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Architecture, Culture & Travel, Lifestyle, Travel / 31 May 2019
5 Places to Visit in Senegal
A country on the west coast of Africa, the Republic of Senegal is bordered by Mauritania to the north and Mali to the east. Named after the Senegal River, Senegal covers an area of about 197,000 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 15 million people. The country’s economy relies on tourism and agriculture. Being one of the most beautiful countries in Africa, Senegal is not surprisingly every traveller’s delight, with natural sites of great beauty, enchanting fauna and flora, breath-taking seaside resorts, a rich culture, and a warm welcome from its inhabitants. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal features amazing wildlife, enchanting beaches, and spellbinding islands. If you are planning to visit, you need to know some of the most popular tourist attractions to explore. Let’s have a look at them. Dakar Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is a lively and pleasant cosmopolitan city, and one of the chief seaports on the West African coast. It is located midway between the mouths of the Gambia and Sénégal Rivers. In 1857, Dakar was built by French colonists on the site of a small fishing village. Then in 1902, it became the capital of the Afrique Occidentale Française (A.O.F.), in place of Saint-Louis. The city earns its name from the word “Dakhar,” a Wolof name for the tamarind tree and the name of a coastal Lebu village that was located south of what is now the first pier. Each district has its colours, charm, and animation. Dakar also houses some of the best markets and bazaars within West Africa. Another tourist attraction in Dakar are the stunning coastal beaches, as well as the Dakar IFAN Museum, where one can view an outstanding collection of West African masks, statues, and musical instruments. Arts and culture enthusiasts may also visit the Museum…

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Art, Culture & Travel, News, Travel / 20 May 2019
British Museum Considers Loan of ‘Invisible’ Objects Back to Ethiopia
The British Museum is to consider returning a group of “invisible” objects to Ethiopia. These are tabots (Christian plaques), which symbolically represent the Ark of the Covenant—the wooden chest that is said to have held the Ten Commandments. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that tabots should never be viewed by anyone other than its priests. There are 11 tabots in the British Museum. Although the storage arrangements are confidential, they are believed to be kept in a sealed storeroom in the basement of the Bloomsbury complex. Even Lissant Bolton, the museum’s keeper of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, has never set foot in the room, let alone seen the tabots. The tabots are individually wrapped in cloth and placed on a shelf covered with purple velvet. Nine of the museum’s 11 tabots are made from wood, the other two from stone, and they probably all feature a carved cross. The tabots were made to sanctify the individual churches where they were originally kept and usually include the name of the saint after which their church is named. These particular tabots were seized by British troops at the battle of Maqdala in 1868 when Emperor Tewodros committed suicide. Seven were donated to the museum soon afterwards by the secretary of state for India, and another came from the museum’s representative on the punitive expedition, Richard Holmes. One was purchased in 1968, another donated in 1990 and the final one has an unknown provenance. In March this year an Ethiopian delegation, headed by the culture minister Hirut Kassaw, visited the British Museum and met with its director, Hartwig Fischer. During an amicable discussion, the Ethiopians informally requested the return of the 11 tabots, along with other material seized at Maqdala. A museum spokeswoman confirmed “Our officials recently met an Ethiopian delegation. The director…

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Column, Culture & Travel, Food & Wine, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel / 17 May 2019
A Tasteful Experience at Eric Kayser
Maison Eric Kayser is here to make a case that simple is always better—whether you like it or not. The reputable restaurant, first established on September 13, 1996 in Paris, is the brainchild of one of the world’s most renowned bakers, Eric Kayser. Today, there are over 200 Maison Kaysers worldwide, from the Philippines to Mexico, Tunisia, Greece, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, Indonesia, and now Nigeria. Despite its reputation as a patisserie, Kayser is also able to offer unique culinary options with a French twist in ways that diversify the hospitality scene in Lagos. To soothe ourselves in the scorching heat that has been plaguing us in this part of the world, we visited the restaurant for a quick lunch, and here are our findings. Some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, like the Eric Kayser Chicken Supreme, Spaghetti Carbonara, and Kayser Salad are simple options that perhaps indicate Nigerians’ attitude towards foreign food: non-experimental and minimalist. After ordering our food, we started with a baguette (which is a long and thin loaf of French bread) with olive butter, a complimentary snack served to customers. We were also served drinks called Freshness and Kayser Sangria. The Freshness was as fresh as the the name implies and had the most amazing textures and notes, with a mix of pineapple, orange, and passion fruit topped with grenadine syrup. At first, I was a bit hesitant to try it, especially since I was not in the comfort of my home, as my bowels are generally intolerant of smoothies. However, this surprised me and made me not want to stop drinking. It was even more satisfying when I felt no repercussions for overindulging! The Kayser Sangria was beautifully crafted as well. Sangrias are typically a mixture of fresh juices, liquor (optional), and…

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Art, News, Video |

June 04, 2019

William Kentridge: Solo Exhibition Opens at Basel Kunstmuseum; Performances at Basel Theatre and Holland Festival

A Poem That Is Not Our Own, William Kentridge’s first major solo exhibition in Switzerland, opens at the Kunstmuseum Basel on June 10, 2019. Spanning the course of a three-decade-long career and curated by Dr Josef Helfenstein the exhibition sheds light on Kentridge’s early graphic art and films from the 1980s and 1990s. Several previously unseen works in Europe, as well as a new film inspired by the museum’s......

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