Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to West Africa
West Africa has cachet and soul. Home to African landscapes of
our imaginations and inhabited by an astonishing diversity of
traditional peoples, this is Africa as it once was.
African Landscapes
From the Sahara to tropical rain forests, from volcanic outcrops to stony depressions in the
desert's heart, West Africa is an extraordinary sweep of iconic African terrain. Sand dunes
of the Sahara yield to the Sahel where human settlements sit on the edge of eternity. A few
latitude lines to the south, savannah and woodland take over, building to a crescendo of
primeval forest crowding the coast and its pristine beaches. Through it all runs one of
Africa's longest rivers, the Niger.
A Musical Soundtrack
West Africa's musical tradition is one of incredible depth and richness. Youssou N'Dour,
Tinariwen and other musicians may have been 'discovered' in recent decades, but the re-
gion's music is so much more than mere performance. The
griots
of ancient African em-
pires - Mali's master
kora
player Toumani Diabaté is a 71st generation
griot
- bestowed
upon West Africa's musicians the gift of storytelling as much as the power to entertain.
They do both exceptionally well and their ability to make you dance or learn something
new about the region may just rank among your most memorable travel experiences.
African Peoples
The mosaic of peoples who inhabit West Africa is one of the region's most beguiling char-
acteristics. The sheer number of peoples who call the region home will take your breath
away. Drawing in a little nearer, you'll discover that traditions survive in West Africa like
nowhere else on the continent, revealing themselves in fabulous festivals, irresistible music
and the mysterious world of masks and secret societies. These are peoples whose histories
are epic and whose daily struggles are similarly so. West Africa is in-your-face, full-
volume Lagos or the quiet solitude of an indigo-clad nomad - not to mention everything in
between.
