Mental Clarity Space

“The time is always right to do what is right,” Martin Luther King. It was 5.00 a.m. and Abdillahi Youssouf was keen not to miss the morning's magical skies. In his meditation, he reflected on the events and journey that had led to visit one of the greatest Islands in the beloved continent. He has been the longest-serving President in Djibouti. The country was, however, undergoing political tensions during the uprising of the Arab Spring. He was privileged to gaze at the slothful sea, ebbing so gently, a reflection of peace in its Neptune-blue glory. The pink beach felt soft like he was walking on a blanket of candy floss. Shimmering pink sand swept around in a scythe of the shore, howling in by towering cliffs. Far out of the ocean, rays saturate the surface with a golden gaze. The horizon seemed woven with a line of silver. Abdillahi was in awe of the aura, as it felt like paradise. The calmness of the ocean reminded him how Djibouti was when he first rose to power. He assumed th...

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attraction,” Albert Einstein. From breathtaking sunsets, sunrises, rainbows and thunderclouds, to enchanting full moons and highways of stars–Zuwarah is a replica of the magical African Skies. Byamungu Zongwe and I nostalgically gazed at the greatest wonder of the world; the horizon. We were reliving the words of Bern Williams, on the impossibility of watching the sunset and not dreaming. Zuwarah is a Berber town forty miles from the Tunisian border and offers the most scenic beach view. With an invitation from Byamungu, I expected the greatest festival in the town, commonly known as the Awassu Festival. It comprises swimming races, sailing and traditional dances on the beaches. The common adage illustrates the shine behind the dark clouds. To Byamungu clouds came floating into his life, no longer carrying rain or ushering a storm, but adding colour to his sunset sky. He was the son of Amunazale and Mpata Zongwe, born and r...