FEATURE
UBER LAMU As a child, Captain I’ll Be Back was often caught sneaking out of school early and, while darting from his school in Lamu town to his home in Shela, he used to call over his shoulder, “I’ll be back.” Ever one to stick to a theme, his boats include I’ll be Back, I’ll be Back Soon and – his latest – Lamu Uber.
What’s your favourite part of the archipelago? It has to be Lamu island. It’s easily the busiest and most vibrant island in the archipelago. Lamu has a lot of things to be proud of: it’s rich in history and rich in architecture – many of the houses are more than 400 years old. As a World Heritage Site, it has become touristy but nothing has been spoiled. What’s your favourite local dish? I love fresh seafood, and the best place to eat it has to be the restaurant at Peponi Hotel, on the seafront of Shela village. You can sit on the veranda enjoying the freshest seafood while watching the dhows sailing up and down the channel. There are several dishes on this menu that I love, but my favourite has to be the ginger crab. When you can get away from your fleet of boats, what do you like to do? I love to walk along Shela beach at sunrise or at sunset. At sunrise you create the mood for the rest of the day. If you walk on the beach when your mind is still sleepy, you create the best mood you can have: watch the sunrise, get some fresh air, maybe have a swim. At sunset, you create an environment for finishing the day. After you’ve worked hard, you take a walk on the beach to cool down, take in the beauty and let go of the day. What changes have you seen in Lamu? There are more houses, and more people, but I have yet to see anything negative. We have a lot of people from abroad, especially from Europe, living here now. When foreigners fall in love with the island and decide to stay, they buy from locals and contribute to the income of the community. And of course they need places to eat, places to sleep. On top of this, many of them contribute to the building of schools and hospitals, and to the cleaning of the town and the beach. What do you think makes Lamu so special? Lamu people are very friendly and they are trying to keep the place special. Everything is governed locally. The Community of Elders takes all the decisions. Shela doesn’t have a police station – we are very proud of that – and we handle our issues ourselves. We don’t rely on the government: we have our own people for the services we need such as cleaning, and teaching. What do you think draws tourists? Lamu is unique. It’s peaceful and natural, not overdeveloped, noisy or hectic. There are no cars on the island, and people use boats or donkeys to get around. Perhaps for this reason, mass tourism hasn’t discovered the island yet. As told to Tamara Britten NOMAD MAGAZINE APRIL 2017
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