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The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
The King and I, a tiger skin rug and a bottle of Bell's
I have travelled a lot and as global tourist infrastructure has improved, so has the 'Airbnbfication' of even the furthest flung places, hitting the road feels an ever more homogeneous experience. Côte d'Ivoire? This felt like an opportunity for real adventure, to discover somewhere no one else I knew had ever been. I'm ashamed to say I knew almost nothing about Côte d'Ivoire, the French speaking West African country of 31 million, neighboured by Ghana, Liberia, Guinea and Mali. Its troubled history of two civil wars in the noughties, was my main point of reference. Certainly, I couldn't have imagined its pristine beaches rivalling Thailand, an incredible culinary scene, the unforgettable nightlife of Abidgan or the thriving contemporary art movement. I did read in advance about how diverse this country is - Abidjan with so many skyscrapers it's known as the Manhattan of West Africa, the cocoa cooperatives producing more than 40% of the world's cacao, more than 60 ethnicities and 70 languages. 'I'm ashamed to say I knew almost nothing about Côte d'Ivoire, the French speaking West African country of 31 million' (Image: Kerry Hudson) But, how did I end up drunk in a King's compound, wearing traditional tribal dress? I wake up under a mosquito net in a stilted hut overlooking wildlife reservation N'zi Lodge. As we drive the minibus down the rocky road, we catch glimpses of antilope, warthogs and a rescued White Rhino - once given as a gift to the first President. On the journey to the political capital, Yamoussoukro, where we'll spend the next 24 hours, I watch as life spills out of roadside markets. It's two days before Eid al-Adha, also known as, The Feast of Sacrifice, and, with almost half the country Muslim, there are hundreds of goats - being led by ropes like stubborn dogs, lying on top of bright buses and crammed into red dust cattle markets - unaware of their fate. In the middle of traffic, men sell Space Hoppers, machetes and bags decorated with seashells. Beside us, a truck drives by with a row of hammocks strung across the flatbed where labourers sleep, a bus passes featuring a mural of Che Guevara looking uncannily like Robbie Williams. We pass something called a 'China Mall', mannequins by the side of the road with large round backsides that make me optimistic I might find clothes that fit me. A woman balances a huge basket of limes on her head, laundry is laid out flat on scrubby patches of grass to dry and stalls are piled high with sun-faded Manchester United tops. Read more Kerry Hudson It is said you cannot visit Yammousoko without also visiting The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, which holds the Guinness World Record as the biggest church in the world. To murder a Groucho Marx quote, 'I refuse to join any religion that would have me as its member' but, in the way I have felt in mosques, temples and cathedrals around the world, I feel a tearful sense of peace in this construct of hope over experience. Built in the 1960s by the first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who wanted to honour what he believed was a time of 'God given' peace. Its 24 epic stained glass windows were designed and created by artisans in Burgundy, France and I'm told not a single pane broke in transit - an act of God indeed. There is also an altar carved with marble from Carrera, Italy, and a teak Virgin Mary statue carved by a prisoner of Muslim faith and it was designed by a Lebanese Ivoirian architect, Pierre Fakhoury. Quite the international affair. The next stop is to the village of Kondéyaokro via, sure, why not, a river of two-hundred crocodiles, in the centre of the city. They are apparently very popular and judging from the way they all swim to the edge and stare at us with unsettling gimlet eyes, I can only assume they're expecting dinner in one form or another. We are accompanied to the village, 40 minutes out of town, by a truck of armed guards with automatic rifles. I'm told reassuringly, this is normal for official delegations. After a Goli Dance, a traditional masked performance, we're invited into King Nana Yao Daniel's compound, a large, squat bungalow with five gold and velvet thrones accommodating the fully-robed king and with his most trusted advisors. The decor is gilded maximalism, there are swan vases stuffed with plastic flowers, carved teak elephants, a tiger skin rug, and, on the back wall, a big TV with the 'Action Channel' on mute showing a very young Dwayne Johnson. I don't know what I expected from a king - I turned down my last invite to Buckingham Palace - but I'll come here any time. We're given large measures of Bell's whisky (as the only Scot, I am given double). The men in our party are bestowed a tuft of tiger fur from the rug, the women a strand of horse tail, both for good fortune. Côte d'Ivoire is off the beaten track for tourists (Image: Kerry Hudson) Then there is more, so much more, whisky and photos before we're called outside for a dinner of carp, tomato and onion salad, boiled yams and the gifting of our tribal robes. Each of the armed guards is given a carton of local red wine, the visitors, a bordeaux as a sign of hospitality. A dog called Commander and a straggle of rangy ginger kittens roam about. It's a party. Even when the heavens open with thunder and lightning and we carry our tables to the porch, the night is full of laughter. At around 11pm, as is tradition, we ask the king, 'for the road' and drive through a man-made slalom of sandbags and plastic barrels, ingeniously designed to stop speeding. Was it all a show for us visitors? Perhaps. But it felt deeply genuine. Everyone in our group, most far better travelled than me, agreed, 'This is the sort of thing you get on a plane for!' The Côte d'Ivoire offers a perfect adventurous experience, to see things others don't, to connect with people you might never have met, to raise a glass of Scotch, maybe even a double, to an entirely different way of life. Kerry Hudson is an award-winning, bestselling novelist and memoirist. You can find her on Instagram and on Threads @ThatKerryHudson
IOL News
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Driving impressions: Why the BMW X3 20d xDrive M Sport stands out in the SUV market
The BMW X3 is a crucial mid-sized SUV for the Munich-based company and remains one of its top sellers and is also the most popular model in South Africa. Recently I was on the N1 driving to Johannesburg when I passed three trucks carrying proudly made in South Africa vehicles. There's a tinge of pride knowing that a load of Nissan Navaras, Ford Rangers and BMW X3s are on their way to foreign lands, the fact that they're on trucks and not on rail for reasons we all know notwithstanding. I happened to be testing the BMW X3 20d xDrive M Sport at the time and knew that the new owners would be well pleased. The X3 is a crucial mid-sized SUV for the Munich-based company and remains one of its top sellers and is also the most popular model in South Africa. With its overall refinement it's not difficult to understand why. Exterior Now in its fourth iteration and first launched in 2003, it has aged well, and as the generations have progressed, it has grown considerably in size, so much so that a friend that had the second generation years ago hardly recognised it. It's taken a while, but the large distinctive kidney grill seems to be less polarising than when it first saw the light and it actually suits this year's Car of the Year. Because it's such an important model for the brand they have tinkered too much with the exterior. It now sports more angular lines and what BMW calls a monolithic appearance and while personally I prefer the previous generation's look, the new X3 is one of those cars that look better in the metal than in pictures. The rear sports a flush-mounted window with a long roof spoiler and under the flared wheel arches it stands on attractive 19-inch alloys. Engine The BMW four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine stands out as one of the best motors ever made and in the X3 produces 145kW and 400Nm coupled to a 48V mild hybrid system adding an additional 8kW and 25Nm for short bursts. It's connected to an eight-speed Steptronic transmission driving all four wheels. Interior As you would expect, the interior is very much a glass screen and premium affair with an abundance of illuminated surfaces. While it looks pretty cool, especially at night in the different driving modes, I can't help thinking that it comes across as one of those flashing disco-type speakers sold at the China Mall. I mean, is a flashing red light bar across the dash when the hazard lights are in use really necessary? Regular touchpoints and plastic bits are covered with recycled materials which look like they'll stand the test of time, especially since the X3 is likely to be a family's main mode of transport. The door-mounted ventilation controls, however, felt flimsy and spoiled an otherwise well cocooned and solid cabin. Fitted with BMW Operating System 9, the infotainment system though is still a bit clumsy and not particularly user friendly. It's not the most intuitive system with most settings including the air conditioning requiring some form of double tap to get to the right menu. It's mitigated somewhat with the iDrive system with QuickSelect that allows functions to be activated directly without having to enter a submenu or using your voice to adjust certain functions. Fortunately the volume can still be adjusted via a dial.
Economist
19-06-2025
- Business
- Economist
China is trying to win over Africa in the global trade war
At China Mall, a vast supermarket in Kampala, Uganda's capital, Rose Ahurra picks up a small turquoise squirrel. The toy flashes as she puts it in a trolley laden with towels, clothes, containers and an air fryer. The purchases indicate her place in the Ugandan middle class, which has flocked to China Mall since it opened earlier this year. 'The prices are fair and I no longer have to go to lots of individual shops,' she explains.
