 12km swathe of shining sand lapped by a balmy sea. To sail the archipelago is to discover beautiful beaches, glorious seascapes, ancient ruins, fishing and scuba refuges.
For the traveller, Lamu is a hypnotically exotic experience, made even more enjoyable by the relaxed and welcoming attitudes of the locals. To visit Lamu is to enter another world, and the visitor finds themselves becoming a part of this world. Life slows down, and long days are spent strolling along the waterfront, exploring the town or relaxing on the beaches.
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