Discovering West Africa: Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon

Kick off your tour by visiting Ghana, a vibrant coastal country in the heart of West Africa. Explore its historic monuments and museums with locals who live and work there, and talk to entrepreneurs who are designing products like chocolate and luxury clothing that highlight Ghana’s contributions to the “Made in Africa” movement.

Continue your travels by focusing on Ghana’s natural landscape, from almond trees to cocoa wine. Then, spend some time with some of Ghana’s most creative musicians to see how they are blending new and traditional genres. And finish with some fitness, joining Nate for an African kemetic yoga session and nature hike.

Keep exploring Ghana with an in-depth visit to the cities of Kokrobite and Accra. You will explore the fascinating dimensions of surfing, boxing, tennis, skateboarding in the country. Sample some popular Ghanaian street food and get to know two particularly impressive Ghanaian women: TV host Anita Eskrine and High Commissioner Grace Jeanette Mason.

Wrap up your Ghanaian adventure with a trip to the W. E. B. DuBois Museum. Then, attend a West African cooking class to make some traditional garden egg stew. Next, you’ll go to the town of Elmina, where you will reckon with the brutal history of the old African slave castle and you’ll attend a traditional naming ceremony with Nate.

Turn your attention to the western most point of Africa: the country of Senegal. Tour the African Renaissance Monument in Dakar. Examine what Islam means to Senegalese people and their culture. Spend some time with top women boxers and race car drivers. And sample one of the country’s culinary delicacies, Yassa, a popular chicken and rice dish.

Join “World Wide Nate” as he surfs along Dakar’s Yoff Beach. Sit down with Dakar’s first female mayor, Soham El Wardini, to see how the city has secured and is preparing to host its first Youth Olympics. And connect with a weaver and artist to learn about Senegal’s culture and past through its artifacts and textiles.

Complete your Senegalese adventure by heading to Pikine where you will explore wrestling, an ancient sport in the country. Then, detour to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Saint-Louis for insight into preservation efforts there. And finish by examining how one local artist uses graffiti and spoken word to tell Senegal’s story.

Head to Cameroon, the final stop on your West African tour. Hike the country’s most impressive mountain before joining a gourmet cooking class that spotlights Cameroon’s crown agricultural jewel: Penja pepper. And conclude with a foray into Cameron’s history and cultural life by touring the Reunification Monument, and by learning about the local music scene.

Going westward, settle down in Limbe and Nkongsamba. See how wildlife, from chimps to drill monkeys, are protected and cared for at Cameroon’s Limbe Wildlife Centre. Shop for and make bouillon, a traditional Cameroonian soup. Check out ancient art and objects at the Blackitude Museum. And marvel at the beauty of the Ekom Nkam waterfalls.

Wrap up your tour of Cameroon by accompanying PhD research assistant Francois Ngouoh on a proper archeological dig. Talk with a traditional village chief and queen. Explore film in the country, from comedy television shows to festivals. And see how truly connected Nate is to Cameroon and the broader West African region.