As usual, the results were a mix of wildly differing opinions.

Conflicting Reviews

Searching for reasons to visit Morocco online can leave you more confused than enlightened. You’ll find dazzling reviews (“Visit Morocco, and you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life!”). Mixed opinions (“Morocco is great, but you have to haggle over prices in the souks, which can be exhausting”). Foodie reviews (“Why you must eat a beef tagine before you leave the Kingdom of Light!”), and random articles tied to the writer’s profession or hobbies.  “I am a professional photographer: here are all the picture-perfect places to visit in Morocco”.

These reviews are all great, but for me, they didn’t quite tell the story of the Moroccan people are. They don’t describe the general vibe, and what one should expect to see as an African in another African country.

My Experience

So, here’s my opinion of what you’ll most likely notice after a few hours in Morocco. It might not resonate with you, but I hope it gives you a new perspective on this country.

But first, a quick disclaimer…

My short stay in Morocco meant I did not get to explore the country as I would have loved to. However, I saw enough to give me a general idea about the country and its people. I spent only 5 days in Morocco, and I did not get to experience the more laid-back charm of the cities of Essaouira and Fez (or Fes if you like). I also didn’t get to see the stark beauty of the desert town of Merzouga. While I toured the more popular cities of Tangier, Casablanca, and Marrakech, my visit cannot give a conclusive summary of this beautiful country. Nevertheless, here’s everything I noticed in just a short amount of time.

The Rich Culture

From the moment we landed in Casablanca, I got the impression that Morocco is a kingdom of ancient traditions and long-held cultural values. This is evident in the homogeneous architecture and the prevalent craftsmanship seen in the designs on the ceilings and walls. The furniture and accents in homes, hotels, and other commercial establishments, and the handcrafted items available for sale in souks all over the cities. Moroccans are incredibly proud of their culture and traditions, and it shows everywhere and in everything.

A Feast for the Eyes

Everywhere you go, it is common to see hand-designed patterns on the walls and ceilings, such as the stunning designs at La Musee des Confluences in Marrakech.

Beauty and Skincare

Moroccan traditions extend to beauty and skincare. You’d have heard of argan oil and its numerous benefits, but, in Morocco, you would see it in action everywhere you go. Argan oil, known for its numerous benefits, is used extensively. In Tangier, vendors offered customised body oils featuring argan oil and other ingredients like cloves, rosemary, and black seeds.

With an underlying pride and a hint of emotion in their voices, all said the same thing: their formulations are potent and would work because they use age-old recipes. Recipes inherited from their parents who in turn learned it from their parents who unsurprisingly were taught by their own parents …Their pride in these age-old recipes was evident!

Culinary Delights

Moroccan cuisine is definitely a highlight! It doesn’t matter if you’re in a 5-star hotel restaurant, a Michelin-endorsed dining establishment, or a street café. You’ll be served traditional Moroccan dishes, including the famous tagines. One of my most profound memories was being welcomed by hotel staff in traditional attire, serving mint tea and delicious sweets. This experience rivaled my first taste of beef tagine in a quaint restaurant in Chefchaouen.

An Active Lifestyle

Moroccans are walkers. The cities are designed with narrow alleyways and strategically placed amenities, encouraging walking. Taxis are mostly for tourists or those who cannot walk due to distance or health reasons. This lifestyle contributes to the fitness of older locals. The life expectancy in Morocco is between 73-74 years, but judging from the energetic crowds, it just might be closer to 80.

The Verdict

If you’re wondering whether to visit Morocco this summer or next, I’ll say, “Go!”

Because the pictures show a fabulous country to vacation in.

You’ve heard so much and want to see if the hype is true.

You crave authenticity and adventure in your travels.

But ultimately, go because you will learn so much, from the importance of preserving culture and traditions to the beauty of taking pride in who you are and being unapologetic about it.

The post Experience Morocco! A Journey of Culture and Tradition first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Experience Morocco! A Journey of Culture and Tradition appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

So far, the Group’s footprint in Africa has grown to nearly 100 hotels in operation and development, placing it well on track to reach its goal of 150 hotels within the next five years and further establishing it as the hotel company with the largest market presence in Africa.

In Nigeria, Radisson Hotel Group continues to hold a leading position with a portfolio of 13 hotels in operation and under development, including five new hotels signed in 2023. The new signing of the Radisson RED Hotel Abuja has further bolstered the Group’s presence in the city, bringing the total number of hotels under development in Abuja to four.

Over in Morocco, the Group has pursued the same efforts with a clear transformation plan, growing its presence from one hotel in 2020 to over nine hotels in operation and four hotels in development currently. Casablanca represents a strategic hub among multiple continents, and the new signing of Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments Casablanca Finance City and Radisson RED Hotel Casablanca Finance City solidifies the Group’s ambitions to reach over 25 hotels by 2030 across the country.

Ramsay Rankoussi, Vice President, Development, Africa and Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group, said, “The seven new hotels align with our expansion strategy, demonstrating significant growth in key African markets such as Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia and Ethiopia as well as our highly anticipated debut in Tanzania. These hotels also highlight our conversion strategy and our commitment to diversifying our portfolio by introducing new brands and cementing our presence in these important markets.”

Here’s everything we know about all seven hotel signings

Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

Marking the Group’s debut in Tanzania, this 138-room hotel, featuring 94 guestrooms and 44 three-bedroom apartments, is set to open in 2025 as part of a mixed-use development in Dar es Salaam’s CBD. The hotel will occupy the top 14 floors of a 33-floor tower, one of the tallest buildings in the area, and is within walking distance of the ferry terminal to Zanzibar Island.

The hotel will offer a diverse array of dining facilities, including a lobby café, business class lounge, all-day dining restaurant, speciality restaurant, outdoor pool, and pool restaurant. Additional amenities include retail stores, a ladies’ salon, indoor parking, a gym, a steam room and sauna, a kids’ playroom, and eight meeting rooms.

Radisson Hotel Mwanza (Tanzania)

Supporting a strong market entry, this 196-room hotel currently under construction will launch the Radisson brand in Tanzania in 2025. Mwanza, Tanzania’s second-largest city, is renowned for corporate meetings and events and is the ideal starting point for tours to the Serengeti National Park. As the only branded hotel in Mwanza, it will feature a lobby café and bar, an all-day dining restaurant, sports bar, outdoor pool bar, executive lounge, and two speciality restaurants: Balaustine, a ‘casual-fine dining’ experience inspired by the Barbary coast, and, the Levant and Filini, offering a delectable dining experience of fresh, simple, and delicious Italian-style cuisine.

The meetings and events space includes a triple-height ballroom, a business centre, boardrooms, and a conference room. The extensive wellness facilities will comprise a gym, spa, outdoor pool, and kids’ playground.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Apartments, Casablanca Finance City, and, Radisson RED Casablanca Finance City (Morocco)

Enhancing the Group’s Moroccan portfolio – which currently includes eleven hotels in operation and under development – is the addition of two new branded hotels and a serviced apartment. These new builds, including the first Radisson RED hotel in North Africa, will feature a total of 381 rooms and are set to open in late 2027. They will be located in Casa Anfa, at the heart of Casablanca Finance City, the city’s new financial hub, recognized as Africa’s leading financial centre, on par with London and La Défense in Paris.

Providing guests with an array of dining and wellness facilities for an ideal stay, the Radisson Blu will offer guests an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality rooftop restaurant, and a rooftop bar. Meanwhile, the Radisson RED hotel will include a restaurant and a pool bar. At the Radisson Blu’s wellness facilities, expect a spa, a fitness centre, and an outdoor rooftop swimming pool. The Radisson RED will have nearly the same features with a fitness centre, an outdoor pool and a rooftop swimming pool.

For meetings and events, in addition to the five meeting rooms at the Radisson Blu, there will be a 1,100-square-meter conference centre comprising an auditorium, a large ballroom and three meeting rooms, making the complex the future meeting destination.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Tunis (Tunisia)

This 305-room hotel, a conversion of an existing property, will soon premiere the Radisson Blu brand in Tunis, complementing the Group’s footprint in Tunisia as its seventh hotel in the country and fourth in Tunis. Located just ten minutes from the airport, the hotel will come equipped with dining outlets such as a lobby bar, shisha bar, all-day dining restaurant, and three speciality restaurants.

The expansive convention centre will include multiple meeting rooms, boardrooms, a VIP room, an executive lounge, a business centre, and a 1,400 sqm ballroom, making it the largest conference centre in the city.

Radisson RED Abuja (Nigeria)

The 105-room hotel, set to open in 2028, will be Radisson Hotel Group’s 13th property in Nigeria and the second Radisson RED in the country, introducing the upper upscale brand to Abuja. Located in Wuse, Abuja’s main commercial and social district, the hotel will be surrounded by corporate offices, popular estates, shopping malls, and nightlife venues. The hotel will feature a bar and terrace, an all-day dining restaurant, and a pool bar and grill. It will also offer 238 square meters of meeting space, including three meeting rooms, a pre-function area, and a fitness facility.

Park Inn by Radisson Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

Scheduled to open in 2025, this 120-room hotel will be the Group’s third hotel in Ethiopia, all located in Addis Ababa and will introduce the Park Inn by Radisson brand to the country. Dining options will include a breakfast hall, restaurant hall, coffee shop, and four soft drink bars. The meeting and events space will consist of a large and medium conference room and four meeting rooms. Guests can also enjoy two gyms, a spa, a business centre, sports facilities, a kids’ entertainment area, a retail space, and a co-working space.

Since 2022, the Group has opened a total of 14 hotels, including the debut of the Radisson brand in Morocco (Radisson Hotel Casablanca Gauthier La Citadelle) and Tunis (Radisson Hotel Tunis City Center). These openings have diversified the Group’s portfolio with the first safari hotel in Africa, Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit; the first resort in Livingstone, Radisson Blu Resort Mosi-oa-Tunya, and, the debut in Reunion Island with Radisson Hotel Saint-Denis. This achievement has set a record for the Group in terms of realizing its pipeline into openings, translating into a commendable 15 per cent annual net operating growth in its African portfolio.

“With a strong first half of the year, we plan to continue the momentum in the second half by focusing on expanding our presence in key markets such as Morocco and South Africa, where we’ve recently announced our ambition to reach 25 hotels by 2030, doubling the portfolio in both countries. We thank each of our partners for their valued trust in us and our brands,” concluded Rankoussi.

The post From Tunisia To Tanzania, Radisson is Growing Its Footprint in Africa first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post From Tunisia To Tanzania, Radisson is Growing Its Footprint in Africa appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Now that we’ve put your worries to rest (hopefully!), here’s our list of some of the top luxury lodgings in Morocco worth checking out. Each has been picked for different reasons, and, even if you choose not to stay in any of them when you do visit Morocco, we hope that the things that stood out to us guide you in your final choice(s).

Luxury Riads

The Royal Mansour, Marrakech

If you have heard of the Hassan II Mosque, you’ve most likely heard of the Royal Mansour, Marrakech, and for good reason.

Like every other establishment on this list, the hotel reflects the intricate craftsmanship of traditional Moroccan artisans and includes local materials and designs – but this is about where the similarities end. Instead of suites and villas, the Royal Mansour Marrakech features private riads complete with private terraces (that come with retractable glass roofs in case it rains) and plunge pools. The 2,3 and 4-bedroom riads come with a dedicated butler, while the Prestige and Grand riads (3 and 4-bedroom apartments) have a private hammam and adjoining elevators.

With four restaurants offering French, Moroccan, Spanish, Asian and Mediterranean dishes,  dining at The Royal Mansour, Marrakech is not a problem. And with all the services and amenities available at the hotel, a stay there is just as unique an experience as a day exploring the surrounding medina.

Le Riad Yasmine

If 53 riads in one place sound like a lot to you, and you crave a deeper connection to Moroccan culture, then Le Riad Yasmine, an 8-riad boutique hotel located right in the centre of the medina should be just about right for you.

The riads do not feature traditional Moroccan decor with frescoes and intricate floor, wall, and ceiling designs, but, several traditional Moroccan architectural elements abound. Most of the rooms can take 2-3 guests, but if you’re travelling with a large party, you can check out the family riad or Le Petite Yasmine, next door to Le Riad Yasmine.

An onsite kitchen would take care of meals, but, since you will be in the heart of the medina, then you would have a wide option of meals literally at your fingertips.

Luxury Hotels

Sofitel, Casablanca

Casablanca is considered by many as being the modern heart of Morocco, and, because it is such a huge melting pot of different cultures, it is a great starting point for your Morocco exploration. And, for accommodation, the Sofitel Tour Blanche (white tower) is exactly the right fit for you.

Located strategically in the heart of the city, the Sofitel is a 24-floor chic and contemporary lodging with all the luxuries you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre. It is also close to all the the famous tourist destinations that abound in Casablanca like the Hassan II Mosque and the Medina, but, should you choose to stay in all day, you still have access to amenities that would make your stay as interesting as a full day out. One of these is the Sofitel Spa which occupies 2 floors and has a hot tub, a traditional-style hammam and a sauna, and, offers beauty and massage treatments combining French and Moroccan beauty practices.

For a taste of Lebanese cuisine, you can dine at the hotel’s L’Atelier Oriental. The second restaurant, the Brasserie La Tour,  offers French cuisine. For a more delightful experience however, guests can go up to the rooftop bar on the 24^th floor from where they will experience a panoramic view of the Old Medina and the Hassan II Mosque.

Hilton Tangier

The city of Tangier retains more of the soul of ancient Morocco, and its culture and traditions are very much alive in this city. So, it may feel rather inauthentic to opt for a hotel instead of an opulent riad. However, the Hilton Tangier City Centre, while being a part of a global brand, is as Moroccan in its service and decor as it gets.

This luxury hotel is strategically located in the city of Tangier, opposite La Gare Tangier Ville (the Tangier rail station) and facing the Malabata beachfront.  Stepping into the Hilton is like entering into a luxe Moroccan home. Expect a warm traditional welcome upon arrival with a serving of the ubiquitous Moroccan mint tea alongside indigenous sweets and treats on a platter by men dressed in traditional male attire. Rooms are tastefully furnished, and of course, reflect the general architecture and style of the local region.

For food, a range of delicious meals abound to suit every palette. However, if nothing on the menu is to your taste — which frankly, is highly unlikely — the unique location of the Hilton Tanger City Centre makes it easy to get whatever you need within walking distance.

A rooftop pool, an executive lounge, a fully-fitted gym and access to the beach make this Hilton hotel in Tangier the place to be if you would be visiting the city.

Luxury Kasbahs

Kasbah Tamadot, Atlas Mountains

Situated an hour away from Marrakech in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, Kasbah Tamadot, a private resort that is part of Sir Ricard Branson’s Virgin Limited Collection is where you’d want to be if you seek a dreamy, surreal and quiet vacation somewhere removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Kasbah Tamadot consists of rooms, suites, tents and riads that are uniquely decorated and combine typical Moroccan style with hints of minimalism. however, following the September 2023 earthquake, the rooms and suites have been closed for renovation and only the six 3-bedroom riads and ten Berber-styled tents are available.

There are a host of activities to indulge in during your stay, including learning to make Morocco’s famous tagines, hiking the mountains and a relaxing day at the spa. Chefs are at hand to serve a mix of Moroccan and international dishes with ingredients sourced from the resort’s gardens.

And, if you ever get tired of the resort, remember: Marrakech is just an hour away.

Dar ba Sidi Chefchouen

Chefchouen may even be more traditional than Tangier, and due to building laws, you would not find any high-rise buildings in this ancient fortress. But, whatever it may lack in grand opulence, the Dar ba Sidi resort more than makes up for in decor and other luxury amenities present in its property.

If Chefchouen is a pretty picturesque town, then Dar ba Sidi, with its beautiful flower gardens, its blue, cream and white colour scheme and red-topped roofs, and, its very traditional Moroccan decor and ambience is a truly beautiful sight to behold. Adding to its charm are the comfortable and spacious, traditionally designed rooms whose windows open up to the most glorious sights ever.

An onsite restaurant serving Moroccan cuisine, and a bar offering a wide range of drinks are your options for food here, but, its proximity to the city centre means that your epicurean choices are not limited if you are looking for something more than what’s available on the menu.

The Oberoi, Marrakech

Ok, The Oberoi may not regard itself as a kasbah, but, if any establishment here deserves the title of a luxury fortress, it is this stunning hotel.

From the moment the doors of The Oberoi are flung open upon your arrival, to the moment you step foot onto its majestic, lush, green courtyard, to that exact period when you’re swallowed into the cool refreshing warmth of its lobby, adorned and accented with traditional Moroccan designs and objets, and then, ushered into your opulent suite tastefully furnished with everything the finest accommodations have to offer, the sensory experience you’d be enveloped in can only be described as heavenly.

Once you step into your suite – apparently, there are no rooms in The Oberoi Marrakech – expect a handwritten note from the General Manager welcoming you to the hotel as well as a bottle of wine. The hotel has a total of 84 lodgings, 72 of which are villas with private pools. Each villa is massive, with a closet area that is equipped with a picnic basket, hats and an iron; a bathroom with a soaking tub that has views of the lush greenery outside; a large walk-in shower that connects to the pool outside so that you can take a shower after a day out swimming or lounging, and, a bedroom with a good-sized comfortable bed, an armoire housing the minibar, with a sofa, occasional chair and a separate dining table/workspace for two. There are also bathrobes and toiletries by Anne Semonine of Paris, and its exceptional service means that anything that was somehow missed would be provided immediately upon request.

The Siniman, Tamimt and Azur restaurants are on hand for your gastronomic needs, whether you crave local Moroccan dishes or meals from other parts of the world. The Vue bar opens from late afternoon into the evening for drinks or light snacks. Several in-house experiences, from a morning run with a fitness coach to sunrise yoga, cardio boxing and nature trail walks mean that you’d still stay in shape regardless of what you consume during your vacation.

Complimentary bicycles and a shuttle service are available for exploring the city but, because The Oberoi isn’t too far, you might prefer a brisk walk to the medina. We daresay that choosing to stay at the hotel during your vacation may single-handedly be the decision you can make if you are visiting Marrakech. That is, if you will not be staying at The Royal Mansour.

Luxury Tents

Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp

Don’t fancy a vacation in the city? Morocco is one of the countries of the Sahara, so a desert vacation just might be a great idea to explore.

Now, simply because you are taking your vacation to the desert doesn’t translate to zero luxury hotels or lodgings. If you are looking for a place to stay, look no further than the Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp. Situated in the dunes of the Erg Chebbi, the Khaimas tents, so-called because they are made from camel skin, promise an authentic desert experience without sacrificing all the luxuries you’re accustomed to. You will get to enjoy activities like camel riding, sandboarding, hiking up the highest dune, and, watching the sunset once you’re up.

Meals are traditional Moroccan cuisine, but, if you’d fancy something different, you can confer with the staff to see what they can whip up.

Al Kamar Camp Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp, Nick and Bobo’s

There are quite a number of luxury desert camps to choose from while in Morocco; however, what sets Nick and Bobo’s apart is their focus on sustainability and delivering an authentic desert experience. Per the camp’s website, “Chigaga is not a mainstream destination. It appeals to those seeking adventure, something unique, something off-grid.”

There are three types of tents, each offering different levels of privacy but all the same size. The most exclusive is the private nomadic camp,  but the private camp with five tents can also be exclusively booked for a family or a small group. Expect to enjoy stunning views of the desert, as well as other carefully curated activities that include visiting the desert tribes and guided walks along quiet sandy paths.

Morocco’s luxury lodging scene is as diverse as the landscapes that define this enchanting country. From the heart of bustling medinas to the serene expanse of the Sahara, there is no shortage of exquisite options to suit every taste. Whether you seek the opulence of renowned hotel chains, the authenticity of traditional riads, the seclusion of kasbahs, or the adventure of luxury desert camps, Morocco promises a unique and unforgettable experience.

As you plan your journey to the Kingdom of Light, let these exceptional accommodations be your sanctuary, ensuring that every moment spent in this beautiful country is nothing short of magical. So, pack your bags, embark on your Moroccan adventure, and let the splendour of these luxurious retreats enhance your stay.

The post Visiting Morocco? Take a Look at Some of the Best Hotels to Stay first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Visiting Morocco? Take a Look at Some of the Best Hotels to Stay appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Just last year, Ugonna decided it was time for a new creative challenge: she quit her role as the Director and Chief Curator of the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria to open her art gallery. It’s been a year, and the Yenwa Gallery, situated in the very urban and chic Victoria Island of Lagos state is going strong, with several impressive achievements in its portfolio. She agreed to speak with us about the journey so far and some of the intricacies of owning an art business in Nigeria, among other things.

In Conversation with Ugonna Ibe begins now…

ALM: What are some unique challenges you’ve faced running an art gallery in Nigeria? How did you resolve them, and how would they shape your business in future?

UI: For the gallery, if I think about all the new-age galleries, I would say the others have been open for two, or three years. I think that I was maybe one of two galleries that opened last year and I know that I opened the gallery at an exchange rate of 740 [dollars to naira] and so, to be in year one of running a luxury business, and having the currency devaluing to that degree, was extremely challenging. It has been one that we had to adjust to, especially when considering pricing the works: do we price in naira, or do we price in dollars? These were questions that I didn’t consider. I started the gallery knowing that we were going to charge in Naira. And to be fair, to a certain extent, we have maintained that. But … I would say that is one of the biggest ones.

And of course, the transition; leaving curating for other people to then starting a business where I am balancing curatorial integrity and running an art business which are two completely different sorts of things. And that has been something that is an ever-evolving thought and process. How am I finding that middle ground of creating great curatorial shows, adding more programming and educational components while remembering that it is an art business which has to be profitable to pay the bills and the artists?

ALM: I am curious when you talk about the curatorial side of the business, does that mean it’s not profitable?

UI: No.

What I mean is, there are different ways of running an art gallery. You have the art dealers who are just dealing art and some of them don’t even put on shows; they don’t even put on exhibitions. And there are some shows that the impact is in the narrative, the impact is in the archival work being exhibited, and the impact is in the discussion around the work. It is not necessarily conceptual. And those are things that as a curator, I have done in the past and I’m interested in, and so many things you want to explore, whilst also making sure that [as] you’re running a business and you have a physical space, that you’re also doing commercial work at the end of the day. And sometimes, there isn’t room for commercial and curatorial. So that is just like the ongoing strategic thinking that I’m doing with creating my gallery’s programming.

So making sure that we have enough successful commercial shows that somewhat fund and make room for more experimental shows I should say – more experimental shows, more programming, more educational shows. Even though, because of my love for writing and narratives, we still make sure there is a strong curatorial component to our commercial shows. And I think that is also part of what is the selling point. When you come in … and we don’t do this just through text: we do it through experiences. So most of the time when you come into the space, it feels new with every exhibition … you’re transported and that is also one way to still keep it fresh and interesting even if it is just a commercial show. 

ALM: What is the one thing you want the Yenwa Gallery to be known for?

UI: If you look at our exhibitions, we have given a lot of women their first solo shows, and that is something I’m proud of, to be able to work with young women and to be able to give them that opportunity to show. But I also would like for people to … when you think about it, you know you’re going to see something interesting, something fresh and it’s going to be an experience. And that’s what I want. I want you to talk about the exhibition to other people once you leave.

ALM: So far, what has been Nigerians’ attitude towards the arts? Especially in light of our increasingly dwindling disposable income. How has that affected our attitude and perception of the arts, and generally, do you think we’re a country that truly appreciates art?

UI: So that is a very interesting question; I’ll answer the second one first. Because what I would like to know is what is your definition of appreciation? Is it appreciation from a Western lens or from the way that we live? Because I think that through time, we have always appreciated art. We have a very decorative culture, we have interesting doors, and we have interesting stools. A lot of art is in people’s homes whether they are known names or not. But I think that we have always appreciated art.

Now, when it comes to the art business, there are (sic) of course formulas to ensure that some artists, ‘ work keeps increasing in value. So, it is that system that I think we don’t have a handle on. It is still dependent on the West. But, when it comes to collecting, there is a small collector base, and there is a growing appreciation of art for collecting. Yes, the economy is very bad, but, we had our opening [the other day] for the Laju Sholola show and we sold out! I can’t believe it. But, we were also very intentional about the time that we were exhibiting the works, the type of works we were exhibiting, the sizes that we were offering, and the price points that we were offering. To make sure that the artist is happy with the price point, but that it is also sensitive to the economy.

So, in times like this, what you find is, art is bought differently. Collectors are always going to buy art. It’s almost an addiction but we’re grateful for it because we still need more – more investment in the space and more collectors. But you just find that peoples’ priorities shift in their collecting. And so that is something that as a gallerist, I have to be aware of. What type of art should I be offering, at what price point should I be offering the art and to whom should I be offering the art? So it’s just adjusting, adjusting and pivoting and maintaining, trying to sustain yourself through this period. But thinking about it strategically to make sure you’re offering the right thing at the right time. And I think we knocked it out with the Laju Sholola show!

ALM: What are some challenges artists face in Nigeria, and how do you think these can be overcome?

UI: Listen. I’ll tell you there are many challenges, but the number one is funding. And funding can solve a lot of those other problems. If you want quality art materials so that you can make quality, long-lasting art, you need money. And most of it, if not all, are imported and as the currency devalues, the more expensive the materials are becoming.

Now, this affects [the artists] in so many ways. Some people can’t create work, some people are creating work that simply responds to the market; they are not creating authentic work anymore because it’s tough. You want to sell, you see what’s selling [and say] “I can do that” so you do that. But, that is not the recipe for a long-lasting career. It might get you a few pieces bought here and there, but if you’re looking to sustain a noteworthy career, that’s not the way to go. However the funding is across the board so the artists need money for materials, the institutions need funding for programming and to be able to create space for artists to be able to show. So there are so many ways it impacts, and I’ll say ultimately, it’s the funding.

ALM: Is it possible to work with local materials as a way around this problem?

UI: Of course, it is possible … and you’re talking more about people who work with environmental themes or in environmental art. But that is such a niche and a small subset of artists. And when you look at also what the art market is doing, people are buying predominantly paintings. And even people who are using found materials and mixed media – mixed media, there is likely some acrylic in there somewhere; so, we can’t tell — I don’t know what percentage of the market — to switch their materials. And also, the artist is creating – an artist who has a genuine narrative – there is a reason for the materials that they have chosen, So, you can’t say, ‘Stop using acrylic.’ There’s a reason they have chosen that.

The person who is sculpting, there is a reason they are sculpting their stories into that medium.  So, it’s not about switching. How many sculptors can you name that are hot right now? And you know, that is also something that I’m looking at right now; I’m not seeing as many young sculptors – we were seeing a few popping up here and there but I’d be excited to see more people try out that medium. But again, it’s likely people are going for what is selling the most, and that comes from a place of lack.

ALM: How do you determine that an artwork is valuable enough to be showcased at the gallery? How do you pick your artists and how do you select the pieces?

UI: I only show the world what I believe in, the works that I like. My art appreciation is vast. That I might love it does not necessarily mean that I might buy it but I know who would. I know who to market it to, I know it’s brilliant work, I know it’s beautiful work, and it has to be something that I believe in, that I know that I can sell. It has to be made properly so the right materials, quality materials, and there’s a difference. Sometimes we have emerging artists who have a really good eye, have really good skills. But if I talk to them and we can’t land on a narrative, I’m hesitant. Because I worry about the sustainability of the artist and I worry whether this is just good craftsmanship, or if this is an artist that has many stories to tell, and many ways in which the work can develop. Of course, it’s a gamble every time, but, for artists who are already working, so not new and undiscovered, I’m looking at consistency, I want to be able to place works in collections and trust that the artist would keep creating. My collectors are buying what they love, but they’re looking also for works that will appreciate, at least some of them. And so, there is an integrity to selling works, knowing that I love it, I trust it, I trust where the artist is going, I will back the artist, things like that.

So, a lot of times it’s a feeling, and the work is beautiful. It really has to be something that feels special, feels unique, that feels genuine to the artist, and I know that I can find a home for the work.

ALM: How has the art season in Nigeria and Africa evolved especially with regards to Art X and other popular art fests?

UI: So Art X has been phenomenal in many ways. One of the major [ways] is obviously being a platform that can introduce Nigerian, West African artists, that can platform them, propel them. And sometimes not just introduce, but just give a better visibility to artists who have already been working for a long time. So that of course is a key benefit.

But really, it is the art ecosystem that they have created around Art X that has truly been special. Art week is a thing. There are so many interesting shows, there are so many interesting performances. It has created even more opportunities for people, for galleries for artists. And I think that that is great. It’s created a platform for other people to be discovered and to work. Right now, there is a global decline in art sales, but if you compare African art, the decline in African art sales is nowhere near the decline in global art sales. And that speaks to the resilience of the African art market, and we’re grateful for platforms such as Art X that are value-creating institutions on the ground which we need more of. Especially when we don’t want to be solely at the whim of the international market to be able to create value locally and that is what I think Art X has done exceptionally well. And we just need more of those opportunities in different forms, and not necessarily another art fair. I am talking about the museums – again museums need funding (laughs) – the residences that are local residences but are globally-recognised.

ALM: Is there a difference between how the works of Africans in the diaspora are valued and how those on the continent are valued?

UI: Of course, there’s a major difference, and it’s just, that we’re in two different economies, and the entry point for arts internationally is completely different to the entry point for arts in Nigeria and West Africa. Just think about the amount of money people are making in Nigeria … an entry point of $5000 in America… ok, a bit high but it’s doable. But an entry point of ₦5 million, which is still less than $5000 is relatively unheard of.

But also, what is the context here, what is the reason that you can even have a high entry point? You’ve gone to possibly a reputable art school, you’ve done an interesting residency, you’ve worked in an international gallery whose price point started at $5000 … you know, so many things in the ecosystem that allow the work to be those prices, and, that just don’t [allow that] here. What is the justification for the price point? You can justify some things even though you call them expensive abroad. But here, a lot of the art schools have lost their glory unfortunately and that is something that also needs to be looked at. [Also] do we really have any strong residencies? What are the value-creating systems the artists are going through locally to say this is my price point? This is why you see a jump in prices when a local artist is shown internationally and he’s left our shores.

Of course, the work here is undervalued and we have to respond to the local market, as we have to respond to the buying strength of the local market.

ALM: What are the major generational differences you’ve seen among art collectors who come to the gallery?

UI: That’s an interesting question!

So, there are generational differences which have also changed over time as well. I would say right now, your more established collectors are collecting more established artists, for good reason. However, established artists are slightly out of the price point of a younger collector. So you have that collector collecting more emerging artists.

A few years ago, established collectors were voraciously collecting emerging artists’ works as well, but the market was a little better than it is now, unfortunately. And so you’d see a growth in the value of those works exponentially and you had artists who were getting snapped up by international galleries and things of that nature. But … I spoke to collectors who said they have collected so many emerging artists, and only a few of them ever really became successful internationally. So what we have now is just a gap. A lot of established collectors have so many works and right now, to build a robust collection, you want to have some of the top names, you want to have the established names because they’re bankable at the end of the day, they hold the value.

We’re still connecting emerging collectors to established artists but of course, like I said, the price point is a little bit high. So, [as an emerging collector] you keep a name in mind and you work towards getting that. But right now I would say emerging collectors are buying mostly emerging artists. The emerging collector is truly buying what they love and that’s great, that’s exciting to see. And established collectors are prioritising and they are more critical. 

ALM: Are there any current conversations around tokenising artworks? Are people crowd-funding to buy pieces?

UI: There is a company that is pushing that; that’s what they do – fractional ownership of Nigerian arts, of masters and whatnot. I think that for that, there’s a massive education gap [because] how many people even know these things? It’s weird … right now I don’t know that they’ve found a sweet spot with who the target audience is for that. I think it’s necessary, it’s something that is happening globally, but, imagine if you have the option to buy a piece of Picasso, Van Gogh …  when you consider it, the people who get it, the people who know the names, they probably have the money, so why would you want to buy with anybody?

Then there is a smaller subset of people who crowd-fund to buy art, and it’s [still] fractional ownership, but it’s like friend groups. But how many pockets of those are you finding? It is something to encourage for sure, to encourage collecting together. I don’t know, I guess you have to make sure your contracts are tight. 

ALM: What is the one thing you wish you knew before getting into this line of business?

UI: That’s a tough question!

The only thing that comes to mind … cos obviously, I didn’t have physical space but I’ve been operating for a while. I guess the difference is … it’s interesting cos when I was helping out in other spaces in curating works there was a more intimate relationship with the artists. But I found that there is a stigma in being a gallerist and the artist is a little bit tense. There is a little bit of tension between the gallery and the artist which I don’t think should be at all, especially here, locally. I don’t know galleries to be exploitative or anything of that nature.

[After] the first couple of experiences [I now know] to have a firm contractual agreement with the artist. Now, we always had contracts of course, but certain things weren’t detailed within the contracts. So now my contracts are very, very tight: they’re given an advance so that we both understand our responsibilities during the show. Again, I think it is also a problem of artists not understanding the gallery model but, I have had to just be firmer with the art business, which removes me a little bit from the artist sometimes. I didn’t anticipate that change in the relationship, but it is all the better for everyone involved.

ALM: What would you like to see change in the Nigerian art scene?

UI: If I say funding again will you complain? (laughs)

I would say that it does go back to funding, but I want to see more experimental work within the art scene; I want to see more experimental exhibitions, more historical exhibitions. Just things that are beyond the gallery space: more public exhibitions, public art, community engagements, more public programming, more collaborations within the art ecosystem between galleries and museums, which I think is also a way to support where there’s a lack of finance. So say the museum can’t afford to hire me as a curator, but I can offer programming support, and join exhibitions or something. Just more collaborations to think through the way we present art and art education.

Of course, all of these things are us again trying to survive despite the government, but really what we need is governmental assistance. When you see other countries — look at the Biennale in Dakar that is funded by the government — we need that sort of support because otherwise, we’re stuck in the rat race of commercial exhibitions since everybody has to pay the bills. We have so many stories to tell, we have so much history to tell, and we have so many socio-political stories to document through art. There are so many things that can be done in so many interesting ways, so many spaces that can be occupied in very different ways. But it all boils down to being able to, because certain things that are public or educational, they’re not bringing any money. So who’s going to fund that? But that is what I would like to see because it also allows artists to see the different ways in which they can exist, the different ways in which they can create art. If you only see paintings on a gallery wall, you’ll believe that it is the only thing the market finds valuable. And that’s not necessarily so. We have shown photography, we’ve shown new media, we’ve shown experimental art, conceptual art to a certain degree, but not everybody is showing now or can, but they may want to and people have bigger, larger ideas, but they don’t have the funding to put this on. However, the artist may not understand all these things going on behind the scenes.

I have a performance artist that was speaking to me and that was his complaint, that he does not see any space that is showing performance art or making room for performance artists. And I love performance art. I don’t know that my physical structure can accommodate it as well as it should, but I’m thinking of ways we can create the work to fit the space. I think that it’s crucial especially for the artist to see all the ways that they can create and know that it will be accepted and know that they would find a place.

So, I’m looking for that cos as a creative, you want to feel free, you want to feel authentic but you also want to know that somebody is going to listen and watch and buy and invest and all of those things.

ALM: What major achievement are you most proud of concerning the gallery?

UI: Surviving girl, surviving!

I’ll tell you an achievement I’m proud of. I’m proud of many things, to be honest. I’m proud of starting, of taking the leap and getting up each day and being able to give opportunities to artists: I think that it is such a worthy way to live life and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with art and artists.

In particular, I showed a mid-career artist, Joshua Nmesirionye, who is a part of the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria. He has shown with all the names that are popular and he’s well known to seasoned collectors, but not all: he’s a quiet painter. But until we offered him his first show – of course, we established a relationship when I was working with the GFA – he’s only shown in group exhibitions. We showed his first solo which included an exhibition of his sculptures for the first time and it was so well-received.

At the time, the Kinseys were visiting Nigeria – they came shortly after the show. Bernard and Shirley Kinsey are the largest collectors of African-American art in history and I had shown Joshua a month before they came. I then had the opportunity to install artwork for an evening programme they were scheduled to speak at in the US Consulate. And so I brought one of my favourite pieces from Joshua’s exhibition, which, the only reason it didn’t sell is because I was being low-balled so badly I refused because I loved it so much that I thought it was being undervalued.  Truly the exhibition had done well, and I didn’t want a situation of selling by any means necessary.  So I held on to it. I placed it in the consulate for this talk and that is when they saw the work and they fell in love and they wanted to see more. We talked through different things and they ended up getting two pieces from him: one painting and that sculpture.  Their collection has been touring America for the past 18 years. They have almost a thousand pieces in history. And when they purchased Joseph’s work, that was the first time in 18 years that they had added a piece of non-African-American work of art. They then put it up for exhibition and I thought that that was so remarkable: an artist who’s been working for many years, who has been showing, and he finally gets his first solo and a piece of that work is now sitting in a museum in Houston. Of course, beyond the museum, it’s now a permanent part of the Kinsey’s collection history. And for me, I thought that was very special, I’m glad I was able to be a part of that journey.

But, there have been many other milestones, to be honest: we had our first art fair, and we recently celebrated our first anniversary as a gallery. Like I said, at the end of the day, I am grateful that I’m still able to open my doors and put on shows.

ALM: So, did that elevate the price of his works in general?

UI: So I’m going to answer this question in 2 parts. Because that is also another problem that we’re finding especially with emerging artists, where you sell a piece of work, especially direct sales; somebody hits you up on Instagram, and you sell at $5000 and all of a sudden, you think all your prices are now $5000.

So, this was a singular event, and with every exhibition, the prices do have to adjust a little bit. [Sales like this] add value [to an artist’s body of work] but it’s aggregate over time, so now it’s easier for me to get into the next thing. You have to add all these things together to then say this is what it is. Now, the prices that truly affect people’s price point is auction sales, but it is also all of these things, all of these plug points that give a good narrative for why they should join an auction.

ALM: What’s next for the Yenwa Gallery? Any big projects?

UI: Yes.

We will be launching our art residency soon: I don’t know when, but the space is ready, so if anything we might probably launch towards the end of the year. We are hoping to do more fairs next year. We’re talking to a few international galleries to collaborate on exhibitions. But yes, I think the art residency will probably be the biggest programme and then, of course, we intend to represent artists. So we will probably be making that announcement at the start of next year. Maybe at the end of our residency, we would use that opportunity to then announce the artist that we’re representing. And that is the direction that we want to go in.

ALM: Do you have any particular view towards AI and the arts? Would you like to share that with us?

UI: Yes. If you’re talking about AI specifically, yes.

I think that I’m not up to date on the legal happening right now, but my issues are the ethics behind the source material for AI and whose work is that, how is that regulated? I don’t imagine the source material even considers the African artist and the African perspective. So to me, I support visual artists; AI in particular is obviously where I draw the line. I have an ethical objection to it. I haven’t seen a compelling use case yet, so…

ALM: What are 3 things that people don’t know about you?

UI: I’m an introvert. I don’t know, maybe people know that but I think that most people think I’m extroverted. But I went to performing arts school for a long time so I just know how to be an extrovert. I’m very much introverted. I like my personal space and I need to recharge. So it’s very tough being in this business because it’s a lot of networking, it’s a lot of “people-ing”, so I always need to recharge.

Another thing would be that I’m a singer; a lot of people don’t know that. But also I think that’s intentional, I don’t talk about it because many people would then ask me to sing.

[Lastly] I’m a painter, I paint.

ALM: If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

UI: I would be acting full-time. I did drama, art voice, all of that. I still want to act at some point. But let’s leave the creatives. If I wasn’t doing this, I would be a therapist.

I did not speak about [my environmentalist background] because I feel I’ve got a roundabout way to get to it at this point where I am finding ways to integrate, to consider the ways that art and artists can respond to the climate challenge. So documentaries and films are (sic) part of art, platforms that are telling the stories about what’s going on in the environment. And talking about the environment from the African perspective, I think that art is equal to the task. It makes it less personal but also less confrontational which I think is necessary. People tune out when you mention the environment, and people don’t have a true understanding of environmental impact in my opinion. I’ve had too many people say that thinking about the environment is like the final bus stop of bougie things.

I was at a talk, and someone in the audience said that people are hungry and people are this and why would I think about that? And I was like those are the people that are suffering the environmental impact the most, they just don’t know it. I can choose my environment and insulate myself to a certain degree, but a lot of people cannot do that. Between the air quality, the water, the flooding…  and I think that art allows you to make those things more real and more personal. So I don’t feel like I’m not doing the sustainability; I’m not doing it in the way that I thought I would do it, and that’s ok. I think that this way is truer to self.

ALM: I cannot go into a meeting without …

UI: Preparing and picking an outfit.

ALM: I cannot step out of the house without …

UI: My power bank. But that’s just a Nigerian problem. If I were not in Nigeria, I would never leave home without my lipgloss, because I leave with at least two.

ALM: My day is not complete until I have done …

UI: I talk with all four of my sisters every day.

‘In Conversation with’ by ASPIRE Luxury Magazine celebrates stars, influencers, celebrities and public figures, shining a spotlight on their lives and the incredible stories they have to share.

The post In Conversation with Ugonna Ibe, Multi-Hyphenate Creative and Founder of Yenwa Art Gallery first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post In Conversation with Ugonna Ibe, Multi-Hyphenate Creative and Founder of Yenwa Art Gallery appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Rather than simply listing cities, monuments, and must-see attractions in this traditional North African gem, I invite you to join me as I reminisce about my recent unforgettable 5-day vacation in the Kingdom of Light. I recommend that you grab a cold drink first to be able to keep up, as I packed in A LOT into this 5-day trip!

Day 1: Arriving in Casablanca

Our Moroccan adventure began in Casablanca, where we arrived at noon on June 1st. I had deliberately chosen to keep my eyes and mind open, free of preconceived ideas, so I could truly explore with fresh eyes. My first impression of Casablanca was that it was charming and sophisticated, a city where ancient Moroccan culture coexists perfectly with modernity.

After clearing immigration, we were warmly welcomed by the Moroccan Tourism Board, who escorted us to a luxury bus that would be our primary mode of transportation for the remainder of our trip

Tip: If you’re considering group travel to Morocco, skip the taxis and opt for a luxury bus and chauffeur. It adds a unique flair to the entire trip.

We arrived at our first hotel, a stunning 5-star establishment in the heart of Casablanca. Once settled, we were whisked to the hotel’s spa for our first Moroccan experience: a rejuvenating hammam session at the spa.

Tip: When you visit Morocco,  make sure a visit to a hammam is on your list.

Our first day ended with delicious cocktails on the hotel’s rooftop, where a DJ played Nigerian songs in the background— as everyone bopped and swayed to the beats. It was a nice feeling that made our evening even more special.

Day 2: Exploring Tangier

Day 2 began with a quiet but quick breakfast at 7 AM, as we had an early departure for Tangier. By 8:15 AM, we were at la Gare de Casa, the train station, ready for our 2-hour trip to Tangier. While a 7-hour road trip sounds appealing, it would have disrupted our itinerary, so we opted for the faster train option.

We arrived in Tangier just before noon, and the welcome in Tangier was quite different from Casablanca’s floral greeting. Here, we were served mint tea and traditional Moroccan sweets by staff dressed in traditional attire.

Our guided tour took us to several popular spots, including the Cape Spartel Lighthouse, the Petit Socco, the Kasbah, and the Medina. One thing that stood out was the uniformity in design. Our guide explained that Moroccan craftsmanship is deeply rooted in the culture and preserved through generations. The intricate designs in a newly-built 5-star hotel could be identical to those in a historical museum like Dar Niaba. While it might seem monotonous after a while, appreciating the hand-crafted details that have endured through the ages gives you a deep respect for this cultural heritage.

Our tour included a visit to the spice and herbal section of the market, where we could choose spices and herbs for customised medicine, skincare products, and perfumes. Watching the skilled men, mostly in their late 50s and 60s, quickly formulate products using techniques passed down through generations was a testament to the rich cultural preservation alive in this ancient kingdom.

Our day ended with a drive through the vibrant town to a charming restaurant, where we indulged in Moroccan delicacies and wine, ending our second day on a delightful note.

Day 3: Enchanted by Chefchaouen

With our tour of Tangier complete, we journeyed to Chefchaouen, known as The Blue Pearl. This enchanting city, with its thirteen gates and predominantly blue colour scheme, is a sight to behold!

Seeing the city in pictures is one thing; but standing on its cobbled streets, basking in the brilliance of the sun, and taking in the stunning scenery is a completely different affair. The blue and white hues make you feel like you’ve stepped into an alternate universe. The architecture, the people, and the vibrant atmosphere bring the city to life, making you feel instantly invigorated.

In Chefchaouen, we experienced our first Moroccan wedding, which was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever attended. Everything from the clothing and jewellery to the oud songs sung by the women celebrating the bride was remarkable and decadent. It made me wish I were more than just a spectator!

It was also in Chefchaouen that I tasted my first tagine, a delectable beef-filled dish that I won’t forget soon …

Day 4: The Road to Marrakech

We bid farewell to the enchanting city of Chefchaouen in the morning and embarked on a journey to Marrakech via Tangier and Casablanca. This was my first opportunity to experience a Moroccan road trip, and I can assure you, it did not disappoint. The scenic drive showcased the diverse landscapes and vibrant culture of Morocco, making it an unforgettable experience. 

Tip: When you visit Morocco, be sure to include a road trip in your itinerary.

Day 5: Farewell Adventures in Morocco

Our vacation in the Kingdom of Light was coming to an end, and we decided to pack in as much fun as possible before our departure scheduled for later in the evening.

We started the day at 5:45 AM with a hot air balloon ride, hoping to catch the sunrise. If you’ve never tried hot air ballooning, it’s a must-do. Initially, you might cling on for dear life, but as you ascend, fear gives way to sheer exhilaration, and you’ll wonder why you were ever afraid.

After touching back down, we were off for some quad biking. At this point, we were fearless and eager for more adventure. I opted to ride with a guide, but if you’re more daring, you can ride solo. Don’t worry, you’ll be equipped with all the necessary safety gear, and help is always nearby in case of emergencies.

As if quad biking wasn’t thrilling enough, we thereafter hopped on camels for a more traditional experience. This slightly hair-raising adventure is one I recommend if you’ve never tried it; I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

Having had our fill of adrenaline, we returned to our hotel to freshen up before heading back out for one last exploration: the Museum of Confluences, Dar El Bacha. The museum offered a feast for the senses with its stunning architecture, intricate wall, ceiling, and floor designs, exquisite woodwork, and a coffee shop featuring beans from around the world that brew for a minimum of two hours. (Yes, you read that right. Two hours.)

Alas! All good things must come to an end, and soon it was time to pack our things and head back home. As we were chauffeured to the airport, I felt waves of bittersweet emotions. While I was happy to be returning home, I didn’t want the magical Moroccan experience to end. This just means I’ll be back again soon, because as anyone who has been will tell you, 5 days is grossly inadequate to take in its beauty.

Tip: You simply must visit Morocco – The Kingdom Of Light!

The post Want to Visit Morocco? Here’s How I Did It in 5 Days! first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Want to Visit Morocco? Here’s How I Did It in 5 Days! appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Morocco is truly one African nation to explore if you haven’t done so already. Not only is it choke-full of interesting places to visit — Morocco is famous for preserving ancient traditions in every aspect of their lives from architecture to food, and even style — but there are so many things to do and see that we daresay a 2-week stay is barely enough to get acquainted with whatever city you choose to visit, talk less of the entire country.

Fresh from our Moroccan trip, here are some places that really intrigued us and we believe offer a good starting point to an exploration of the Kingdom of Light.

The Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Very cliché in terms of where to visit, but if it’s your first time in the country, it pays to start with a popular and important landmark as it serves as a great foundation of what to expect on your Moroccan adventure.

The storied mosque that took about seven years to build and thousands of hours of labour features mostly local materials and craftsmanship. Its strategic position by the Atlantic Ocean and just a little above it adds further appeal to its magnificent size and impressive craftsmanship.

Thousands of stories and articles on one of the largest mosques in the world with one of the world’s longest minarets abound, and it can almost feel like you’ve been there without having actually ever visited. But, unlike other popular tourist destinations, it is truly one place you must see for yourself to fully understand how beautiful and special it is.

Hammam

Whether you are in Marrakesh (Marrakech if you prefer) or Casablanca, the one activity you cannot afford to miss is the traditional Moroccan Hammam, which is why it gets a special place on this list.

The Hammam is basically a spa experience that starts in a dry hot room, then moves on to a hot, steamy room, which then gives way to a bathing room, and ends in the resting room, or, in some cases, goes on to yet another room, the massage parlour, where you receive a full body massage that melts away whatever stubborn stress might remain after this truly blissful experience.  You’d thoroughly enjoy the amenities and treatment from seasoned practitioners with decades of expertise using centuries-old local Moroccan practices, soaps and oils.

Tangier

For most visitors, Casablanca may not have much to offer beyond the Hassan II Mosque and other smaller tourist attractions, but not Tangier.  This ancient medina, which is the meeting point of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, is the perfect place for limitless exploration, and when you want, blissful relaxation.

Tangier is a  7-hour road trip from Casablanca, but, to get there faster, a 2-hour train ride from La Gare Casa would suffice.

Once there, you can choose to explore the Kasbah, a historic fortress and palace, housing the Dar Niaba museum, which showcases the city’s history and cultural artefacts. Or, if you would rather just sit back and take in the city, the Petit Socco, also known as Souk Dakhli, is the place to go. The Grand Socco, on the other hand, is a vibrant, bustling public square, surrounded by historic buildings, cafes, and shops, so should you get bored, you can easily hit the stores to buy everything from clothes and shoes and even prepare your unique body oil with whatever herbs, seeds and nuts of your choice.

The Cape Spartel Lighthouse is one landmark you do not want to miss while you’re in Tangier. Situated at the northwestern tip of Africa, where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean converge, this historic lighthouse, built in 1864, stands majestically on a rocky promontory, its shining bright beam guiding ships and travellers alike.

The Lighthouse is not only a marvel of engineering but also a sacred site, mentioned in the Qur’an and the epic poem, Ulysses by Homer. In the former, it is called the ‘Ras al-Tubul,’ marking the western extremity of the known world while Ulysses describes it as the ‘Pillar of Hercules,’ symbolizing the gateway between Europe and Africa.

Chefchaouen

You’ve probably heard about the picturesque blue town of Morocco, but Chefchaouen is more than its blue-and-white aesthetic. Its rich history, intentional architecture that preserves decades-old tradition and culture, and, very traditional cuisine that includes the tagine, a slow-cooked stew, all come together to make for a truly authentic, luxury experience like no other.

Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 as a fortress to resist Portuguese invasions. The blue you see everywhere is intentional, as, in Moroccan culture, the colour is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring peace. This beautiful fortified medina, with its twelve gates and narrow streets, offers the best of Moroccan warmth and hospitality, and even if you do not get to visit other popular cities like Marrakech and Tangier, the one place you absolutely do not want to miss on your first visit is the very beautiful, very traditional, and very charming city of Chefchaouen.

Marrakech

Last on our list is Marrakech, and honestly, if the theme of your vacation is ‘busy days and countless media,’ Marrakech should probably be the starting point of your Morrocan adventure.

There’s so much to do and see that a week in Marrakech would probably be grossly inadequate. From the museums — like the Dar El Bacha, La Musée des Confluences — to the souks, to the public buildings open to tourists, to the different tourist activities like quad biking and camel riding, you’d never run out of things to do and places to see. Also, the architecture and craftwork, especially in the Medina, is simply stunning and breathtakingly beautiful.

Even if your goal is to have a very peaceful Moroccan vacation, it would not hurt to add Marrakech to your list of places to visit, even if it is just for a day or two. The experience would definitely be worth it.

The post First Time In Morocco? Here are Some Must-See Destinations and Activities to Consider first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post First Time In Morocco? Here are Some Must-See Destinations and Activities to Consider appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

This is not surprising, especially when you consider their versatility and what they are used for. For example, what is the main ingredient of your favourite cocktail? Your answer would most likely be a spirit or liqueur, which well, is a type of spirit!

It does not automatically mean other alcoholic beverages aren’t as useful. Vermouth has been used by mixologists for years, and recently, more wineries are encouraging and promoting wine cocktails as a better alcoholic option for those who cannot stomach high levels of alcohol. Beer cocktails are also a thing, as a quick Google search will reveal.

However, spirits appear to offer a more diverse range of cocktail options. This may be attributed to the fact that they have been used for so long in this area that a robust range of recipes and experimentation abound. It also helps that at its core, a spirit – be it a gin or rum or whisky – is an uncomplicated alcoholic beverage, making it perfect for whatever concoction you’re looking to put together. Lastly, compared to wines, they are more affordable, which means more people can have access to them.

Including here in Africa, where it is isn’t only used for cocktails, but for ceremonies and religious events. Spirits have been produced for more than a hundred years now across several countries in Africa, yet surprisingly, they are not as popular as others from beyond the continent.

If you love mixing up a good cocktail or would rather take a bottle of gin or vodka or rum above other types of alcoholic drinks, here are some premium, made-in-Africa brands to immediately try out, that is, if you haven’t already!

Pedro’s Ogogoro, Nigeria

Pedro’s Ogogoro is arguably one of the more popular spirits out of Africa, so there is a pretty high chance that you’ve tasted it or heard about it. Per Lola Pedro, one of its co-founders, Ogogoro is “a palm spirit from palm wine” not a gin, nor a rum, nor vodka.

During Nigeria’s colonial era, Ogogoro was associated with illicit and badly-produced alcohol. These days, it is used to refer to any cheap, badly-produced alcohol with a high ABV sold by roadsides all over Nigeria at least. In reality, neither one of these is what Ogogoro is.

Pedro’s is not only on a mission to change this narrative but is also eager to make this locally-produced alcoholic beverage a worldwide phenomenon.

Aphro Palm Spirit, Ghana

Like Pedro’s, Aphro is an alcoholic spirit made from the sap of palm trees. In fact, it is the same as Nigeria’s Ogogoro, only that in Ghana, it is known as Akpeteshie.

Just like its Nigerian brother, Akpeteshie was turned into a villainous, poisonous drink during the colonial era to push the sale of imported spirits.

Aphro is also trying to correct this misnomer, and if you’re looking to try something different yet familiar, then look no further than the Aphro Palm Spirit which comes in two flavours: the Nubi which is a mix of flamed pineapple, tropical passion fruit and a little West African honey, and, the Moor which mixes local ginger, spices and Hwentia pepper to make a spicy, robust delightful beverage.

Vusa Vodka, South Africa

Vusa Vodka is the brainchild of Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin, the duo behind Spearhead Spirits which also produces Bayab Gin.

Unlike Pedro and Aphro, Spearhead Spirits is not so much about promoting original locally-developed alcoholic beverages as it is focused on proving that the continent is just as capable of making internationally acclaimed drinks as its counterparts.

Vusa Vodka is made from sugarcane grown in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, and distilled in small batches in copper pot stills. It is then filtered through the shells of the baobab fruit before bottling to give it a clean, crisp finish.

Waragi Wildcrane, Uganda

The name ‘Waragi’ has some interesting history. According to sources, its original name wasn’t Waragi; although what that was is not immediately clear. The recipe for the alcoholic drink was passed on from generation to generation and, all over Uganda, it was the favoured drink for both the rich and poor.

When the colonisers came, they noticed that Ugandans would immediately bring out this spirit during periods of victory and celebration. And so they nicknamed it ‘war gin’. As with most things, war gin was soon localised to ‘Waragi’, which has now become the official name of the ancient local Ugandan drink made from a mix of any of the following: bananas, millet, cassava or sugarcane.

Unlike Nigeria’s Ogogoro, Waragi is widely produced and consumed in Uganda, and several distilleries making premium, standard Waragi exist. One such is the Kakira distillery whose Wildcrane Premium Gin uses the Waragi recipe in its formulation. What is this recipe exactly? We don’t know, but, judging by the fact that its other spirits have won international awards, it may be safe to say that this is possibly the Waragi you should add to your spirits portfolio.

Tambour Sodabi, Benin Republic

Sodabi is to Benin, as Akpeteshie is to Ghana, and Koutoukou is to Côte d’Ivoire. But unlike the others, the Beninese can actually trace the history of their Sodabi to its humble beginnings.

Per Tambour, it all started when Bonou Kiti Sodabi, a Beninese soldier, went to Europe to fight in WW1. There, he saw how the distillation process worked, and upon his return to his country, teamed up with his brother, Gbehlaton, to produce Sodabi using the popular palm wine as their main material after an initial failed experiment with bananas.

By 1920, Sodabi had become widespread and its popularity only continued to grow, leading the colonialists to ban its production and sale in 1931. The Sodabi brothers were even arrested, but this did nothing. As in other countries and civilisations of the world, prohibition only led to secret manufacture and sales.

In 1975, fifteen years after its independence, Benin officially lifted the prohibition against Sodabi. Today, Tambour Sodabi is perhaps the best-known palm spirit from the country, having won international awards twice now. You can choose between its two distinct flavours: the spiced Sodabi and its recently launched brother, White Sodabi.

The post Here are Some of Africa’s Finest Spirits You Should Know. Plus, Their Storied Histories! first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Here are Some of Africa’s Finest Spirits You Should Know. Plus, Their Storied Histories! appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

“We created a platform last year called NBA Meets Culture,” Gbemisola Abudu, NBA Africa VP and Country Head, NBA Nigeria, explains of the initiative. “The five pillars of the platform are arts, fashion, film, music and tech. Tech has become a fifth part of our culture because it enables all the other pillars. It just so happened that arts was the element we started out with last year, choosing to celebrate basketball through the lens of Nigeria’s rich heritage and arts culture first.”

It is almost symbolic that the evening event celebrating the 2023 instalment of the NBA Meets Art initiative took place in the Tiffany Amber Gardens. This lifestyle hub, housing the flagship store of one of Nigeria’s premier luxury fashion brands from the tail-end of the 20^th century, is a testament to how following a dream, no matter how crazy it may seem, can have unexpectedly wonderful and positive consequences.

This is not the NBA Nigeria’s theme this year in its collaboration with artist, Dennis Osadebe; however, it is the overarching message in its commitment to supporting the culture of the communities it exists in and extending its influence beyond the courts.

“First, people don’t realise that when you think about sports and arts, those are two languages that the youths resonate with. They’re the language of the youths. Arts is a way in which the youths express themselves, and, there is that natural synergy between arts and sports, it’s always been that way historically,” explains Ms. Abudu.

“Then, on top of that, one thing has become quite exciting in Nigeria. Through the invention of Art X and Art Week, art has been democratised. It has taken it away from the elite to the average Nigerian. That is why it was very important for us to do an installation there because we wanted to speak to the youth in a language that resonated with them. So, if you look at the installation that we created with Dennis where we talked about team building, working together, and building communities together, this is part of our messaging for the youth. So when you say why arts, that’s why arts. If you really peel back the layers, you can see where the natural fit comes in between sports and arts and specifically, basketball and arts.”

Dennis Osadebe concurs wholeheartedly.

“I would say that arts is in the fabric of everything … I got into basketball from playing video games. So from NBA2k to NBA streets, NBA figurines, NBA toys like a toy of Kobe Bryant, a toy of Iverson – that was my entry into the sports. And I would say, that’s arts. That is expression. That is almost giving the user the tool to express themselves. And you know, I found that very important in this collaboration because art also is very representative of culture, and a big part of culture is visual art.”

Based on the theme ‘Passing/Building/Victory’, the installation features five masked figures — Osadebe’s signature style — all holding a ball.

“This collaboration speaks to passing, it speaks to teamwork. And that is the ethos behind basketball – teamwork. You can’t win by yourself and I wanted to draw that into the work. That is why in the installation there are five different sculptures. So those five sculptures represent a basketball team about to make a point. And they’re arranged like that because that is an offensive position in order for you to attack and make a point. And the reason why it’s rotating and they’re spinning around is because they’re looking for who to pass the ball to.”

How did this collaboration come to be? For Dennis, it all started when “Gbemisola reached out to me saying look Dennis, this is our objective with NBA Nigeria and we would love to work with you on this next version of NBA Meets Art. And once that conversation started, I was excited because what is very important to me is to elaborate on being an artist and showing that there is not just one way to be an artist. You can be an artist that also celebrates community in a sexy way. So we started the conversation and what stood out to me is that basketball is a sport of 5 people that play as a team. So I said I wanted to build on that idea of teamwork because teamwork is important to sports and it is important to the community. As a community we can’t be great by ourselves; we can’t even go through the day by ourselves. We need people in every part of it. So it was just organic once we started the conversation to build on the collaboration.”

For Gbemisola, it was a bit more complex than that.

“When this conversation started about creating an installation at Art X, it really was about what type of artist’s body of work and signature speaks to who we are as a brand, and, who has a natural affinity for the brand. And I am not saying … a natural affinity for the NBA or for basketball is a requirement for us to work with an artist. But for the thought process for the first work we do, we wanted an artist that had a natural affinity for the game, understood the game, and understood the ethos of the NBA.”

“A name that was consistent in all the conversations I had, whether it was from research I did (I’m a lover of arts as well, so I’m familiar with several of the artists in the space), having conversations with Art X, having conversations with different patrons of art; a name that kept coming up consistently was Dennis Osadebe.”

“As we grow the footprint of the brand in Nigeria, there is a level of intentionality on how we showcase Nigeria to the world, how we showcase our excellence and the amazing things happening in our creative industry. So, when you look at all those different layers and you have all these criteria that we sort of spelt out, one person that checked a lot of those boxes was Dennis. And that’s why we decided to go with him for our first collaboration with an artist. And expressing to him what we were interested in creating, and him being able to come back and say, based on what you’ve said, based on my work, here’s what I would present. And the theme of ‘Passing/Building/Victory’ came together.”

Judging by the response NBA Nigeria has received from this first installation, Ms Abudu is more than confident that the initiative is not only here to stay, but would also unlock incredible and unimaginable opportunities for the Nigerian art community and just about everyone who is affiliated with the NBA here in the country.

“So this is the first time we have collaborated with an artist in Africa for our NBA Meets Art initiative; we’ve never done this before. And what we’ve seen so far … is an insane level of interest from galleries around the world. Everybody has been like this is amazing work. I’ve received calls from galleries from all around the world who’ve said, ‘Can you bring this work there?’ There is a hunger for it, seeing the reaction even at the fair, all the pictures of kids painting on it and really just having a great time, seeing a bunch of kids saying they want to take the figurines home with them. And a lot of people saying they want a piece of this at their home, can they buy the figurines? It just really drives home the point that wow, this really was successful, people love it, people care about it.”

As for what is next for Nigerian art and the larger community within the NBA, Gbemisola is very optimistic. “We’re going to find very interesting ways to implement programs and initiatives to deepen our involvement with the arts community in Nigeria in a sustainable manner. There are plans to figure out what that would look like after the success of this installation with Dennis.”

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

But because there is only so much you can do while on it, going on a second or third safari trip might not be very appealing. This is why some companies are switching things up to get old visitors back while drawing in new ones.

So, if you are wondering whether another safari is a good idea, or you’re trying to decide if you should add it to your travel experience, here are some new packages and properties telling you to say yes to one.

Molori Mashuma, Zimbabwe

Situated in Northern Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, Molori Mashuma, a new property from South African company Molori Safari, has just six tents, making it the perfect choice for a quiet, tranquil getaway.

Its strategic location in the park offers visitors unobstructed views of the surroundings. “It is a game and wilderness experience unlike anything else because you are not chasing the wildlife to tick off a list, you are immersed and present in the moment, with the open landscapes, fauna and flora, and the wildlife that roam,”  explains Eric Ichikowitz, co-owner of Molori Mashuma.

While some safaris choose to submerge their guests in the full bush lifestyle by eliminating modern comforts, the tents in Molori Mashuma are fully air-conditioned with perks like private decks for game viewing and relaxation, as well as amenities such as soaking bathtubs and outdoor showers. The two-bedroom family tents in the camp are even equipped with private plunge pools for a more robust experience.

But sitting all day can be rather boring, which is why guests have the option to go on guided walking safaris where they can observe and photograph wildlife at any of the three available locations for game viewing. Per Ichikowitz, “Walking through the fever tree forests and watching elephants in their droves; moving through the forest and interacting with big herds of eland and zebras frolicking and playing around while the monkeys jump from the trees, is one of my ultimate wilderness experiences.”

Unfortunately, the tent is not open all year: interested guests can only visit from the beginning of April to the end of October. Nightly rates start from $1,725.

Shekinah Lion and Game Lodge, South Africa

Like Molori Mashuma, South Africa’s new safari property is rather private: the Shekinah Lion and Game Lodge located in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve in Limpopo has just four suites for two guests each. If you’re planning a romantic escape with your significant other, or want to experience the wild with someone special, you may want to consider the Shekinah Lodge for the privacy and intimacy it promises.

Also, like its Zimbabwean counterpart, the suites have been designed to bring the outdoor experience inside seamlessly. Through reinforced glass, guests can see lions or tigers roaming freely around the property, or wake up to a beautiful sunrise illuminating the bushveld without having to sacrifice any of the luxuries they have grown accustomed to like private plunge pools and outdoor showers.

More amenities can be found outside the suites, including a spa, gym and conference room. Visitors can also go on bush walks or game drives, with the latter being a complimentary service for all guests.

The Shekinah Lion and Game Lodge is set to open in the first week of November with nightly rates starting at USD $1605.

The One&Only Rwandan OneEscape Experience

One&Only might not have a new safari resort on the horizon, but they have a new kind of curated experience for adventurous travellers looking for an action-filled holiday.

The OneEscape Rwandan experience is a custom six-night itinerary that will start at the One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and culminate in a 3-night stay at the One&Only Nyungwe House.

Activities at the resort’s Gorilla’s Nest include a trek in search of the endangered mountain gorillas with no guarantee of a successful sighting; a bean-to-barista master class on the art of making coffee, and, a traditional barbecue hosted at the cottage of legendary conservationist, Jack Hanna.

Switching to the One&Only Nyungwe House would involve a five-hour drive by a 4×4 through a rather hilly countryside or a 35-minute flight that costs $5,775 for just one way. Guests who would be indulging in this experience between October 1 and December 14, 2023, would enjoy a complimentary helicopter transfer thanks to a partnership between the resort and Akagera Aviation.

Once at the Nyungwe House, visitors will immediately get to work at a master class on tea, one of the country’s main exports, or at a crash course in archery. They can also choose to indulge in spear-throwing lessons and a nocturnal hike or stargazing.

At $6500 per night for a stay at the Gorilla’s Nest and $3,250 per night for the Nyungwe House, the OneEscape experience does not come cheap. However, it is one experience visitors will treasure, long after they are back in their home countries.

The post Going on A Safari? Here are Some New Experiences to Check Out This Season first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post Going on A Safari? Here are Some New Experiences to Check Out This Season appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Whilst the subscription/retainer-based models are popular today, the concept is not. This form of health care is also about to become more popular, states Dr Chichi Menakaya, founder of Annomo Health, a UK-based global concierge medicine company.

“Personalised healthcare and wellness is here to stay.”

“I think that’s where medicine is going anyways. It’s all about personalised health care and wellness in the whole world at the moment.”

“I was always the person that people would call and say, ‘I want to go and see a doctor in London. Do you know anyone I can see?’ And then I would do that,” Dr Menakaya said during our conversation. But then I think what really made me start the business was when a few years ago – like 13 years ago, that was when the dream started – I had a relative that was in the UK and he had to see a particular doctor. So I went in, found someone I thought was the best person to see [and] referred them to that person. This relative even though they were paying cash to the doctor, turned up 15mins late to that appointment, and the doctor refused to see them even as they were coming from abroad. So what the hospital did was find the next available [doctor] and refer him to the person. And even though the person he was referred to had the best manners, did really, really well; when it now came to their surgical option, what that person offered them was not the best practice option. So they offered them an open surgery when there was already a robotic option for the surgery. What then happened – because obviously, I am a doctor, so I can easily detect – [I realised] that this is not the right thing for this person, because there is more advanced treatment.”

“I was upset so I found the best surgeon to handle the surgery, who also happened to be on the queen’s medical team. The day we eventually went to that appointment with the relative, this professor, even though he is one of the best in the UK, came downstairs to welcome the patient. And for me, that was literally an eye-opener, because it meant that although you could get the best, their manners are also very important.”

“And after that time, I said to myself, ‘I need to start a place where people can get the best care that they need.’ A lot of people are coming from abroad and they can afford it. They get given some mediocre doctor just because they think you’re coming from [another country]. They’re going to get you the cheapest doctor for the hospital … while the hospital is making the most money.”

“And obviously, there is another story to it about other people saying to me, ‘Listen: let’s get this done as a business, right?’ But I think that is the reason, like for me, I just wanted to make sure people got the best care that they needed. And I think that story is actually what triggered me to get in. And … literally 2 years later, we got the business up and running.”

“Medical concierge is not health insurance.”

Starting any business is difficult, and even though it’s in the health industry, Annomo Health was not without its challenges in the beginning.

“I think the biggest challenge I faced starting the business was explaining to people that Harley Street does not mean everything on Harley Street is good. I think that is [still my biggest challenge]. Because everyone comes to the UK and goes, ‘Oh my doctor is on Harley Street’, and I am like ok yeah, whatever. There are people in Harley Street that don’t know what they’re doing and I don’t want to use that word exactly, but there are people that are not that great and they’re on Harley Street.”

“What was also difficult for us is explaining to people that a concierge company is not an insurance company. Every time I have a meeting, no matter how educated they are, they say to me, ‘Is it health insurance?”

“Someone would say ‘I am coming from Nigeria, and I just want to see anybody because it is better than Nigeria.’ But that is not the point. The point is that they’re not doing it for you for free. Therefore, what you need to be asking for is ‘I want to see the best person because I am going to spend money seeing that best person. So it does not matter whether it’s me … it’s best to see the best person. And I think that is really difficult to explain to people. And as a company, we are still explaining that every day.”

“Concierge medicine is … having an advocate in your corner … constantly fighting for your health”

So, what exactly, in layman’s terms, is concierge healthcare, at least through the lens of Annomo Health?

“So I think there are very simple ways to explain Annomo Services, right? What Annomo Services does is simple: all we want to do is put the patient first. And all we want to do is get the private patients to see the best doctors, be treated in the best hospitals and have access to the best technologies. That’s all. And literally, we want to introduce them to the doctors’ doctors and make sure they are treated the way they need to be treated and get value, not just because of the money they have, but also because they’re using their money to get the best out of the service. That’s a summary of what we do.”

“I think for a lot of people, especially Africans, we see health as something we have to think about when it gets bad, but that’s the whole idea of having preventive medicine: you don’t have to wait till you’re sick. I think we’re getting to a point where people would need to start thinking that what they need to spend the most money on is making sure their health is right, and every other thing is secondary.”

“I think at some point we will get there obviously because it is like a learning process, everybody is trying to understand that and that is what we’re trying to do all the time by saying to people, ‘listen, make your health your priority.’ and that’s just the truth. I think that for every single person, whether you’re a child, an adult, you’re old, a concierge is important for everybody; personalised health care is for everyone: it’s not like for anyone in particular.”

“At Annomo Health, it is not all about money”

While we say concierge medicine is for everybody, in reality, not everyone can and would have access to it. There are various reasons why this would happen, with finance being top of the list, but according to Dr Chichi, this is not even always the case.

“When I say concierge is not about money, people don’t understand me sometimes. We had a pregnant, one-off client who wanted us to provide her with accommodation amongst other services. But, unless you have a maternity package where we’re constantly looking after you, it is a one-off service: we get you to the [OB/GYN who] is going to look after you and your baby. We settle you in and we walk away.”

“But because the woman was coming with a child [and] had no assistance … we offered to give a complimentary concierge service for free. [Unfortunately] from day one that she arrived, it was all abusive, everything was wrong [and] we could never make her happy. And trust me, it wasn’t the hormones. So we then discontinued the complimentary service that we had offered her, and we did instead hand her over to her gynaecologist to look after her.”

“I know this sounds a bit arrogant for us, [but] we don’t care how much you’re bringing into the business. If the relationship is not working we will refund. And we refunded all her money, to be honest. We refunded every single service that she had paid for, and let her gynaecologist look after her while we just hovered to make sure she was ok.”

There’s another instance where Annomo Health could decide not to extend its concierge services to a client. “If we look at [the medical reports we get from the patient’s country]  and think that making an out-of-country trip is a waste of time for the family in terms of the prognosis, whether they’re in the UK, in Nigeria, Ghana, wherever else; we will call the family and advise them not to come abroad because it is a waste of money. Because what you don’t want is people spending all this money and the outcome is still the same. Over the last 10 years, we’ve turned down about maybe 5 patients. Maybe more than that actually … it’s us saying that we don’t think it is going to work.”

“People think [personalised healthcare] is a luxury service, [but] it actually saves you a lot of money”

Speaking about membership tiers and benefits at Annomo Health, Dr Chichi clearly states that, “at the moment, we have 5 tiers of membership for the private members club. One is called the ‘travelling membership’ and it gives access to health care in both the UK and the US, including emergency services in the US. And it is actually only available to travelling executives through their companies; it is not for individuals.”

“Then we have the ‘individual membership’, the ‘family membership’, the ‘corporate membership’ and also something called the ‘student membership’. In each of those memberships, there are different cadres of membership. So it starts out with silver to gold to platinum and something called bespoke. And literally what bespoke means is you handpick what services you want, depending on what you want.”

“The family membership at the moment is actually for a husband and a wife, or a couple with 2 children, and the children are add-ons. When you come to corporate membership, it is also for high-level executives. The company has to have at least 3-10 members to be able to access this package. And obviously, each time you add a different person, you get a bit of a discount. And these memberships are targeted at preventative medicine and also give you access to having a personalised doctor, your own personal nurse and a personal health consultant … which means in this case a concierge health consultant who basically can do stuff like your luxury concierge for you, and also do your health things and be your advocate. But then you have a doctor you can call anytime, text, [and] message when you are really stressed out, whatever you want to talk about. And then also you have a nurse that can go out to you.”

“Then we have something called the student membership. Literally, the student membership is for people based in the UK only. And what that does is that if your child is here on private education, we have a pediatric consultant that actually looks after the students. Of course, depending on their ages: if they are more than 18, they don’t have a paediatrician, they now have a general practitioner that looks after them. And again, it’s a personalised service so they can hold them when there is a problem, give them advice, come out and visit them, whatever they want to do and it’s just a yearly membership for the kids also. Because obviously, when kids are abroad, you want to make sure that they are having the best care that they can get.”

“The other thing I didn’t mention with the corporate membership is that we also offer them health education services a few times a year depending on what they want, and this is training people on things like stress management, how to cope with workload, and masterclasses that we do for an hour just to support them. And like I said, each of these memberships can be made bespoke. We have families with three wives, four children: they can just pick what they want and create a personalised package. Because … there is no one fit for everybody in medicine we’ve tried make sure that people can handpick what they want and mix and match, till they get what they need.”

“Now I think that I spoke about the health bit of the membership, but what I forgot to mention is the luxury concierge that comes with it also. So, with the membership, you get access to a concierge assistant who literally would do all the other things you need them to do for you. So if they have to do personal shopping for you, airport pickups [they’ll do it]. Some people might say to me, ‘Listen, I need someone to come and help me pack my bags because I’m travelling’: they can do that also for them.”

“And that’s it, that’s just how it works. That’s the membership..in a nutshell.”

“Concierge Medicine is like having health care in your pocket and walking around with it”

It may appear that concierge healthcare involves moving from one point to the other in search of excellent healthcare. But actually, this is not the case. This niche in medicine is only concerned with one thing: giving the patient real value for their money. And while it may involve travelling, especially if the options the patient seeks are not close by, it does not mean concierge health care cannot be local.

“While we do not offer our services in every single country we can localise our services in the client’s home country. So I’ll give you an example: the services we offer in Nigeria are mostly rehabilitation. If someone has had an operation in the UAE, if they go back to Nigeria, we have a team of people that would manage their aftercare, including a doctor that would go out to see them.”

“And we do that a lot with cancer patients because chemotherapy is really expensive in the UK. So someone comes to the country because they have lymphoma, they come to the UK, they have all their scans done, [and] we do a treatment protocol for them that says they need chemo for 6 weeks. Doing chemo in the UK would cost like, I don’t know, 70,000 pounds. But in Nigeria, it may cost 4 million naira. We would plan the treatment plan in the UK, they would go back to Nigeria. We would find a professor in oncology that can give them the chemo in Nigeria, [and] when they need to have their scans or follow up, [they] come back to the UK to see their professor [who has all the while been] speaking to the one in Nigeria.”

“So we do those types of services for people in their home countries to 1) help them with cost. 2) to help them be able to stay around loved ones when they’re being treated. But they are really handpicked cases, we don’t do it for every single service. The only other way we also do it is that sometimes we’ve flown doctors from here to like Nigeria; we’ve done that a lot with UAE. So we fly doctors from here to go do operations in those countries for patients. So like somebody can say, ‘Listen, I’m in Dubai. I don’t really want to come to the UK, I don’t want to be treated in the UK.’ Because we have partner hospitals we work with, we fly a surgeon from the UK to do the operation for them, because obviously, they can do it in their home country. We have a lot of that also.”

Annomo Health has shown that concierge medicine is clearly a fantastic option for just about anyone seeking more flexible and effective healthcare. But potential subscribers should beware: it is not entirely flexible.

“So let me be honest with you: we’re really not that flexible. We’re very, very strict with rules, not because we’re difficult, but because there is regulation for different things. And we have to be strict about the regulations.”

“Concierge healthcare can work in Africa”

Can concierge medicine become ubiquitous in Africa? Dr Chichi thinks so.

“Actually, we were planning to offer the same services in Nigeria in 2019, [but] then the pandemic happened. And I think Nigeria is the first market for it; that’s my honest opinion. I think it would work in Nigeria: you just have to get it round people’s heads to do it. And I think in the future, yes we will. For me, my ultimate goal is to make sure healthcare in Africa is better and to be honest, I don’t like people coming abroad for healthcare. When I say it, people don’t believe me. What I want is that if Nigeria had those services, then we should be able to utilise them in Nigeria.”

“The problem we have in Nigeria is that people think that nice-looking hospital means they know what they’re doing. It’s all about handpicking people and I know that there’s a lot of groups now in Nigeria saying we can do this. The problem I worry about is … we need to have regulations, we need to have policies in place that actually censor what people are doing. But I think we’re getting there because I am now seeing court cases in Nigeria won by families because doctors screwed up. And I think it is really important because these are human beings. We need to be asking questions.”

“And I think healthcare in Nigeria is fantastic, I think Nigeria has a lot of experienced and seasoned doctors. But I think that we need to put in rules and good regulations to be able to sieve out [the rest]. Like if I was sick in Nigeria, I would go to the teaching hospitals easily, I won’t even be worried because I know that they are very good at what they’re doing. But people don’t see that … there are very good doctors in Nigeria; I know a lot of them and I have spoken to a lot of them.”

“Annomo Health is taking concierge medicine to Turkey”

What then is next for Annomo Health?

“Turkey.”

“So I think we’re going to do business in Turkey. It’s going to take us like one or two months to set it up because there is so much that needs to be done. We’re going to send a few people as [part of a] pilot and then get our board’s approval.”

But of course, expanding any business comes with its unique sets of challenges and learning curves.

“I think scaling the business part is easier because of the people we want to try and get. I think one of our biggest challenges is 2 things.”

“For a long time, you know pre-pandemic, we ran membership by invitation only. Now, there is a one-off service but initially, when we started, we struggled to ensure that we were not offering the same service to people in this category because we were used to our premium healthcare packages. 

“Now that we are scaling even further, we want to be able to ensure that we never dilute the brand or make a mistake with the brand. Because if you’re going to expand and go into new markets, you need to have better options that offer wider, more varied payment options. So not everybody can afford the very expensive people that we work with, but some other people can. We’re trying to navigate that by opening up other countries that are more affordable. We would never stop working with the best people, right? And obviously, the best people cost more money, but what we could do is get the best people in places where the entire health service is cheaper. And that is what we are trying to do. But it’s a bit hard sometimes to navigate all of that.”

Dr Chichi Menakaya: the human behind Annomo Health Services

I cannot leave home without

“My mobile phone and my Macbook. If I don’t have my Macbook my life is not normal.”

I cannot go into a meeting without

“My Macbook. I love it so much, it’s like my best friend. It’s so bad, my Macbook sleeps on my bed.”

A typical day for me would be

“Fun with a bit of stress, and also exciting. I normally get up about 5:30am. If I am operating on that day, I am at work at 7, just to see my patients. Then I operate the whole day: my operating days are an all-day operating day. If I have a clinic day, then it’s not really that busy. But in between, I could have a business meeting or meetings with people. I also love watching movies, that really helps me relax. And I say my prayers and I go to sleep and the next day starts.”

“It’s always different every day. Sundays I do less business work. I spend a lot of time with family over the weekend, in the evenings mostly. My weekends are also full of business meetings for the businesses.”

What are your 3 absolute best cities to visit?

“Paris – it is the love of my life. I’ve been about 1 billion times a year.”

“South Africa – I love South Africa a lot. I’ve been to Cape Town which I really loved.”

“Sicily – I’ve never been to Sicily but Sicily is like the love of my life also. And I am not going to go to Sicily till a special time.”

My most expensive buy is

“I have to confess: I am addicted to shoes and bags. I buy a lot of shoes and bags, like you don’t even want to know. But the most expensive thing I own is a wristwatch I have. It’s nothing that anyone uses. It’s an Italian brand and it’s got real diamonds in it. I can’t remember the name, but I bought it in Italy like 12 years ago. I bumped into Milan and I bought it.”

What are 3 things most people don’t know about you?

“I have a relationship commitment phobia.”

“Even though people think I’m very confident, I still get scared when I have to do a presentation, but people don’t see that. They only see the fact that I am so confident when I’m doing it but deep down I’m scared. I don’t want it to go wrong. But once I say my name, the fear leaves me. My mum used to say to me, you need to remember who you are, whose child you are. So whenever I say my name and hear my name, it makes me remember who I am and it helps me take away that fear.”

“My best friend when I was a child was a dog called Oscar. Till I was 21, my best friend was Oscar, but he died of hepatitis.”

If you were not a doctor, what would have been a natural career path for you?

“It would have been one of multiple things. My natural career path would have been to do charity or missionary work. I love meeting new people because I think life is all about your relationships, your network with people. And I feel like if you can make one person smile if you can take away pain from one person, it works. That’s why I did medicine in the first place.”

“Two, I would have wanted to do fashion which I still do as a doctor. I design clothes. The other thing I would have really wanted to do is business full-time, like buying and selling or owning a shop.”

The post ASPIRE CEO: Dr Chichi Menakaya is Delivering the Ultimate Concierge Medicine Experience first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post ASPIRE CEO: Dr Chichi Menakaya is Delivering the Ultimate Concierge Medicine Experience appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.