A love letter from Mombasa
We met Jamil at the beach and became instant friends once we established trust. He took us through to two villages with Boris, his best friend. They introduced us to Coconut wine and helped our overall stay be more immersive than what we expected. Mombasa has so much cultural diversity, something I wouldn’t have known.
We spent time in typical villages like the ones in rural South Africa, they offered us a meal like I would have back home, as in a chicken cooked the same way with a salsa just like how I like it. It was such a blessed birthday.
We casually asked about the trend of older white ladies coming to the region for some D, and it turns out that it’s a very common trend.
Boris told us of his love affair with a European lady whom he married in Mombasa. He visited her twice in Europe, and together they built a house within Mombasa. She unfortunately passed on due to Covid but in this side of town, they are appreciated and you’re lucky to have a sponsor. Boris is also a herbalist who knows a lot about the local plants & their medicinal properties.
Jamil also has a sponsor, helping with paying for his sister’s tuition for a hair saloon certificate. She can use to go to Europe and do hair over there. There’s a big culture of financing needed to make ends meet for the ordinary members of the villages.
Mswabeni village has the most generous sunsets captured here in this short video. This spot is where the famous Kongo River meets the Atlantic Ocean & it’s gorgeous. We ended our time at the beach, having Octupus by the fire camp.
From a cultural perspective
We noticed that Luya sounds like Zulu. Nyanza – is spoken in Western Kenya. We interacted with a few tribal men in the villages & at the beach and we were told about the 9 tribes of the Mijikenda.
9 Tribes – Mijikenda (9 huts)
- Digo
- Giriama – Song
- Duruma
- Kambe
- Ribe
- Jibana
- Rabai
- Kauma
- Chonyi
It will take more than one visit to wrap our heads around the cultural diversity of Kenya.
