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Introduction
In one of
his poems Baudelaire argues with his bored soul for whom not even
the Parisian life holds any more interest. "Where would you like
to go?" demands the poet. "Anywhere, out of this world", the soul
moodily replies.
A hundred
years ago when Baudelaire was writing these lines, there were
many places that might have served to soothe and invigorate just
such a soul - places where one could peer into the window of a
world entirely different from the newly industrialized Europe.
Today there are not so many left, and most of those that remain
have made themselves so conscientiously touristic that they have
lost what charm they used to have.
One of the
few unspoiled spots is Lamu, and it is very likely that it will
remain so for years to come as the only practical way to reach
this enchanted isle is by aeroplane. In Lamu you find a vibrant
society in a lovemarriage with its traditions: Lamu people are
dubious about the merits of what we would term "Progress".
When a telephone
line was established in Lamu some years back, one Arab told me,
"Never mind, the elephants on the mainland will soon knock thepoles
down." This does, in fact, periodically occur.
Life in Lamu
has a distinctly Arab-oriental flavour; the ladies scurry down
back streets wearing buibuis (black cloaks which cover them entirely)
and yet they are prone to shaddowing their dark eyes with kohl
and have been known to cast amourous glances from the folds of
their buibuis towards favoured admirers. In the evenings the aroma
of thick Turkishlike coffee permeates the atmosphere; old men
sit together philosophizing on the front steps of their houses,
and little boys chase one another, darting in and out of quaint
shops that line the main street.
The restaurants
of Lamu bustle with business: Bajun fishermen tell tales to one
another while they enjoy heaped plates of rice. Night-time is
delighful, and everyone takes advantage of the cool breezes that
blow from the Indian Ocean. You may even see the aristocratic
sharifs (blood descendants of the Prophet Mohammed) taking a stroll,
dressed in long white robes called kanzus and carrying walking
sticks. They are as distinguished as the black-suited and bowler-topped
gentlemen of Fleet Street; but rather than having stocks and bonds
on their minds, they are more likely to have some problem involving
the interpretation of one of the Prophet's sayings.
More
about Lamu
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