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Lamu Kenya

Flying in from Cape Town and leaving behind all that goes with the city living, I was happy to be walking in the quite and incredibly narrow streets of Lamu. Sonya and I spent a day mingling with the Old Lamu town people and donkeys that are everywhere. Children going to school, woman hanging up the washing, coconut merchants and man carving wooden furniture with distinct patterns.

In this place I felt history in every door lock, shop sign hanging from corners and paint pealing of the walls. I was drawn into a tiny dark room behind a heavy wooden door by a sweet smell of Turkish Delight. Two man standing on the edge of a huge stone well with what looked like rowing paddles, mixing hot rose jelly. As a child I have eaten Turkish Delight in Serbia, a desert popular to eat with strong Turkish coffee. So Sonya and I had to taste this freshly made rose desert, we walked to the front of the house where a man weighed some for us on a scale and wrapped it in bags made from palm leaves. It was a tasty introduction to Lamu.

Lamu Town on Lamu Island is Kenya’s oldest inhabited town, originally a Swahilli settlement established in 1370’s. The old city is inscribed on the World Heritage List as “the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa”. Habib Salih settled on Lamu in the 1880s, and became a highly respected religious teacher and in 1900’s the Riyadha Mosque was built. The Mosque is the centre for the Maulidi Festival, which is held in Jan/Feb every year. During this festival, pilgrims from Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Zanzibar and Tanzania join the locals. Since 1990, the National Museums of Kenya has sponsored the festival in Lamu. They organize various community building competitions such as swimming, dhow races, henna competition, tug-of war, and donkey races.The Lamu Cultural Festival, a colourful carnival held in August features traditional dancing and crafts including kofia embroidery. The Donkey Awards, with prizes given to the finest donkeys, are given in March/April.

Since the island has no motorised vehicles, transportation and other heavy work is done with the help of donkeys, there are over 2000 donkeys on the island. Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen of The Donkey Sanctuary first visited Lamu in 1985 and opened the sanctuary in 1987. The sanctuary provides treatment to all donkeys free of charge.

It was a bitter sweet experience exploring Lamu. As a photographer I see this town rich with visual beauty, every street telling its own story. At first I was nervously anticipating a sad experience but I was happy to see that things have changed in Lamu with help of the Donkey Senctuary and having been there now I understand the delicate balance between humans and animals. The companionship, the co-existance, the respect people can learn to have for animals.

If you like this article and wish to share similar stories or know places that are helping animals, email me on kristina@loveandrockets.co.za

Cape Town Cart Horse Protection Society

The Donkey Sanctuary