Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has published the new 2010 brochure for its two expedition ships MS HANSEATIC and MS BREMEN, highlighting almost a dozen bilingual (English/German) adventure cruises for next year including the Antarctic Circle, the Northwest Passage, Kamchatka, Norway and Spitsbergen, as well as island paradises in the Indian Ocean.

MS HANSEATIC, the world’s only 5-star expedition ship and the BREMEN, a 4-star expedition ship, were created to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings for a maximum of 184 guests (HANSEATIC) and 164 guests (BREMEN). Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is offering guaranteed cruise prices for UK passengers, avoiding price fluctuations due to floating exchange rates.

Well equipped for travel in difficult waters, both ships hold the highest ice class ranking for passenger vessels (E4). Their shallow drafts and high manoeuvrability allow the ships to enter waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach. Trips with Zodiacs, professional expedition guides, lecturers and experts on the travel destinations make every expedition informative and interesting.

The dedicated bilingual cruises included in the 2010 brochure ensure English-speaking passengers feel comfortable from the moment they step onboard.

Documentation in English onboard includes: daily programs, menus, announcements, lectures/video presentations and safety drill instruction. Wherever possible, shore excursions in the port of call are offered in English on a group or individual basis.

Brochure Highlights – Cooler destinations

Probably the most sought after expedition trip in the world, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will take guests to the Antarctic Circle on the HANSEATIC in February 2010, and will cross the Antarctic Circle in January 2011 on both the BREMEN and on the HANSEATIC.

Trip logistics: from Ushuaia to Puerto Montt, 12 February to 7 March 2010, 23 days, with stops at the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula; cruise only rates start at £7553 per person

In August 2010 the HANSEATIC will sail the legendary Northwest Passage itinerary. This will be the only Northwest Passage voyage available on the expedition cruise market in 2010.

Trip logistics: from Kangerlussuaq to Nome, 16 August to 11 September 2010, 26 days, with stops in Greenland, Cruising in Disko Bay, Baffin Island, Devon Island, Barrow Strait, Northwest Passage and Alaska; rates starting at £11536 per person including the charter flight Hanover – Kangerlussuaq.

Fjords, Glaciers and the Midnight Sun are especially radiant between June and August. MS BREMEN will offer a 16-day Expedition Norway and Circumnavigation of Spitsbergen.

Trip logistics: from Travemuende to Tromsoe, 27 June to 13 July 2010, 16 days, with stops in Norway and the Norwegian fjords, circumnavigation of Spitsbergen, cruising off Bear Island and the Lofoten Islands; rates start at £4279 per person including the charter flight Tromsoe – Hanover.

Home of sea eagles and brown bears, the Kamchatka Expedition cruise in September 2010 onboard MS HANSEATIC will take guests on a unique trip to Japan and the Kuril Islands. This 19-day itinerary departs from Nome, Alaska (via charter flight from Vancouver (included) and ends in Yokohama/Japan.

Trip logistics: From Nome to Yokohama, 8-30 September 2010, 21 days, with stops in Alaska, Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka, Kamchatka, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Japan; cruise only rates start at £6725 per person.

Brochure Highlights – Island Paradises

Warm water voyages are also a highlight in the BREMEN’s calendar. The expedition cruise between Mahe and Mauritius features the exotic Indian Ocean.

Trip logistics: From Mahé to Mauritius, 15 to 29 November 2010, with stops in Seychelles, Comores, Madagascar, Reunion Island and Mauritius; cruise only rates starting at £3657 per person.

The cruise only prices include:

• Full board on the ship
• Soft drinks from the mini-bar in the cabins refilled daily
• Lectures with experts including precaps and recaps for every zodiac or shore excursion
• Zodiac excursions and landings
• On board equipment for free use includes: snorkelling equipment, Nordic walking poles, bikes and kayaks (Bremen)
• Waterproof warm parkas and rubber boots for use whilst onboard
• Travel cancellation and bankruptcy insurance

For more information on these and other Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ exciting destinations and itineraries, visit www.hl-cruises.com  

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has launched a brand new service, Personal Hotelier, across the Crowne Plaza estate throughout Middle East and Africa. Guests staying in Club rooms or on the Crowne Club floor can now enjoy the undivided attention of a hotelier dedicated to catering to their every need.

Crowne Plaza Personal Hotelier is an initiative that provides guests one point of contact, one face, one name and one telephone number to call prior to and during their stay at the hotel. This exclusive service is designed to alleviate the stress of corporate travel, allowing the guest more time and space to think, resulting in making their business trips more efficient and effective.

Commenting on the launch, Haitham Mattar, Director of Marketing Middle East and Africa, said, “Most of our guests are frequent business travellers. While they tend to enjoy travel, it can be exhausting and hectic so we decided to introduce a service to help them get the most of their time with us. “

From the moment a booking for a Club room is made, a member of the Personal Hotelier team will be assigned to the guest, contact them to introduce themselves and then offer them any assistance if required.

A personal hotelier can help guests with everything for business needs, such as updating a presentation, printing documents, making reservations at a restaurant or spa and even personal shopping.

The pilot program, conducted at Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City, received an overwhelmingly good response.

Results from a survey* conducted amongst guests who participated in the program demonstrated that 95 per cent rated the service excellent with regards to its efficiency and usefulness.

The Personal Hotelier service is available to guest who book Club rooms or on the Crowne Club Floor at all Crowne Plaza properties across Middle East and Africa.

Explore Egypt with a tourist guide

Hailed as “the travel service innovation of 2008″ by the Irish Times

OurExplorer facilitates with ease the on-line booking of professional tourist guides from all over the world. Save time and money while you explore your next destination with the wisdom and guidance of a local.

Have you ever thought whilst visiting a new destination, “I wonder where the locals eat, drink, fish, ski, shop or party?” OurExplorer suggests its time for us all to stop simply sight-seeing but rather start exploring with the local wisdom and knowledge of a professional tourist guide.

OurExplorer has launched a new travel concept in BETA, a user-rated tourist guide booking tool created exclusively for your personal travel needs.

As the global financial crisis still looms, OurExplorer can save travellers hassle and money by getting the maximum out of their overseas adventure with a private tourist guide.

Enjoy the insight of the best shopping and value for money dining experiences in a city, directly from a native. Some tourist guides are currently offering special discounted rates and free tour hours on OurExplorer.

OurExplorer promote professional tourist guides only. Pre booking, the traveller can view their experience, license, past client testimonials or even chat with the tourist guide.

OurExplorer launched in July 2008 with now over 400 private tourist guides covering more than 80 countries worldwide — making it the biggest professional tourist guide directory in the world and growing all the time!

Make your trip overseas unique and full of adventure.
You book your flight and accommodation on-line, why not your tourist guide?
Get a tourist guide for land (city guide, mountain guide) or sea (diving guide).

Purpose of OurExplorer:

1. To help tourist guides increase their income thereby benefiting the local community – especially those in poor countries e.g. Kenya, Mexico and Cambodia.

2. Increase cross cultural awareness and acceptance via direct connection with locals e.g. people in USA get the chance to understand those in Pakistan and Israel

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry but it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

“Less than 9.7% of overseas travelers interact in meaningful discussion with a local,” according to the Tourism 2020 Vision reported by WTO.

The IMF concluded in March 2007 that “direct support of independent local businesses when you travel has the most positive results on local economy”.

“Rather than just donating money, OurExplorer is a sustainable long term solution to help low income families globally,” said David Cunningham (Chief Exploring Officer).

When people think of Africa, they think of the big five safari sightings (lion, leopard, elephant, water buffalo, and rhino) or the big five tragedies of the continent (war, genocide, famine, political corruption, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic). But Africa encompasses much more than wildlife and warfare.

Africa is huge. It’s four times the size of the United States. It’s roughly 5,000 miles long and 4,600 miles wide. Africa makes up 20% of the earth’s landmass.

“There’s a whole continent beyond the cliché that appeals to luxury travelers and intrepid adventurers alike,” says Andy Alpine, co-founder of Specialty Travel Index (SpecialtyTravel.com). “The photo safari is still a big draw, of course–where else in the world can you experience the sight of a lion stalking its prey or the magnificent wildebeest migration across Serengeti’s endless plains? You could track wildlife in every country in Africa and still not get tired of it. But there is a rich cache of African experiences that many people don’t discover until their second trip to Africa–and some may overlook it altogether.”

Specialty Travel Index puts hundreds of African vacations from some of Africa’s best outfitters in one easy to navigate web site. Travel agents and travelers can narrow down their choices by country and by type of trip with a couple clicks.

Here’s a look at just a few of the dream-of-a-lifetime African travel experiences from different outfitters that can be found at www.specialtytravel.com and the magazine/directory Specialty Travel Index:

Ghana arts & Culture

Ghana is a kaleidoscope of arts. Palace Travel’s seven day art and culture tour of Ghana gives collectors and culture buffs a unique and up-close cultural experience. Travelers visit a local casket making shop to see a collection of caskets carved in the shapes of various objects depicting traditional beliefs in life after death (the “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie Nungua have been featured in National Geographic and galleries worldwide).

They take drumming and dancing lessons on Kokrobrite Beach and learn to make fufu, ground nut soup, red red, and palava sauce in a Ghanian cooking workshop. Then its’ on to the Ashanti craft villages–Pankrono, where potters create colorful hand-built vessels; Ahwiaa, known for royal stools, walking sticks and fertility dolls; Ntonso where artisans hand-stamp patterns on cotton cloth to make adinkra textiles worn for funerals and other solemn occasions; and Bonwire where the famous Kente cloth is handmade on looms, in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. If your suitcase isn’t stuffed with art by then, it will be after the Kumasi Central Market (also known as Kejetia Market), the largest open-air market in West Africa, where more than 10,000 vendors sell just about everything you could need or want – food, fabric, clothing, furniture, beauty products, and handmade crafts.

PALACE TRAVEL

Diving the Red Sea

The Red Sea, where the desert meets the ocean, is one of the planet’s most fascinating natural sea environments. There are about 200 of coral types and over a thousand species of fish, more species than anybody of water its size. Many divers consider the Red Sea is the best diving in the world world. Lotus International’s Deep Down in the Red Sea diving tour starts in Cairo and gives divers the chance to explore the Abou Dabab Reefs, Elephinstone Reef, Dolphin Reefs (3 dives with the dolphins), St. Johns, Marsa Alam, and West Abu Dabab. LOTUS INTERNATIONAL TOURS

Photographer’s Safaris

There can’t be an amateur or professional photographer alive that hasn’t fantasized about the capturing a shot of lions cubs playing in the grass, a leopard in a tree, or a line of elephants. A professional photographer leads small (10 or fewer) photo-hungry groups on daily game hunts–at a photographers pace–in open vehicles and bushwalks through private game reserves and Kruger National Park. Photographers will spot game from above on an ultra light flight and take a boat through the world’s third largest canyon for hippo and croc shots. In the evening, guests compare shots in the tree house style lodge. AFRICA WILD SAFARIS

Explore the Kalahari

Few parts of Africa can match the mystique of Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. Its unique and striking environment, and its vastness and isolation, leaves a lasting impression on all visitors. In addition to exploring its fragile ecosystem, Travelers with Mountain Travel Sobek’s Kalahari Desert private adventure can experience the cultural richness of the indigenous San (Bushman) people, who live in complete harmony with their environment. From Jack’s Camp, an elegant, traditional East African–style camp (the best in the Kalahari!), you’ll explore the saltpans on quad bikes, search for the elusive brown hyena, and take a walk with a Bushman and learn how the San people have survived for centuries in this harshly beautiful environment.

MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK

Tracking Large Game on Foot in Big Five Territory

An environmentally-friendly tented camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Bateleur Eco Safaris is in the heart of Big 5 territory. Forming a part of the Greater Kruger National Park, all artificial barriers between the reserves have been removed, allowing the wildlife to roam free. Sightings of lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino, cheetah, antelope, and 350 bird species are common. Guides conduct daily bush walks, which teach guests to track large game on foot and provide a fascinating insight into animal behavior. To ensure an authentic wildlife experience, Bateleur Eco Safaris exposes guests to a variety of activities such as bushcraft and survival skills, bringing them closer to nature than ever before.

BATELEUR ECO SAFARIS

Cradle of Voodoo

The Adventure Center offers a journey of extremes through some of Africa’s less-visited countries: Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Traveling through three very different nations, travelers experience diverse cultures and traditional religions, amazing natural attractions, unique architectural styles, friendly people and vibrant local music. From the Gulf of Guinea to the remote nomadic lands in the north of Burkina Faso, travelers visit fetish markets and python temples, spend a night in a traditional stilt village, witness fire-dancing and mask ceremonies and explore the vast expanse of the Burkinabe Sahel. Sometimes, they are even granted an audience with King Maiga Belko at Arabinda. Adventure Center

Maasailand Safari

One of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime”, this is the chance to explore the African savanna on foot with Maasai warriors, share stories with elders, discuss world issues of common concern, learn about wildlife conservation and animal husbandry, women’s issues, rites of passage, and discover the fine arts of beading, traditional healing, music and dance, all from a base of specially built guest bungalows in the Maasai village of Merrushi. WILDLAND ADVENTURES

Birding in Egypt

Egypt is a bridge between continents offering migratory species the perfect route for their annual flights from Europe and Asia. A wide variety of Egyptian habitats ranging from high rugged mountains to desert and tropical style jungle along the Nile basin, give it a unique character plus the diversity needed to attract an extremely wide range of bird life– over 430 species of birds are found in Egypt. Travel Egypt, in addition to Nile cruises classic Nile Valley tours, operates a tour during the anticipated peak of migrations to afford birders a vacation with the maximum chance to view and photograph the widest variety possible. Birders visit to important antiquity sites and oasis in both upper and lower Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula with its beautiful beaches, incredible undersea life, and bountiful collection of bird life. TRAVEL EGYPT

Spotting Gorilla and Chimps in Uganda

Uganda’s longest operating Safari provider (operating since 1959), Kimbla-Mantana African Safaris, combines luxury tent camps with real beds, comfortable furniture, thick rugs, and fully stocked dining and bar tents (this isn’t roughing it), with game viewing tin a private fleet of 4×4 Land cruisers. Lake Mburo Camp is set in a beautiful game park that has a wide range of Africa’s wildlife; Bwindi Forest Camp is the base for mountain gorilla treks; and Kibale Forest Camp is the forested base for chimpanzee spotting. Kimbla-Mantana African Safaris

These, and many other African experiences (as well as a myriad of special interest and adventure travel adventures), can be found in Specialty Travel Index and on www.SpecialtyTravel.com

STI is easy to use, on the web site with the “Find Your Adventure” search mechanism indexing tours by both interest/activity (Yacht Charter, Wine Tours,) and destination (Costa Rica, France) and in the magazine using similar choices. Subscriptions to the magazine cost $10 per year (Canada $15; other foreign $25) for two issues: July (Fall/Winter) and January (Spring/Summer). Send orders to: info@specialtytravel.com or order online at www.specialtytravel.com

Boutique Safari Operator Now Offering Carbon Neutral Travel

BOULDER/ DENVER, CO – Africa Adventure Consultants continues to lead the industry with innovative safari design, and now they are pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive effort to reduce carbon emissions as well. Africa Adventure Consultants has joined forces with Sustainable Travel International (STI) on its pioneering TravelGreen™ program, which allows Africa Adventure Consultants to offer carbon neutral safaris to travelers. Africa Adventure Consultants is STI’s first African safari operator partner implementing a sophisticated program that offers carbon offsets on every safari the company sells.

“Carbon neutral” means the point at which greenhouse gas emissions have been identified, measured, reduced where possible, and 100% of the remaining emissions have been offset through high quality renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. Total greenhouse gas emissions are a factor of the air travel to get to Africa as well as the style of safari people enjoy. Sustainable Travel International assists in determining the total greenhouse gas emission per traveler, and Africa Adventure Consultants then absorbs 50% of that amount and provides the option for the traveler to offset the remaining 50%.

“We’ve found that our clients not only appreciate our initiative to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems of Africa, but appreciate being given the voluntary opportunity to contribute directly as well.” said Kent Redding, President of Africa Adventure Consultants. “Earlier this year we worked to make our Denver office 100% carbon neutral, we continue to carefully select game areas in Africa that operate under sensitive environmental standards and now feel that Carbon Neutral travel is the next logical step. What does this mean for our clients? We are providing a way to travel to Africa with a limited negative impact on the environment.”

Africa Adventure Consultants also works with their African partner companies to reduce CO2 emissions by implementing solar and wind power schemes, reduce wood burning, protect land to create carbon sinks, and more.

Proceeds from purchased offsets are invested by Sustainable Travel International into high-impact sustainable development projects, including reforestation, renewable energy and energy conservation. These projects, which also benefit local communities, are located throughout Africa and other regions. Sustainable Travel International provides carbon offset projects that are independently verified by third-party sources.

The projects must verifiably reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to the CDM Gold Standard, consistent with the principles of the Kyoto Protocol, or meet the standards set forth by the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance. In 2007 Sustainable Travel International received the highest ranking in an independent study of carbon offsetting programs commissioned by the environmental group Clean Air-Cool Planet.

About Sustainable Travel International

Sustainable Travel International is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help travelers and travel-related companies protect the environmental, socio-cultural and economic needs of the places they visit, and the planet at large.

About Africa Adventure Consultants

Denver-based Africa Adventure Consultants organizes safari adventures throughout East and Southern Africa, with destinations including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Victoria Falls. The company sells destinations they know personally and offer guests assurance of strong on-the-ground partnerships with only the best local companies. Africa Adventure Consultants supports a variety of African conservation organizations, community-based tourism programs and humanitarian causes. With an eye on personal service, the principals create customized trips for individuals and small groups.

To learn more, please call 1.866.778.1089.

It’s true that humans do a lot more damage to shark populations than vice versa. Marine biologists report that sharks are in rapid decline around the world. In the North Atlantic Ocean, shark populations have declined more than 50 percent over the past 20 years alone, with some species now nearing extinction.

Experts see the primary cause as overfishing, which depletes sharks as well as their prey. Sharks are especially vulnerable to illegal “longlines” (fishing nets strung across dozens if not hundreds of miles of ocean), where they get inadvertently snared along with the tuna and swordfish fishermen intend to catch.

Rising demand for shark fin soup in is also contributing to the demise of sharks. According to a report by Wildaid, shark fins are among the most expensive seafood products in the world, selling for some $700 per kilogram on the Hong Kong market. With prices like that, many longline fishermen, who are already operating illegally, are happy to augment their incomes by “finning” a few sharks along the way. (Finning is the practice of removing a fin from a shark and discarding the rest of the carcass at sea.)

Often, threatened wildlife species manage to maintain their numbers in spite of excessive human predation. But sharks face an especially uphill battle, says renowned shark expert Ransom Myers, because they “take a long time to mature and have relatively few babies.”

So what is being done to save sharks? In the U.S., the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act is the primary law that oversees the conservation of U.S. fisheries and has established various management regulations for 39 species of sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. It outlaws finning if the carcass is discarded but not if the rest of carcass is kept, clearly an unfortunate loophole.

The U.S. also helped develop a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization treaty (the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks) whereby 87 countries agreed to develop their own plans for the conservation of sharks. However, only two countries—the U.S. and Australia—have lived up to the agreement. The U.S. plan is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has been working with regional fisheries authorities to make sure fishermen are sticking to cautiously low quotas regarding the number of sharks they are allowed to catch.

What can consumers do to save the sharks? The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California urges consumers to avoid all shark products, not just on restaurant menus but also all souvenirs such as jaws and teeth, and shark-cartilage pills, which have been touted as cancer cures but which have been proven to be completely ineffective and are now widely considered a scam. The aquarium also encourages consumers to support with their pocketbooks conservation groups working to protect sharks and oceans, and specifically those working to set aside marine reserves that are off-limits to fishing.

CONTACTS: Wildaid, http://www.wildaid.org/  Monterey Bay Aquarium, www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek , or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com  Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php

Kipungani Explorer Lamu Island Introduces New Sailing Activities

East Africa’s most romantic coastal getaway, Kipungani Explorer, also became one of its most adventurous on October 1st, when the region’s most experienced watersports provider launched a host of new ocean- and creek-based activities at this legendary Lamu Island resort.

Buccaneer Diving, home of Kenya’s only PADI 5-star Instructor Diving School at The Voyager in Mombasa, officially launched a thrilling schedule of watersports activities and excursions at Kipungani. In addition to the resort’s existing fleet of five sea kayaks, guests now have access to five brand new windsurfers, two agile Laser funboats, and two child-friendly Topper dinghies. Sailing excursions are free of charge to all guests, while an experienced instructor is also on hand to provide lessons to less experienced sailors.

The sailing activities supplement a lively schedule of existing oceanic activities, including deep-sea fishing, waterskiing, tubing, and snorkelling on the colorful reefs of Manda Toto and Kinyika islands – famed as the home of Kenya’s most fearlessly friendly dolphins. Kipungani is also blessed with three of its own traditional Arab sailing dhows, which provide the ultimate in romantic sundowners and enchanting champagne cruises.

Heritage Management Ltd., operating eight of Kenya’s premier safari camps, resorts and lodges, strives to bring back to East Africa the top quality service for which the region is rightfully known. The Explorer Collection, including Lamu’s Kipungani Explorer and the Masai Mara’s Mara Explorer, offers travelers stunning five-star style and intimate and exclusive settings. The Intrepids Safari Camps and Lodge collection, including Mara Intrepids, Samburu Intrepids, Siana Springs and the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort, provide for a classic African safari experience. And the Voyager Resorts and Safari camps, including the Voyager Beach Resort and the Voyager Safari Camp, provide a “three-plus star” experience for families looking for an affordable African safari experience.

For more information, please visit http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/

In contrast to opinions and perceptions reported in the past, a majority of women business travelers currently believe the airline industry treats them equally as well as their male counterparts. The data was gathered as part of a new survey conducted by the American Small Business Travelers Alliance (ASBTA), a national alliance that provides valuable services and functions focused specifically on the travel needs and interests of small business owners. Of the female business travelers surveyed, 54 percent responded that they are treated the same as men when traveling. Slightly less (52 percent) believe they are treated as valuable customers by the airlines.

Respondents indicated that three airlines websites do the best at catering to their needs. American Airlines (22 percent) was ranked first, followed by Delta (21 percent), with Southwest (19 percent) coming in third. April 2007, American Airlines introduced the airline industry’s first web page dedicated to women who travel. The survey also revealed that women increasingly prefer to utilize the internet for air travel needs. Significantly, in the past 12 months, 85 percent of respondents used the internet to book travel with 78 percent booking directly through airline websites. Finally, women are taking advantage of the improvements made by airlines websites. They find it easier to research air travel (78 percent) and purchase air travel (84 percent) than in the past. For more information, visit www.asbta.com .  

“Kenya is not just about Lions, Giraffes and fast running me it’s also about Studios and Hip-hop” – Tedd Josiah, Music Producer Hip-hop Colony is one of the first films to actively capture the hip-hop revolution in Africa while upgrading the image of the continent.

Http://www.hiphopcolony.com

Hip-hop artists are changing the World one colony at a time. Like a moth to a flame, Hip-hop’s grip on the world tightens because it’s not just music it’s a way of life and for that reason…Kenya is not just about Lions, Giraffes and fast running me it’s also about Studios and Hip-hop – Tedd Josiah, Music Producer

Emerge Media Films embarks on a mission to upgrade the image of Africa. It’s not just films, but a movement to rejuvenate Africa’s urban image. Hip-hop Colony is their first film to break ground and gather a mainstream distribution deal in North America (US & Canada), through Image Entertainment. The film is being lauded for rallying and opening opportunities for artists featured in the film to score soundtracks for Hollywood films, such as Constant Gardener and Primeval. In addition to that, some of the artists have earned MTV Europe Music Awards Nominations. Jeff Chang’s recently released Total Chaos, a book revered for illuminating the special truth that hip-hop speaks to youth around the globe, featured Hip-hop Colony as one of the main reference sources.

The world may be waiting for Hip-hop’s Next big thing to emerge from the ghettos of Brooklyn, Detroit or LA., but tomorrow’s hip-hop leaders are coming straight out of Dakar, Lagos, Cape Town or Nairobi. 

This critically acclaimed and award winning feature documentary film, celebrates how hip-hop, despite being birthed in the States, continents away, is impacting Africa. Hip-hop Colony opens a new and exciting chapter for hip-hop. It focuses on Kenya where it highlights the issues and politics that affect youth culture.

The DVD includes the successful premiere of the film in Kenya, that earned the film it’s legitimacy as a cultural export and a catalyst in legitimizing the music industry in Kenya.

Hip Hop Colony is both entertaining as it is educational, as a result it has been screened at numerous institutions for higher learning including the prominent Harvard University amongst others. The film features intimate interviews and performances by renown Kenyan Hip-hop artists as Bamboo, Kalamashaka and Necessary Noise, who have all toured internationally amongst others.

The film has accumulated multiple accolades in the film festival circuit including the prestigious Hip Hop Odyssey award held in New York for best documentary feature film.

WINNER – Best Feature Documentary Award at the H20 International Film Festival.

WINNER – Best Urban Documentary Award at the Houston Black film Festival.

WINNER – Best Feature Documentary Award at the Oakland International Film

FOR MORE VISIT http://www.hiphopcolony.com/

African Adventure Atlas Our comprehensive atlas features detailed history maps photos and highlights of each region as well as chapters on adventure activities and tourism.

RETOSA (Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa) has put its Community Based Tourism Directory online.

The directory offers a guide to off-the beaten path ecological discoveries including a look into various African cultures, destinations, guides and top safari locations. These are areas where individuals and communities wish to take advantage of the growth in tourism in Southern Africa but are not usually found in regular tourism brochures.

The online directory provides a comprehensive guide to tourists and travel agents of diverse new cultural perspectives and experiences and to the species-rich ecosystems of RETOSA’S 14 member countries.

It also includes information about mountaintops, gorges, areas of archeological importance and sacred places in village-protected sites as well as game viewing. The directory also lists different ways travelers can visit real villages, weekly markets, traditional healers and elders, development projects such as bee-keeping, cheese factories, brick-making, and farming systems as well as where to find unusual crafts such as baskets, wood carvings, etc., and cultural performances of traditional dancing and music are included.

The products offered in this directory are a reflection of the determination of people who seek to foster local community participation in tourism. The members of RETOSA include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For more information, visit http://www.retosa.co.org/