EDITORIAL
05-12-2017 by Freddie del Curatolo
This winter in Kenya seems to be a great novelty, which reminds us of ancient and legendary times: the return of the tourist from the village.
We were missing it, indeed!
In these years of crisis we had forgotten about its existence, satisfying ourselves gradually with scientifically less interesting specimens, such as the Homo Backpackerus, the Hostellus Juventutis, the Cercopitecus Clickonbooking, the Maldafricus Monkey and others.
We were illusions (but also a little bit sorry, for all the induced) that Africa had closed forever with animation, aquagym, and aperitif games.
No, instead, the re-explosion of Watamu and the new resort services managed directly by the tour-operators, in addition to those sailing that return to be an alternative attraction to the shaky Egypt, the Caribbean hurricanes and the Far East, will bring us so many beautiful people aware that spending the Christmas parties 7000 km from Gabicce Mare and Pietra Ligure, with the August sun, is a beautiful figure....
We really want to see their clever and amusing look, that leather that seems to come out of Italian dairies, from thick winter mists like stracchini and from the worst grids of smog.
(But no, that's not true, I know that you trained with the rays of Grape, I know that from you the sunbeds of the tanning centres are more frequented than those of the psychoanalyst, even if judging by how things go up there, it should be the opposite.
We will have fun for the umpteenth time discovering their eyes wide open on African nature, the mucous membranes of the nose that breathe real stuff, the step and gesticulum that becomes quieter.
And to tell him:"You're on holiday, and in addition to Africa, relax!
We will have first hair tourists, who are afraid of cockroaches in the bathroom but love crabs on the sand, those who already know everything and are convinced that Vasco da Gama was a rock singer and Naomi Campbell is native to these parts.
The "tourists of the smile" will arrive, those who move to see a child who jumps and laughs, even though they don't possess anything, ignoring that it is a young acrobat and that laughter is a spasm of hunger.
They will disembark the friendly and gullible tourists, who will take for good all the stories that will tell them the first beach-boy known on the beach.
On their return they will say that the Safari is a bit dented, because in 15 on a matatu is not comfortable, the driver runs like a crazy and the packed lunch made of samosa two days before and beans was not worth the Camogli sandwich of the Autogrill of Roncobilaccio.
But they will have found an African friend whom they can trust as a brother.
Ah, Italian vacationers, how we love you.
Those who put the bracelet all-inclusive and with cabbage who want to know they are going out into a country that is certainly colluded with Al-Qaeda, where they told him that crocodiles roam around the center without leash and people are hostile as in Katanga center.
But even those who just see an Italian on the free foot assault him with questions:
But live here? But are you happy? What a nice idea you had! With 600 euros per month I can have a villa with garden, swimming pool, easement, all-terrain, daring partner? Give me the first six hundred euros that I make you smoke a good good cigarette, then you'll have what you want. Some visions.... and you won't even need the daring partner!
Delicious tourists, who will call the beach of Mayungu "Sardinia 2" and that Shale "Golden Beach" (but I've also heard Beach of the Shawl... it will be because it pulls wind?), will take the photo in front of the reef with local fishermen and teach him to shout "Italia Uno" with thumbs in the foreground.
There will be those who will apostrophe beach boys with their baptismal names: Antonio, Giuseppe, Pasquale... or with the nicknames who gave them mothers to the village as children: Toblerone, Mestolo l' Ottavo Nano, Katanzaro, Baggio, Ramazzotti. And down to laugh.
Because although Kenya has so many problems (to tell you two or three, recently the Government has had 36 million euros given by the United Kingdom for compulsory primary education and we do not know where they are finished (!), inflation galloping and the rich are enriched, the drought records puts shepherds and farmers on their knees), in Malindi it is always worth smiling because as you know,"the show must go on".
I sincerely expect you, tourists.... because I hold family. But above all because every time you come back, among the hundred of those mentioned above, there is always one who has the desire and time to look beyond, to "take a walk of the wild side", to enter a school or our football academy that takes the boys out of the street and not simply into an orphanage as if it were an equitable and fair-trade zoo to see these human animals with big eyes and repatriate them.
I am there, because as long as even one of you only one of you will give me the satisfaction of understanding this place, my writing and making me feel from here, will make sense.
Wageni Karibu!
Welcome tourists!
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