25 August 2014 Greetings Family, How are you? Well and fine I hope. I am doing well. I am in Amsterdam at the beginning of the fourth day of my African Presence in Major European Museums tour facilitated by Access Africa and under the direction of Ms. Betty Ray. I should say sister Betty Ray because Betty is a wonderful African woman that I find extremely easy to work with and with whose partnership I am engaged in an entire series of African Heritage Tours, many of which take us off the beaten path on global journeys in search of the African presence and the African heritage. Our tour started in Berlin of all places. Why Berlin, you might ask. For a couple of reasons. First of all, Berlin has magnificent African collections, including both an Egyptian museum and an Ethnology museum, both of which we toured. We also went to the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin to view the painting of the Black Saint Maurice--one time patron-saint of Germany--and the several wonderful images of the prominent African presence in the European Renaissance. But we also thought that it was appropriate to start in Berlin because this year marks the 130th anniversary of the infamous Berlin Conference where Africa was divided up like a cake by the major European powers. We still feel the consequences of this division today! The second leg of our journey has taken us to the Netherlands where the atmosphere is far more relaxed than Berlin. We are near the city center and everyone is enjoying themselves. For while the emphasis of the tour is museums we make it a point to leave plenty of time in the day, everyday, for the tour participants to get away on their own--to shop, to sight see, to just relax! The rest of tour will take us to Southern Holland, Belgium and then France with the final stop in the historic city of Paris. So it is a very good tour and our group has already developed a great chemistry. So there is my little update. I am the Netherlands and feeling good. The next tour will be even more historic. On December 1 we head to Istanbul, Turkey and from there to Cameroon. Turkey has a rich history, including an African history, and Cameroon (in Central Africa), gets glowing reports from travelers. Many African-Americans, through DNA analysis, have traced their lineage to Cameroon. It is by all reports one of the most beautiful countries in Africa and also one of the friendliest. In May 2015 we tour Ethiopia (including the Rift Valley) and Zanzibar. Dont miss this one! In September/October 2015 we do our African heritage in Italy and Tunisia tour. I was just in Italy and Tunisia working on the orientation for this one. It is going to be exciting! In December/January 2015/2016 we travel to China, Cambodia and Vietnam. Perhaps we will even stop over in Hong Kong for a day or so where you can shop until you drop! In March 2016 we visit the African heritage in Mexico and Guatemala. We were just in Mexico in July and it was one of the greatest travel experiences I have ever had. And then we cross over in Guatemala to explore Mayan temples and view the miraculous Black Christ at Esquipulas. All of these destinations are both safe and exciting and I will be with you every step of the way. And all major credit cards are accepted. So we have it laid out for you. We just need you to sign up and come along. The details of all of these tours will soon be listed on my web site at travelwithrunoko. But in the meantime please contact Ms. Betty Ray at African Access and make your deposits to reserve your seats. Here is the contact information you need: Access Africa, 244 5th Avenue, # B268, New York, NY 10001 Tel: 646-308-1232, email: info@accessafrica, accessafrica Come along with me! And see the world from an African perspective! Many blessings sisters and brothers, Runoko Rashidi travelwithrunoko Runoko@hotmail
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 06:51:35 +0000
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