Carnival Calabar: Nigeria homely beyond my expectation —Kenyan tourist

Her love for Nigeria is mind-blowing and she has continued to make repeated visits after her first trip to the country six years ago. In this exclusive interview by WALE OLAPADE, the chief executive officer, Acheche Tours and Events Management, Kenya and Uganda, Ann Cheptumo, speaks on her experience at the Carnival Calabar as well as opportunities in Nigeria and its hospitable people.

This is not your first trip to Nigeria. What is your take on the people’s hospitality?

Actually, this is not my second trip to this amazing country, I have made several visits and now, I have lost count of my lovely trips to Nigeria. The 2016 edition of Akwaaba African Travel Market (AfTM) gave me the rare opportunity to see the land of the giants of Africa and I fell in love with the people’s hospitality and was hooked to their lifestyle.

I have met amazing people. The people I have met in all my visits are very warm, welcoming and ready to help. All my trips to Nigeria have been unique.

The ongoing Carnival Calabar is your first. What has been your experience?

I am speechless; I have never experienced something like this before. The most alluring was a rare privilege to join a new band called The Calasvegas. This made my day and I was enthralled by the amazing hospitality accorded to me. The experience was just awesome; I was treated like one of them and as if they had known me for more than 10 years, whereas I just met them a few hours to the street outing. That is the real spirit of Africanism.

I sat with the band, I watched them practice all the moves. I saw patience with my eyes as they prepared for the parade. The transformation was just amazing. I walked with Calasvegas from start to finish. I experienced team spirit, perseverance and understanding. Where one was lacking, someone was there to help and encourage. Throughout the walk, I became part of the assisting team – carried shoes, adjusted costumes, gave glucose, etc.

What is the most exciting moment in Calabar?

My most exciting moment is getting the chance to work with Calasvegas Band. They gave me a T-shirt and painted my face for the carnival funfair. They didn’t see me as an outsider. I was one of them. That singular treatment humbled me and I am proud to be an African.

What windows of opportunities have the carnival experience opened for you to explore?

I sell tours to different destinations around the world, but my strength and love is in Africa. My motherland is untapped. There is still so much to see and discover in the area of food, culture, sights, etc. The Calabar festival has opened a new window for me. At the moment, I am thinking of East Meets West; I am an advocate for African travel. I am looking at bringing my clients to this beautiful part of the world. With all the networking and contact links I have through friendships, it will help me a great deal to achieve the ‘East Meets West’ initiative. The East Africa travellers can experience the Lagos fast life and come down to be wowed at the carnival.

Will you say visiting Nigeria is a kind of homecoming and what actually was the attraction that informed your continuous repeat visits?

Yes, this is a home-coming. I am a free-spirited person and I don’t see boundaries. Africa is my home. Nigeria is my lounge. I can’t put a finger to what attracts me here. But each time I have a chance to go somewhere and just enjoy myself, Nigeria tops the list.

I must confess, Africa is a wealth paradise to the other continents, from North, South, East, West to Central; there are all gold mines with different resources yet untapped; too many things to explore. Africa is the place to be.

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