I arrived in the village of Shimbwe on the slopes of the Kilimanjaro “by chance”,
and fell in love with the mountain and its people.
Since then it has really become my home.
Enjoy the heartwarming stories I share here, about community, ancient traditions, and simple honest togetherness…
And if you too can’t resist the magic of Shimbwe and the Kilimanjaro, come to Tanzania, and visit us on the mountain for a unique unforgettable African experience.
Talk to me for details!
Around East Africa, I’ve met many young people who make their living by creating for the souvenir industry, out of them, I occasionally meet artists. Baraka is just that, an artist in his soul.
A new and wonderful project started when one day I walked into the kitchen just as the chef finished cracking the unique Kilimanjaro oyster nuts for his famous sauce. I looked at the empty shells with their rich texture and immediately knew what I was going to create from them…
Oyster nuts are a tasty and highly nutritious super food, and everything about them fascinates me. Kweme in Swahili, it’s definitely another one of Mother Earth’s wonders and a special gift to the mountain dwellers. The nuts, that grow inside a kind of a giant green gourd, have a unique connection to the heritage of the Chagga tribe among which I live…
The village kids in my Kilimanjaro home, Shimbwe village, as many other African kids, are very creative with their games. Without excess of store-bought toys that are imposed on Western kids, nature is their play ground. Childhood games in the safe embrace of the community are a vital and integrated way of learning and maturing into healthy adult life. Hope you’ll get inspired by this…
Read about the people behind the amazing Arabica coffee grown in East Africa- the black gold of Africa. Here you’ll also find great coffee tours for your own visit to East Africa!
Well first, the name was given to his father. And here’s the full inconceivable story of all that transpired one fateful night on the slopes of the Kilimanjaro…
This is the story of a woman from a far away tribe and her coming of age ceremony.
A woman who’s still carrying fragrances of a heritage that has long been forgotten in many parts of Africa, just as it has been forgotten by us. Now is time for remembering …
Kumbu kumbu means memories in Swahili. Whenever I get the chance, I make copies of my pictures and give them as gifts to the people I’ve met along the way.
Nothing could have prepared me for the joy and heart felt gratitude I received in return. It brought me to tears…
The walk down the Kanga river and all that happened on the way. A story about people and community on the slopes of the Kilimanjaro.
When we hear Kilimanjaro most of us will think about mountain climbing, but there is so much more to do around this beautiful mountain. Let me tell you…
