Why Can’t Africans Travel in Africa?

TARIRO MZEZEWA, HOST: Just about everyone who has spent time in Africa will tell you, there’s no place like the continent.

[WAVES CRASHING]
[MUSIC]

ARI BASKIN: You’ve got the Indian Ocean, the massive stretches of it on the Kenyan coast. South Africa has so much from, like, mountains to sea to desert. It has everything.

POPI SIBIYA: The reason I keep going and I keep traveling Africa is because I feel at home in Africa.

TM: Music, food, language, nature. The list goes on and on.

[MARKET CHATTER]

TIYANI MAJOKO: Oh my goodness, nothing beats African fashion. When I went to Nigeria, I went to this place called Balogun Market, girl it’s a market. It’s a real market. I want to touch the fabrics, I want to say, “No, this is too much.”

TM: But Africans will tell you that for them in particular, actually getting to see these incredible things is harder than it should be.

TIYANI MAJOKO: It’s just not easy. It feels like an absolute, like, you know, circus. And then when you look at the other side, when, like, you say, my American friends say that they want to go to Johannesburg, like, they can, all they just need to do is spend money for the air ticket and that’s it.

TM: There are many obstacles preventing Africans from being able to travel within their own continent.

[THEME MUSIC]

From WHYY This is Peak Travel. I’m your host, Tariro Mzezewa. Today, we’re talking about why it’s so hard to travel around Africa, why it’s easier for Europeans and Americans to vacation on the continent, and how these issues date back to colonialism.

TIYANI MAJOKO: My name is Tiyani Majoko and I am the host of a podcast called Home to Here, which centers adult immigrant stories.

TM: Tiyani is South African. She’s been to several African countries but says one of the things that makes it hard to travel within the continent is that most countries require visas.

TIYANI MAJOKO: When I went to Nigeria, I did something called a visa on arrival. It was my first time, you know, seeing that process, and it was a little bit chaotic with the Nigeria piece.

TM: Visa requirements vary from country to country, which can cause a lot of confusion.
TIYANI MAJOKO: I’m about to go through the visa process right now, to apply for my visa to Nigeria again. Ugh, I’m not feeling excited about it. It’s not very clear.

[MUSIC]

TM: In Tiyani’s case, for example, to go to Zambia, she doesn’t need a visa, but if she wants to go to Mauritania, she has to apply for a visa when her plane lands. In Burkina Faso, she has to apply for an eVisa online before the trip. And to go to the DRC, she has to apply for a visa at a consulate ahead of her trip.

Because of the different requirements from every country, people sometimes resort to hiring someone with an in at a consulate.

TIYANI MAJOKO: Everyone’s like, “There’s a guy. I’ll give you a guy’s number.” (Laughter) And I was like, and that’s basically what I did last time. My brother-in-law, who lives in Abuja, just gave my details to a guy. So I don’t, I guess I’m just going to hear from the guy. (Laughter)

TM: On top of all that, visas can take a while to process, holding up travel. And they’re expensive — some can cost up to $170.

TIYANI MAJOKO: Then there’s the cost access, like the financial piece, or whatever it costs for you to actually, like, submit the application. Then there’s the whole figuring out like, “OK, what is, where do I have to go and drop it off, and then go do the pictures, and then go do this.” It’s just not easy.

TM: Some say these strict processes are about safety. Anita Mendiratta is a special advisor to the Secretary General of United Nations Tourism — the UN agency tasked with promoting responsible travel.

ANITA MENDIRATTA: It’s a security issue. That’s why visas are with home affairs, not with tourism.

TM: Countries want to make sure you’re entering their borders with good intentions. They might ask to see your bank statements, a lease, a job contract — things that signal that your life at home is stable. They also typically ask to see hotel, airline and excursion reservations.

AM: It’s actually national security and protection, because, ultimately, it is through the crossing of borders that criminal elements can penetrate.

TM: But when you’re from countries that are seen as “at risk” — as many African countries are — it can be harder to get visas. Passports from many of them are considered inferior, and people with them tend to be screened more closely. Many Africans say this is unfair, and it isn’t anything new.

EMMANUEL IDUMA: The hangover of colonialism has sort of affected the travel or the borders within the African continent.

TM: This is Emmanuel Iduma, a Nigerian writer and critic.

EI: One of the issues with traveling within the African continent is that the borders are designed along colonial routes. It’s essentially a mishmash of former colonial, so-called masters, right?

[MUSIC]

TM: Starting in the 1800s, the continent was colonized by countries including England, France, and Portugal. In the race for resources, they arbitrarily claimed land, without regard for African nations, kingdoms, and tribes. This separated people with shared customs but also left neighboring countries fragmented.

EI: So between Nigeria and, say, Ghana, which are both British, former British, colonies, there is Benin and Togo, which are francophone, you know, French former colonies. You’re sort of navigating two essential ideologies about the ownership of place within those four countries. And then you have that replicated across the continent.

TM: Colonial powers benefitted from keeping Africans apart.

EI: The idea was divide and rule. So the notion being that if you wanted to make it more difficult for people to come together and have a common cause, then you set obstacles in their way so that they see each other as enemies and all of that, or have more difficulties communicating with each other.

TM: This meant that many countries only gained independence within the past 60 years.

[ARCHIVAL NEWSCAST ABOUT KENYA GAINING INDEPENDENCE]

NEWSCASTER: At the Uhuru Stadium, the articles of independence were handed by the duke to the country’s prime minister. And Kenya ceased to be a colony and became independent.

TM: Which left them playing catch-up with creating basic infrastructure, like transit.

[MUSIC]

Coming up on Peak Travel, how illogical airline routes are a remnant of colonialism.

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TM: This is Peak Travel. I’m Tariro Mzezewa.

Africa is enormous and there are very few flights that regularly go from one country to another. Anita said connectivity can be a real challenge.

AM: When I was living in Malawi, if I wanted to go to Angola, I would have to fly from Malawi to Amsterdam to fly back down to Luanda, which is crazy.

TM: This is actually quite common. Africans often have to travel to another continent first, to then be able to get to the African country they want.

CHUDI ILOZUE: It’s hard to, like, go from, like, Lagos to, you know, Lusaka, Zambia, like, Harare. You probably need to go to Europe and go to Qatar and go connect and then fly there.

TM: Chudi Ilozue, a Nigerian management consultant who lives in the US, has traveled a lot. He said the complicated routes quickly become costly.

[MUSIC]

CI: It’s very expensive flights, right? It’s probably cheaper to fly from, like, Lagos, Nigeria to London than flying from Lagos to, again, I use Harare or, like, Lusaka. I was literally talking to a friend about how it’s just a lot more expensive to fly within these countries. Flying is especially expensive because we don’t produce our own planes. We buy our planes from Boeing, from Airbus, from Embraer. So, again, flying is already very tough. It’s not a very sustainable business for a lot of local players. So, traveling by air, it’s very restricted to the wealthier people in the continent.

TM: Emmanuel says these issues aren’t just about colonialism, they’re also about racism.

EI: It’s I think part of the larger question about Blackness in the world.

TM: Lingering prejudices about other Africans are also at play. For example, some Nigerians said that the stereotype that they’re scammers means they are looked at suspiciously when they travel. And Emmanuel says, often, people’s best bet is to move to the west, get a western passport, and then try to travel within Africa.

EI: Black people who are able to move easily have to become citizens of other countries, right? You know, or naturalize in other places.

TM: It’s not just western passports that are favored, it’s western tourists as well.

[SOUNDS OF BIRDS CHIRPING, CAR ENGINE RUNNING]

TM: Earlier this year, our producer, Elna Schütz went on a game drive — or as many of us call it, a safari — in Pilanesberg, South Africa.

When many Americans and Europeans think of a trip to Africa, they imagine going on safari in Kenya or Tanzania to live out their fantasies of seeing giraffes, lions, zebras — not interacting with people or culture.

LETHABO MALEBYE: So they are very, very sociable animals, these guys. They are very sociable.

TM: Lethabo Malebye, a head guide and manager for Sundown Safaris, has been leading tours for 14 years.

ELNA SHÜTZ, PRODUCER: Lethabo is a treasure trove, like all the best game rangers, of a fact about birds, about trees, about where we are, whatever it is that you want to know.

TM: Like many safaris, this one has tourists from several countries, including Germany, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

LM: About 4% or so are South Africans, and roughly about 10% of Africans, and then the rest will be the internationals.

TM: During a lunch break, Elna asked them about their trips. Including a German couple.

GERMAN TOURIST: It wasn’t hard to get in here. We didn’t even need a visa, we just fly over here. And we planned everything before, like, the activities we want to do. So it wasn’t hard to do it, like, it was like the other vacations, I guess. Yeah, it was easy.

TM: Soon, another group will arrive and Lethabo will take them out. He already knows that most of them won’t come from other parts of the country or even the continent.

LETHABO: When you look at locally, our people, they don’t travel much — most of the, for example, lodges are not accommodating our locals, in terms of, sometimes, the prices. People really like to travel, but they can’t afford.

[MUSIC]

AM: Domestic tourism was never valued before. It was always the poor cousin if you couldn’t afford to travel overseas.

TM: Anita says that in 2020, because of the pandemic, tourism companies all around the world started seeing locals as customers worth luring. Across Africa, tour providers began offering rates residents could afford, and dedicating certain days of the month for them to have experiences that, previously, only foreigners could.

That’s a step in the right direction, but Anita says the real answer for making travel equitable for Africans lies within their governments.

AM: We just need the leadership to make those choices, to really make it a sustainable solution for the better of Africans, not just the travelers to Africa.

TM: The tourism industry favors westerners, especially white ones. This sometimes causes resentment among Black Africans, who feel like an afterthought in their own countries.

PS: How I feel about Americans having more access to Africa than Africans have to the U.S… for the Black Americans, I’m happy, because everyone deserves Africa.
TM: Popi Sibiye is a popular South African travel vlogger.

PS: I feel like it just gives them that sense of home, and just access to culture, roots, they’re just so happy to be around majority Black people, Blackness, you know, African language, all that. So, I’m happy for them. The others I’m livid. It doesn’t make me feel good seeing them walking around, having fun, and paying pennies. Like, to them, it doesn’t matter. You know, everything is so cheap, and they can buy in bulk.

TM: Africans have a lot of pride in their countries. They also want to see other places. They just need policies to be different.

AM: My real love for tourism and its impact started in Africa, no question. Because I could see the difference that tourism was making, not only at an economic level but at a pride level.

[MUSIC]

AM: It made people very proud of their homes because the world is curious to come and see where you live, how you live, and understand you.

TM: But not everyone comes with the right mindset. After the break, how inconsiderate tourists are causing real tensions.

[MIDROLL BREAK]

TM: This is Peak Travel. I’m Tariro Mzezewa.

[MASSAI PEOPLE SIGNING]

Across Africa, tribes mark important moments in life with traditional songs and dances. Including the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania, who sing and dance to honor their ancestors, celebrate momentous events, and preserve their culture.

PS: You know, we usually sing and dance for ourselves, you know? Our own thing that we want to do. And then we’d sing and dance for ceremonies.

TM: Seeing the Maasai’s traditional dances and hearing their songs – along with touching their intricately beaded jewelry — has become a tourist experience. But many Africans will tell you that after all the issues they face trying to travel, when they finally are able to, seeing tourists gawk and paw at other Africans during performances adds insult to injury.

PS: I know I would not like to sing and dance if a white guy came to my village, like, we don’t sing and dance for nothing. So, for me, it’s cringe, this thing of singing and dancing for tourists. I don’t like to see it. It’s like dancing-for-your-supper type of thing. And it’s like, it’s like mandatory, like, in every video, like, there has to be some singing or dancing, and this tall white guy is learning to dance, and he’s doing it all wrong.

TM: While Popi recognizes that tribes often feel they have to perform to make their living, she wishes there was another option. That instead of going on stereotypical excursions, tourists would consider the everyday lives of Africans worthy of their time.

[MUSIC]

PS: Ugh, no, can you just appreciate cultures and tribes for what they are, without them singing and dancing for you? You know? Can you just speak to people? “Hi. How are you? How do I say hi? This is how you say hi. Oh, what are you eating? Yeah. Oh, lovely.” That’s it! No one sang. No one danced. There was no performance. I think I’m tired of African people having to perform. Can they not perform? Can they just be themselves? And can they be seen as interesting outside of the singing and the dancing?

TM: In short, Popi would love to see Africans be more connected to one another.

PS: It is actually designed that Africans don’t have access to each other, because the more access we have to each other, the more power we hold, when we are unified, when we are united.

TM: One possibility to unite Africans is through a universal passport. Anita, who works with the UN, says it could theoretically make it easier to go from country to country.

AM: Conceptually, it’s a good thing. It’s just premature. There are other foundational policy issues that need to be dealt with that can allow everything to be unified.
TM: African countries haven’t been focused on vacations and leisure. Instead, they’ve been working on foundational policy issues.
AM: We’re dealing with elections. We’re dealing with the rights of women. We’re dealing with issues of poverty. We’re dealing with health. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done at home first, before a passport. Just focus on visa policies. Just start there.

TM: Today, Africans feel their governments haven’t done enough to make it easy for them to travel.

TIYANI MAJOKO: I would definitely travel around the continent more if, you know, the logistics were easier, if the flights were, you know, more direct, if they were cheaper, if they were more frequent, you know. If there was none of this like, visa back and forth that I would have to go through.

TM: Anita says progress might feel slow, but things are improving. New leaders see the value in local tourism, and some countries have created UNIVISAS — one visa that can be used to enter multiple countries.

[MUSIC]

AM: Africa is a continent that, it just needs a giant key to unlock it. And it shouldn’t be that difficult, because the solutions are there.

TM: But even with all the existing hurdles, many Africans said they plan to keep traveling the continent. As Chudi sees it, the only way to make things better is to play a part.

CI: Last year, I decided to only take, like, my personal vacations in Africa going forward. You know, obviously, there would always be weddings and all these things in other places, but all of my personal vacations will be in Africa. I think it’s a coming-of-age thing, where I really want to explore my own continent.

[SOUNDS OF PEOPLE TALKING, LAUGHING]
[THEME MUSIC]

TM: Next time, on Peak Travel…

EMILIANO RUPRAH, PRODUCER: Think of the difference of a city, where, for years, the tenant and the homeowner knew each other. When a corporation takes over, that dynamic completely changes.

TM: A government partnership with Airbnb has brought an influx of tourists to Mexico City — and created a housing crisis.

CARLA ESCOFFIÉ: We were really mad, because the Mexican government, they are doing an agreement without even knowing how this is going to affect people in Mexico City.
TM: One that has the power to displace generations of families.

ALEXANDRA DUNNET: I was so scared. I was like, “Where am I going to live?” Like, “If everything is this expensive, what am I going to do?”

TM: That’s next time, on Peak Travel.

This is Peak Travel. I’m your host, Tariro Mzezewa.

Our executive producer is Tom Grahsler. Our senior producer is Michael Olcott. Our producer is Michaela Winberg, and our associate producer is Bibiana Correa. We had production help on this episode from Elna Schütz.

Our editor is Meg Driscoll. Original music, mixing, and sound design by Catherine Anderson. Engineering by Al Banks, Charlie Kaier, Diana Martinez, and Mike Villers. Our tile art was created by Nick Rogacki.

Peak Travel is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, the iHeart Radio app — or wherever you get your podcasts.

Executive Producer: Tom Grahsler
Senior Producer: Michael Olcott
Producer: Michaela Winberg
Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa
Additional Production: Elna Schutz
Editor: Meg Driscoll
Original Music, Mixing, and Sound Design: Catherine Anderson
Engineers: Al Banks, Charlie Kaier, Diana Martinez, and Mike Villers
Tile Art: Nick Rogacki

Peak Travel is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.