The magic of Lamu continues...

Describing that crossing is hard; the words don't come out, only my eyes take in everything around me... The boat is enormous, motorised, it carries people and goods, boxes full of rice, of polenta, of flour, sacks of potatoes and of coal; all this makes me imagine which world I'm heading towards.... I ask lots of questions... curious like a little girl and aware that I would certainly have been overwhelmed by what I was about to see... Women with children amused by the sprays that now and then came over, young men watching the older ones who, between one prayer and another, told each other stories.... And around us nothing.... or rather everything!!! All of nature in its finest expression... stretches of blinding green and water of every colour... now and then we were spectators to a group of dolphins racing alongside the barge....

At a certain point we stop suddenly, I see nothing around, only the green of the mangroves and the blue of the sea... but at a certain point a couple of little boats, like the ones you find at Watamu to reach the island of love, catch up with us and shout “Patè...Patè...” from here people gather their things, their children, and off, down from the barge to board one of these little boats that will take them to the village of Patè... And so it is near every village.... the barge stops... the little boats arrive... people gather their luggage and off.... Meanwhile I imagine my descent from the barge to reach the little boat... and I smile! The whole crossing is calm, the sea calm, and the sun begins to warm us..... At last we arrive at the last village of Patè.... Kizingitini.... and this is where we were supposed to get off... I don't see little boats for us....

Hadhir confirms that we should board a sailing boat... the one that was then catching up with us... There it is... we get on.. we settle in.... I know Hadhir's friends, and an old school teacher of Hadhir's joins us too... we share the crossing that will finally take us to Ndau.... This one was harder because instead of sailing inland, along the mangrove channels, here you sail in the sea, or rather the open ocean.... mmmm.....no comment!!!! If it hadn't been for the clean air you breathed and the sun that warmed us.. well, I don't know if I'd have told the story!!! 2 hours of crossing and here we finally are in the much-mentioned, in the family, Ndau... an island a bit larger than the others... the sight is spectacular... immense baobabs face the sea... stretches of sand... and then those small colourful dwellings framing a bay out of the ordinary....

We step off the sailing boat straight into the water... nothing strange for me by now... my sarong gets wet and I already feel an integral part of this place... Waiting for us on the beach are Hadhir's brother, Haissam, and little Haji, son of Biti, the sister who stays with us at Watamu, who studies here at Ndau.... what an emotion to see him again!!!! He hugs me and with his “hello, how are you” all in Italian, learned at Watamu, he fills my heart!!!! We load the luggage onto the family donkey and off towards the road home.... Meanwhile I linger over this enchanted place where nothing and no one seems ever to have laid a hand to civilise it... we pass “behind” the houses to avoid having to stop at every house to say hello and so arrive home in pitch darkness... And here we are... the white and blue house, with the sheet-metal roof, in the porch appear mama Mariam and baba Bakari...

oh my, what an emotion to meet that woman's eyes.... deep and full of joy because she finally meets “Aisha”, the white wife of her son, as they baptised me.... I'm happy and at the same time I feel out of place, but they, with all their hospitality and all their affection, made me feel at home.... this is my family... my African family!!!! From here the introductions of the other sisters begin... my sisters-in-law... Sandali, the youngest, 6 years old, Shamsa, Alima and Sharifa the sisters, then Tima, Biti's eldest daughter, and Fortuna, daughter of an uncle who now lives in Italy.... They all look at me with curious expressions, they touch my hair, they smell my scent, and then they offer me a glass of soda they had prepared especially for me...

Here nothing exists, no shop, no bar, nothing at all; they get their food by going once a month to Lamu or to some main island where the provisions arrive... There is only rice, flour and fish, now and then someone sacrifices a goat and they share the meat, cows that provide milk and nothing more... the water comes from the well.. or rather from the ground, so from the sea... they eat the fruit that grows on the island... coconut... mango... little berries that grow from the “kunazi” palms, in short they feed on what nature offers... And from here I start asking myself questions... what will I eat???? It doesn't matter... what this enchanted place offers dulls every appetite and I content myself with the good coconut rice, some chapati and the good fish that here is never missing at any meal....

From house to house we go to greet friends and relatives, all very kind and hospitable; at every house we sit down and find ourselves offered sweets and candies... they all take my hand and scrutinise me from head to toe as if I were an extraterrestrial, which amuses me and at the same time embarrasses me... the smiles are not lacking... the children run after us and accompany us, curious from house to house... until sunset arrives... we decide to head back.. there's no moon tonight that can light our way... The days pass and my experience grows.... long walks along the white beaches of Ndau discovering every corner.... everyone waits for us to leave the house in the morning and in the evening they find us where we had left them spying on us....

We visited the school where Hadhir studied; his teachers were overwhelmed when, seeing him appear, they didn't recognise him and at his “mimi Hadhir” a smile and a hug were obligatory... here too the emotion rose and took hold of my soul and body.... the pupils peeked from the classroom doors and wondered who those “wageni” foreigners were and shouted and everyone came out to greet! Light is for the few, water for everyone..... everyone knows each other and everyone helps each other... there's a small hospital but the women give birth in their own homes.... that morning a scream woke me and a child in the neighbouring house came into the world.... Goats, cows and donkeys roam the streets and stop in front of their own houses as if they were the inhabitants... cats and chickens live together incredibly...

Today the moon is almost full and it seems that at Ndau the night too has suddenly lit up... it's lovely to stroll along the lit little streets and savour a single scent... that of the Ocean..... The days are over... for now our visit to our family ends here... The return is full of thoughts about that life and that world that will never be lost... and will always be part of my life... my life here in Kenya.... Lamu and its archipelago are unique in the world and Kenya is proud of them.....

(“for anyone who would like to live a similar experience you can contact me and visit the site