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African Twilight

Published on March 8, 2019March 6, 2019 by Rupi MangatLeave a comment

The Vanishing Rituals and Ceremonies of the African Continent

Above: African Heritage House bathed in morning light. Copyright Maya Mangat

Published: The Star newspaper, Kenya – 2 March 2019

“It’s my dream to set up a pan-African centre where artists from all over Africa can come and see the creativity from all parts of Africa,” said Joseph Murumbi, Kenya’s first foreign minister and second vice president.

at 2 (800x605) (800x605) — African Twilight images – Courtesy Alan Donovan

He never lived to see his dream for his house that had one of the most extensive and valuable collections of all things African, was allowed to fall in ruin after he sold it to the government on condition that it would be turned into the Murumbi Institute of African Studies. Murumbi died shortly after that in 1990 when he saw his once cherished house and indigenous garden in Muthaiga, Nairobi bulldozed away. Continue reading “African Twilight” →

Lion Count: A Weekend in Nairobi National Park to Log Lions

Published on March 2, 2019February 23, 2019 by Rupi Mangat4 Comments

Above: Grey crowned cranes in Nairobi National Park February 2019. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 2 March 2019

The Nairobi sky was red-hot before sunrise as we made it to the gates of Nairobi National Park…and l got to say this again with pride – Nairobi’s first national park established in 1946 and the only park in a city that is home to free-ranging wild animals like the big cats – lions, leopards and of recent, a cheetah spotted after decades. It’s 117 square kilometres.

Hippos in Nairobi National Park February 2019. Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x450) — Hippos in Nairobi National Park February 2019. Copyright Rupi Mangat

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Mara in Motion

Published on February 22, 2019January 1, 2024 by Rupi Mangat2 Comments

Above: Elusive leopard in Mara early morning. Copyright Maya Mangat

Published: 23 February 2019

The view is dramatic view of the great Mara from the heights of Siria Escarpment of the big game country.

Maasai Mara Jan 2019 Copyright Rupi Mangat 2 (800x450) — Maasai Mara plains from Siria Escarpment. Jan 2019 Copyright Rupi Mangat

A few miles from Mara’s Oloololo gate, dots appear. It’s a trio of elephants in the midday heat at a mud hole splashing themselves with muddy water. The muddy water is a great sunscreen and a body mask – every one’s concerned about their looks.

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A Collection From the Old Days at Kitale Museum

Published on February 8, 2019February 8, 2019 by Rupi MangatLeave a comment

Above: The dinosaur at Kitale Museum. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 9 February 2019

The Maasai of old called it Ol Doinyo Ilgoon which morphed into Mount Elgon that frames the town of Kitale. By a stretch of imagination, the Maasai saw its shape as that of a woman’s breast.

Mount Elgon from Kitale Copyright Rupi Mangat for one time use only - 9 Feb 2019 article on Kitale Museum (800x450) — Mount Elgon from Kitale. Copyright Rupi Mangat

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On The Heights of Elgon

Published on February 1, 2019January 31, 2019 by Rupi Mangat3 Comments

Above: Mount Elgon. Copyright Maya Mangat

Published: 2 February 2019

The grand massif dominates the western skyline around Kitale. Superlatives describe it as the oldest extinct volcano in East Africa dated at 24 million years ago – much older than the 19,340-foot tall, three-million-year old Kilimanjaro that is Africa’s tallest.

With an eighty kilometre diameter, Elgon also boasts the largest volcanic base in the world. It would have once towered over Kilimanjaro but over millennia much of it has been eroded to leave behind dramatic bare faced cliffs and peaks with the highest, Wagagai at 14,177 feet in Uganda. Elgon now is East Africa’s fourth and Africa’s eighth highest mountain with a dramatic 40-square-kilometre caldera.

Wild flowers on Endebess cliff on Mount Elgon. Copyright Maya Mangat

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