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A road trip around Africa, with Nigerian actress Temi Otedola
Travel across Africa is something that has become very important to me over the last decade. My first film took me to filming locations in Senegal and Cabo Verde, and since then, I’ve jumped at every opportunity to visit as many of Africa’s 54 countries as I can. The final months of this year brought me to Ghana, Benin, and Rwanda, countries I have histories with of varying degrees.
Ghana has felt like a second home since I lived there in 2021. Tamale and Kumasi have been high points of past travel, but this trip focused on visiting my favourite spots in Accra. From sweet sobolo at Republic Bar to peanut soup at Chez Clarisse, I love returning to Ghana’s “good vibes” hospitality.
Benin is a country I’ve just started visiting in the past few years, despite it being just a few hours’ drive from my home in Lagos. Cotonou has some of the best hotels in West Africa and sublimely untouched beaches. The highlight of this trip was visiting Dantokpa Market, brimming with fabrics and fresh produce. My next trip to Benin will hopefully take me further inland to see more of its natural landscape.
I ended my travels across Africa in Kigali. Rwanda has been on top of my travel list, and it did not disappoint. As soon as I landed, I felt at home with its people and natural beauty. I enjoyed my days in Kigali’s flawlessly clean streets as much as day trips to tea farms and horse ranches in the hills.
I like to practice something called ‘immersive travel’ whilst on these trips. Apart from wearing exclusively African fashion brands, that means listening to as much local music, eating as much local food, and researching as much local history as possible. This has allowed me to discover new joys, such as K. Frimpong and Umutsima.
As a Nigerian travelling across these countries, it’s beautiful to observe our similarities and what makes us each of us so unique. Part of what makes Africa so special is its vast diversity, how you can cross a single border and now be surrounded by different dialects, religions, foods, and music. Next on my list? Botswana and Côte d’Ivoire. Below, see some of my favourite photographs from my travels across Africa, each annotated with his thoughts and feelings from every destination.
Tumba, Rwanda
