Lamu Island, Kenya.
The landing on the runway of Lamu is a bit 'rough. The small twin-engine 36-seat propeller braking loudly and takes a little 'tilt. The airport: a small wooden house and a shed for the sun. There is a room-mosque for prayers. A bar with windows on a single table is peeling a few drinks taken from a freezer lying on the ground. Upon arrival, some porter, some veiled women, Indian businessmen in gray suits worn a pair of distinct European ladies and two Kenyan girls with straw hat. We expect the young Abdul, the three cases are pushed on a cart to the dock. I was expecting more heat, but a pleasant breeze blows from the sea. An old boat takes us to Shela in less than half an hour. The Lamu archipelago consists of three main islands of Lamu, Pate and Manda, plus a bunch of smaller islands. A Lamu no cars or other motorized vehicles. You go on foot, by boat or by donkey. The city, in 2001, is a UNESCO world heritage site and appears to be the oldest village architecture Swahili of East Africa. Here, many houses are built of coral stone and mangrove wood and hide your inner courtyards and lush flower gardens. Antique doors and balconies are carved and decorated. The general appearance is that of a lively village, half Arab and half African by the sea. We arrived for a visit early in the morning, the day is beautiful, the crowd at the pier intrusive and colorful. The bay is full of dhows, the ancient Arab sailing boats, old boats that feature the colorful bow painted with slogans. From the pier the square are within walking distance, the door of the Immigration Office many years ago, the old fort painted yellow ocher. The scene looks like a faded postcard of the thirties: the old white intunicati chat in the shade of two trees, the fez on his head. Shirtless young men pushing carts full of merchandise creaky: plastic or tin cans, gas cylinders, wood, iron pipes. Screams the newspaper seller. Spend a few old bicycle bell trilling, some guys chanting advertise with their goods in baskets: red mango, lime green, banana, sweet little sickly sweet, garlic, onions, fried samosas. Donkeys trot in groups, carrying all kinds of goods, stones for construction to fresh fish. Make the difficult passage in the narrow alleys. Many women are veiled in black, also eyes. You hear their profumo forte da bigiotteria. Altre s’abbigliano all’africana con i colori del proprio clan. Alcune vestono all’occidentale, ma con stile sobrio. Il mixer tra cultura Bantu, Araba, Persiana, Indiana ed Europea è evidente. 37 moschee, una chiesa cattolica, qualche tempio protestante. I colori dei buganvillea sono rosa cupo, lilla, bianco, giallo arancio. Gran parte delle strade sono di sabbia, senza pavimento. C’è odore di sporco, folate di panni lavati stesi al sole, spezie, pesce fritto, coriandolo, cumino, aria di porto che ristagna, sabbia umida. La periferia dell’abitato è percorsa dai canali di scolo delle case, le condizioni generali sono di sporcizia, ovunque c’è penuria d’acqua and last year, with the dry season, there have been several cases of cholera. In the afternoon our
row dhow in full sail in the lagoon to the east coast of Manda and Lamu, where the ocean is open and you will reach the reef. Before the evening we sail in the mangrove channels, the wind has ceased, the boat is almost stopped in the silence. Shela
To return to resume the open ocean swells and the sailing of the strong wind and glare of the setting sun. We touch the ground with the sky still pale. And 'the hour of prayer. On the beach runs the queue of men who go to pray, the last fishermen hurry home with baskets full di piccoli tonni; le ragazze, il capo coperto, sciamano vocianti dopo un giorno di scuola.
