Nairobi

Nairobi has already begun – in Bonames. On my first curious look at the travel guide, I misread it. Rather than Bomas of Kenya, as a rebuilt Kenyan village for tourists is called, I read Bonames of Kenya. Bonames is the name of the district of Frankfurt where I recently moved to and is frequently described as a dangerous part of town because of some crime. I thought to myself, hey, if you live in Bonames, you don’t need to fear Nairobi. The city of three, perhaps four million inhabitants is also called Nairobbery and everyone warns me with wide-open eyes of the crime there. But, I live in Bonames; nothing can scare me. more ...

The European conclusion of the journey to the African continent is a genuine one. At the airport in Zürich a rail shuttle travels to gate E, where Suisse Air will take off for Dar es Salaam, with a stopover in Nairobi – but not without the jangling of a cowbell from the sidelines, followed by a yodeller and a mooing cow. The Maasai woman accompanying us in her native dress looks straight ahead, beautiful and unmoved. more ...

Before my journey to Nairobi – to an entirely different, new world – I was so excited, nervous, energized and curious that the only answer to the question of how I feel that I could come up with was: I feel as if I’m about to be born. And that’s exactly what it was like. Since my arrival (birth), I am an infant: helpless and dependent. more ...

It is certainly a gorgeous picture when Carol Wahome sits down on her huge red sofa at home after work and takes a deep breath. “I love strong, rich colours,” the fashion designer says, herself wearing muted shades. “I just like seeing strong things.” And sitting on them: at the moment the 41-year old is seated on the cream-coloured sofa in the Moo Cow boutique and brushing her dreadlocks behind her ear. more ...

In front of a supermarket on Monrovia Street, two men sit on crates. Women and men busily walk up the stairs to the shopping centre; others leave it and take the stairs down to the street, fanning out towards Moi Avenue or Uhuru Highway. more ...

On tour in Nairobi with the German ambassador Margit Hellwig-Bötte. more ...

Our woman in Africa has already been fully integrated in the tea ritual of her host office. more ...

Back there, here they come: 1, 2, 3, 15, about 20 small and tiny elephant orphans, led by keepers in green aprons who hold big, colourful umbrellas over two especially gaunt little ones to protect them from the sun. more ...

If you are in Nairobi for the first time in your life and have always been fascinated by wild animals – and of course, watched "Daktari" on TV as a kid in the sixties – you will naturally schedule a visit to Kenya’s oldest national park, founded in 1946. Nairobi National Park, approximately 120 square kilometres in size, is only eight kilometres from the city. more ...

When you see his pictures, you would never think that Charles Ngatia grew up in a slum. The first thing you think of is the Caribbean; it’s tranquil, sea-washed side because of the summery colours of blue, yellow, green, pink and sand he uses for his paintings, most oil on canvas. Until 26 November, the works of Ngatia can be viewed at the RaMoMa Museum of Modern Art on 2nd Parklands Avenue. more ...

At the Karen Blixen Museum, which commemorates the Danish writer, a myth is shattered. more ...

At the closing of the Close-Up project, we had a reunion with Munyao Mutinda. more ...