The 37-year-old South African soccer midfielder says he
could move to the English city for its sense of serenity and calm.



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South Africa’s former national football player Reneilwe
‘Yeye’ Letsholonyane started playing in the streets of Soweto but his fame has
often taken him beyond the soccer pitches of South Africa.



Also a fashion entrepreneur and co-founder of the
newly-established ShaYe lounge, the veteran midfielder recounts the indelible
memories of his most recent holiday to Manchester with his wife, sports
presenter Mpho Letsholonyane.



“In the off season of 2018, I had just gotten married. I personally love Jay-Z and my wife loves Beyoncé; and they were having their On The Run 2 tour in Manchester; a major city in the northwest of England.”



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Executive Travel: Mpho Popps’ Ghana (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2019/07/25/executive-travel-mpho-popps-ghana/" target="_blank">Executive Travel: Mpho Popps’ Ghana</a>



Letsholonyane had also always wanted to go to Paris, a major
European city and global center for art, fashion, food and culture, so flew to
Manchester via the French capital. 



The newly-weds spent a few days in Paris and thereon
proceeded to Manchester for the concert, flying Air France on both sectors. 



“Funnily enough, the economy class on Air France is not as
squashed as the economy class on South African Airlines. You’d expect an
uncomfortable flight, but that wasn’t the case. There was enough room to
stretch your legs and recline your seat,” says the footballer. 



Upon landing and clearing customs, a shuttle was waiting for the two to be chauffeured through the city to their hotel. The 40-minute drive was what the 37-year-old says he enjoyed the most. It made him reflect and draw comparisons between his home country and Europe.



At the age of 23, Letsholonyane’s professional career had
kicked-started, but it was in 2008 that he joined one of South Africa’s biggest
teams, the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, for an eight-year stint. 



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Receiving the call to represent Bafana Bafana for the 2010
World Cup was a moment he recalls vividly.



“We were at camp, and told to check out from the hotel and go home. We were to find out from the media, like other citizens, if we had been selected to play. I remember I was in the streets and didn’t want to focus on the media because I was nervous, panicking and excited. 



 “My parents broke the news to me, but there was more cheering in my hometown and outside my parent’s home. A soccer pitch and jersey with my number and surname were painted in the streets.”



It was a moment that led to fame and more travels. He flips back to Manchester, gushing about the city’s architecture as he was equally captivated by the serenity of the city and its mild-mannered people.



“The standalone houses are the kind you see on television,
with no walls. People that side don’t seem to be worried about burglaries. It
seems like the crime rate is low. It’s quiet and it’s the quiet that I like. I
remember saying to my wife, ‘I could stay here’.”&nbsp; 



<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2019/06/04/nomzamo-mbathas-kenya/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Executive Travel: Nomzamo Mbatha’s Kenya (opens in a new tab)">Executive Travel: Nomzamo Mbatha’s Kenya</a>



Letsholonyane admits to seeking alone time to think and
ruminate. 



Ironically, for the footballer, the Beyoncé and Jay-Z
concert was in the home of a football club. 



Like all tourists, the couple traveled to Etihad Stadium,
the home of Manchester City Football Club, where the musical extravaganza was
to take place. 



“We were told to use the train; luckily, it was a
five-minute walk to the station. We got there but the people around us showed
us what to do and where to go. We got off at a station, only to find out we had
to wait for another train and it was packed. Then I started thinking about the
hassle of getting into the stadium,” he says.



Letsholonyane and his wife dribbled their way through busy subways in Manchester to watch their favorite musicians on stage.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Getting to Etihad Stadium was a pain-free experience. We got there early and people were idling outside. We went straight in and got seats in the front. There was no opening act, just the artists’ music playing. </blockquote>



Then the lights went dimmer and dimmer. 



“It was time, we were about 10 meters away, and we saw them
closely. Then it started raining. You’d think people would run for cover but
no, people were just enjoying themselves. It was two and half hours of Beyoncé
and Jay-Z and an experience never to be forgotten,” he says.



It was well after 1AM when the couple reached their hotel.
“There was nothing that made us uncomfortable about walking the streets of
Manchester at night. It felt like day.” 



The night ended with rain, rounding off a day so different
from playing under the hot African sun in the soccer fields of South Africa.

gettyimages-461023224-594×594

Executive Travel: Reneilwe Letsholonyane’s Manchester

The South African actor immerses herself in all things Kenyan, from the natural wonders to cultural experiences, and has an awakening.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



It’s a Wednesday afternoon in Sandton, South Africa, and the
sun is a couple of hours away from its daily disappearance down the horizon.
FORBES AFRICA makes a phone call. A voice at the other end says a deep “hello”.
It is award-winning South African actor and entrepreneur Nomzamo Mbatha, who is
in New York City and has just woken up. 



From the Big Apple, her mind travels to Africa.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="924" height="619" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo1.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40770" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo1.png.png 924w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo1.png-300x201.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo1.png-600x402.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo1.png-768x514.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption> Nomzamo Mbatha describes Kenya as the warmest place in Africa. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



When she’s not scorching television screens, in the award-winning South African drama-series, Isibaya, Mbatha spends a lot of time traveling. 



She has been to 13 countries, but as an African, none has
made her feel at home quite like Kenya. 



She describes it as the warmest place in Africa and speaks
of her endearing memories of the East African country. 



“Kenya makes you feel like you should live there. Kenya
makes you feel like you’re at home&#8230;” says Mbatha.



She traveled there for the first time when she was 16,
handpicked by Save the Children, a non-governmental organization promoting
children’s rights, as one of three South African children representing the
country at a conference hosted by Kenya.



Mbatha recounts her first impressions. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo2.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40771" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo2.png.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo2.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo2.png-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo2.png-768x509.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption>Nomzamo Mbatha traveled to Kakuma on a United Nations mission in 2018. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



“I remember seeing furniture doors just piled up on the side
of the road and thought ‘whoa! I’ve never seen this’ and then I just remember
Kenya having lots and lots of bananas. 



“Because we were always on a bus, we didn’t get to see it
(Kenya). My misconception of it, as a child, was that there’s not much to do as
a tourist.”



In 2018, Mbatha was in Kenya again, flying first class on
Kenya Airways with a carry-on and two big bags. “I don’t know how to travel
light,” she confesses. 



She recalls there were times in the earlier years as a
traveler when she would pack everything, leave the house and get to the airport
only to realize she wasn’t carrying her passport. 



“So passport… that’s like your golden item! The number two [must-have item] I’d say is sneakers. It’s always great to have comfortable
sneakers so you’re able to walk around the city, around the towns and just be
comfortable. So always carry sneakers no matter what! 





<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="638" height="475" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo5.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40774" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo5.png.png 638w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo5.png-300x223.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo5.png-600x447.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px" /><figcaption>Nomzamo Mbatha in Kenya. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



“Number three – I always have a nice little bag of small
decanted toiletries. I have like 20 different things that I use. 



“So when you’re traveling, especially long-haul flights, you
want to be able to have your [face] cream because you don’t want to end up
using what the airline gives you&#8230; 



“When I’m traveling and connecting flights, I always make
sure I go to the bathroom and use my products and keep my skin hydrated and
clean. 



“And, of course, the fourth must-have, is a book; it’s
always a great travel mate.” 



On her last trip to Kenya, Mbatha traveled with her manager
and they were scheduled to fly out to Kakuma on a United Nations mission,
however, she requested three days to be in Nairobi before the trip. 



“I really just wanted to experience it and see more of it.
Also, I was in a space where I hadn’t traveled in a while. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="927" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo3.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40772" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo3.png.png 927w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo3.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo3.png-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo3.png-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px" /><figcaption>Nomzamo Mbatha visited the K1 Flea Market in Kenya. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></div>



&nbsp;“It completely
changed me. I went to the K1 Flea Market which is so amazing. Everybody has a
smile. Everybody is so welcoming. 



“I got to go to the Maasai Market which is absolutely
fantastic. And there is so much art and craft you can find there&#8230; And then
the fanciest restaurants; five-star restaurants they don’t tell you about, that
they don’t show you. The party scene in Kenya is amazing. And what I really
loved about Kenya is I felt completely safe.”



She then explored the Karura Forest, saved from
deforestation by conservationists led by the late Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, leader of the Green Belt Movement, and environmental and
political activist). Karura presented the most memorable moments for Mbatha
while in Kenya.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="462" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo6.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40773" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo6.png.png 462w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo6.png-300x400.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo6.png-225x300.png 225w" sizes="(max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px" /><figcaption> Nomzamo Mbatha enjoys the meal at the K1 Flea Market in Kenya. Picture: Supplied </figcaption></figure></div>



“It was lush. And it was just inspiring to know that a
woman’s name was behind all of this. I just remember thinking how massive it
was. We just stood there and it was one of the best experiences of my life… it
was beautiful. For me, it was better than seeing the Eiffel Tower. It’s nothing
like you’ve ever seen.” 



While the visit to Karura Forest left Mbatha in awe, it also
taught her a valuable lesson. 



“It was emotional in the sense that there is so much we can
do for the planet. And it implores one to really do better in terms of our own
social responsibility when it comes to environmental sustainability.” 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="462" height="614" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo8.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40775" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo8.png.png 462w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo8.png-300x399.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nomzamo8.png-226x300.png 226w" sizes="(max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px" /><figcaption> Nomzamo Mbatha outside the K1 Flea Market in Kenya. Picture: Supplied </figcaption></figure></div>



Mbatha says the African continent has much to learn from
Kenya. 



“A lot of innovative businesses in Kenya [are] self-started.
The government of Kenya is very cognizant of the fact they are not going to
bring international brands. In fact, they empower local brands to start their
own businesses, down to potato crisps. It’s very motivating for people to have
the entrepreneurial spirit,” says the globetrotter in love with Africa.

Nomzamo9

Executive Travel: Nomzamo Mbatha’s Kenya

The South African fashion designer is enamored by the haunting beauty of the capital of the Czech Republic.

One of South Africa’s top fashion designers and entrepreneurs, JJ Schoeman, whose eponymous brand has kept him in circulation for decades amongst the country’s swish set, may hail from Highveld, Centurion, but his favorite place in the world is the Czech Republic.
When not styling Johannesburg’s fashionable elite, he holidays abroad, particularly in Europe.
His last trip was to Prague, over the Christmas and New Year vacations. It’s his favorite city, where he loves taking strolls on the countless bridges crossing the Vltava River.
This city’s baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the landmark medieval astronomical clock have never ceased to amaze him.
“The city gives one the chills as one gets a haunting feeling just strolling around. The buildings and towers have a characteristic Gothic look and feel. The feeling I got when strolling over the many bridges over the river Vltava, was [as though] a vampire would possibly appear, somewhere, somehow…,” says Schoeman.
“We flew economy class and did the whole of Europe by first-class train. The plan was just economical. If you are going to do a big holiday with lots of things, then you better make sure you have enough money. Imagine flying for R100,000 ($7,000); then there’s a whole budget that’s gone, so it’s better fly for R10,000 ($700), because you have so many things to do.”
The other European cities he visited included Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam.
He has gone up the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the orchestras and operas in Vienna.
Prague impressed Schoeman the most and he booked himself into the best accommodation the city could offer, also visiting cathedrals, palaces and museums. He shopped too. Schoeman loves crystal and Prague specializes in it.
Besides that, the clothing stores are ubiquitous and the pricing very affordable, says the designer.
“Usually when I travel, I travel as light as possible as I like to shop for all sorts of things that are beautiful and sometimes wearable. I often buy luggage to return with my shopping, as I run out of space in my hand luggage. Only the clothes I wear on the flight go with me and I buy everything else that I need there, even toothpaste.”
Schoeman usually decides the budget beforehand.

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“It’s just simpler to spend within your budget and in their currency, as one has already decided how much that is,” he says.
However, Schoeman does not convert foreign currency to South African rands; he simply does not see the point.
On the plane, he catches up on all the movies he has missed during the year.
“Simply, as there is often not much time for cinema,” he says.
“On a long-haul flight, I do like to take a nap after watching a few films. Often, I have engaged in light conversation with fellow passengers, but it really depends if one makes the connection.”
When not making clothes for brides, businesswomen and celebrities, Schoeman is traveling and the Czech Republic will always be top of the list for the fashionista from Centurion.

SAFW-258-MM

Executive Travel: JJ Schoeman’s Prague

Every time she visits, the Princess of Africa is blown away by the love, respect and order she finds in Japan. 

FORBES AFRICA meets singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka, fondly called the ‘Princess of Africa’, in her home office in the wealthy suburb of Bryanston in the north of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Framed pictures of her travels and accolades as a musician and humanitarian adorn the walls.
On her desk are a stack of magazines, some of them in Japanese.
One of the covers has Chaka Chaka posing with a mic in one hand, the other held out.
The cover line reads: ‘We love Japan. Hold my hand and we will walk together’.
<blockquote>“I love the Japanese so much and they really love me back,” says Chaka Chaka glancing at the magazine. And she has traveled to Japan too many times to count.</blockquote>
But nothing beats the first time she visited the country.
Ten years ago, she was invited to attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
Traveling from the City of Gold, Johannesburg, to high-tech Tokyo, she could immediately tell she had entered brand-new territory.
The language, the food, the cultures were so different.
“Japan is just too nice. There are so many people but it is so clean,” says Chaka Chaka.
“I remember my first time when one of the organizations that we worked with, wanted me to go to a place called Kamaishi, where there was an earthquake and I agreed and said that’s fine,” she says.
Little did she know it was going to be a trip she would never forget. She traveled with her humanitarian advisor.
“They said we were going on a train. Ah I was so angry. I said, ‘what! I don’t get in a train’.”
Chaka Chaka prefers road travel but she nevertheless obliged.
“So we got to the station and I saw people with suitcases and I don’t like carrying suitcases. So we did and we got onto the platform and it’s just packed and packed.
“The station there is like the airport, it’s massive but with more people on the trains. It’s like hundreds of platforms and ‘I’m like, I don’t want to be here’.”
They were about to board the Shinkansen, Japan’s high-speed railway, which is a bullet train. 
To her surprise, it exceeded her expectations.
“We got into the train and the order!” she now exclaims.
“There’s so much order it hurts.”
“When the train comes, it stops right here and people queue, there’s no chaos.”
Chaka Chaka watched in awe as everyone waited in a line.
“Arigato gozaimasu [thank you],” she hears some of the staff say to the passengers and bow in respect.
“You know that bending, it shows the love and respect. Everything is just respect, order, cleanliness and meticulous. The Japanese are so meticulous and there’s a lot that we can learn,” says the singer.
During her trip, she also visited Kumamoto which is a city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. They were just recovering from heavy rainfall that had caused floods and landslides.

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“Families were staying in makeshift houses and parents brought their kids to a place where I was talking. And it was so amazing. These kids were like three-year-olds and four-year-olds and they would leave their shoes and you would see hundreds of shoes packed nicely,” she says.
“They are taught from such a young age… and they don’t take what’s not theirs.”
“I had the chance to sit with the advisor of the prime minister and I was asking them, ‘how do you get things so much in order?’ And they said, ‘you know, we teach kids from school. When children finish at school they clean the classes’.”
The famous African was also impressed by the recycling bins available throughout the towns, a bin for every kind of waste.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2018/09/28/executive-travel-wajes-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Executive Travel: Waje’s South Africa</a>
“That one is for paper, that one is for bottles and that one is for this… And I was feeling so bad because I had finished and I threw in a bottle of water in the wrong bin,” she recalls, laughing.
“There’s a lot we can learn from just loving ourselves, respecting ourselves, respecting time and respecting culture. The Japanese still abide by their culture, you know. I mean they wear their kimonos with love,” she says.
She also had the chance to wear her own kimono, which she enjoyed.
That first trip gave her so much insight she frequently visited Japan.
The one place she often visits is Kamaishi to support children affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that tore the city apart.
She has even been given the title of ambassador to Kamaishi City.
Her last visit in March was to Masaka, a central region in Japan, where she was with a Japanese NGO for children called Ashinaga. Her next trip will be in March next year and she is already looking forward to it.
As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Chaka Chaka has the opportunity to travel to numerous countries, but it’s clearly the land of the rising sun that has marked many a new dawn for the Princess of Africa.

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Executive Travel: Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s Japan

The Nigerian vocalist and agri-preneur on everything from Obama to Mandela and being inspired by nature in South Africa.

On a cold July evening in Johannesburg, Nigeria’s leading vocalist, simply known as Waje, emerges on stage to thunderous applause from a packed room of 200 Africans. They have been selected from across the continent by former American President Barack Obama for the inaugural 2018 Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa Program.
Waje delivers a flawless note-for-note rendition of her trademark performance, which has won her accolades across Africa and secured her a place as one of the celebrity coaches on the The Voice Nigeria talent show unearthing undiscovered vocalists competing for the final prize.
Singing in near operatic fashion, her powerful vocals energize the room in South Africa, turning the night celebrating leadership into an impromptu concert.
For Waje, this performance was significant on two fronts.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2018/08/23/executive-travel-kwestas-senegal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Executive Travel: Kwesta’s Senegal</a>
As a member of the ONE Campaign, an international advocacy organization of more than nine million around the world taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, she has been a fierce activist in Nigeria, lending her voice to fight for better health. Through her work with the ONE Campaign, she is using advocacy and pop culture to drive that narrative and that is what brings her to Johannesburg tonight, to share the successes of the program.
The second reason for her trip, however, is a lot less selfless.
“My favorite destination at the moment is South Africa because I headlined the Africa Day Concert here and two years ago, I did something with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and I immediately fell in love with the country. I feel it has always taken something from me and I always feel like I am bringing something to the table, so that is why I love South Africa,” says Waje.
Amongst her favorite cities are Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
“I love the weather in South Africa; it is not always too hot. I love that it is Africa but it can compete with anywhere in the world. I think the culture here is deep and rich and I like that no matter how advanced they are with technology, you can still tell a South African either by the way they dress or their accessories. There is still something very African about them.”
Outside her advocacy work, which is her main attraction to the region, it is the warm reception she receives here that has also led to the place becoming a home from home.
<div id="attachment_37271" style="width: 211px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37271" class="size-medium wp-image-37271" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-201x300.jpg" alt="" width="201" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-201x300.jpg 201w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-300x448.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-600x896.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-768x1147.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146-686x1024.jpg 686w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-148715146.jpg 1371w" sizes="(max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px" />Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa</div>
“I get more of an ovation outside Nigeria so I enjoy performing more outside Nigeria in places like South Africa because it also teaches me to treat myself a little bit more. But I get more when I am here and I think people here love Nigeria a lot so they embrace me, embrace my style and embrace my music so I actually enjoy it.”
This July trip is special to the soulful crooner because it comes at a time when, according to Waje, there is a movement of young leaders from all over the continent drawing from each other’s energy to build the future.
“There is just something magical about this place and its ability to galvanize the younger generation. I think Mandela was the catalyst of that movement and that spirit still lives on. Many times people say young people are the future but the truth is we are the now, we need to start now. We can see the president of France who is so young and the things he is looking to achieve means all young people should start looking forward and making that happen wherever they are,” she says.
It seems Obama also shares her love for South Africa. The first convening of his cohort is in Johannesburg over a five-day period where leaders learn a range of skills-building and leadership concepts to help them impact their communities.
For Waje, her platform drives her to achieve more.
“The glitz and glam is great and people loving your music is great but then what? You have to go into the hearts of people by actually doing stuff for them; that is where true success comes from,” she says.
Traveling has become somewhat of a therapeutic experience for her. As a creative, it helps her overcome writers’ block that affects most songwriters. In addition, her travels have also unlocked new entrepreneurial pursuits.
<div id="attachment_37272" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37272" class="wp-image-37272 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="494" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GettyImages-171579753.jpg 1654w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />Multicolored lighting on Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg city.</div>
“Travel is good because when you travel, you pick bits and pieces of different cultures, which will help you. For a long time, outside of being a musician, I always thought about agriculture but I did not know how I was going to do it. One of the reasons I started my agriculture business was because I realized that nature was something I enjoyed and I did not realize that until I traveled to South Africa,” says Waje.
Her voice has taken her to places far and near where she has performed before kings and presidents. Many may call her lucky but she does not believe in coincidences. It is all part of life’s grand design according to Waje.
A design, which brings everybody together with a common purpose, and for her, that purpose is being a voice for the less fortunate. Luckily, her travels have helped amplify her message.

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Executive Travel: Waje’s South Africa

The South African musician on how he finds culture and creative inspiration in the West African country.

Last summer, South African rapper and songwriter Senzo Vilakazi, who was in FORBES AFRICA’s Under 30 list in 2018, and better known by his stage name Kwesta, swapped his microphone for a notebook and pen 10,000 kilometers from his country of birth.
He was in Senegal on business, but recorded his thoughts in prose and memory.
“Then I just ended up staying for a couple of days because of the richness of the place,” says Kwesta.
He was captivated by the history of the West African country, and Gorée, a small island located away from the main harbor of Dakar, where slaves used to pass on their way to America.
Kwesta, who has traveled the world and performed in numerous African countries, was astounded by how much of its culture the island had managed to preserve years after slavery was abolished.
<blockquote>“I was really in love with how they have preserved their past. It is not like any other place that I have been to,” he says.</blockquote>
As soon as he landed, he was struck by the history of the island.
“It has a certain warmth; as soon as you go into it, it is almost certain that you can feel the lives that were lost there. It is a very difficult space to describe, a very inspirational and a very creative space. The people there are [so much into] culture preservation it is crazy,” says Kwesta.
On his short break, he went on a cruise ship, and visited the famous fort known as Slave House, which even former South African president Nelson Mandela once visited. The fort housed African slaves en route to the west.
“Six million slaves died there and over 20 million were shipped through the island,” says Kwesta on the facts gleaned from his trip.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2018/07/10/executive-travel-ola-orekunrins-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Executive travel: Ola Orekunrin’s India</a>
The imagery of slavery has stayed with him.
“They are just so proud [citizens]! They try to teach you about their culture. That is what I found quite interesting compared to South Africans because people here are very much westernised. I wish I could be able to bring back that pride and culture [they have],” observes Kwesta.
“Even as rappers, I always feel like we are trying to imitate the American style of rapping,” he says.
He also noticed the stark contrast of the landscape – the hospitality sector on one side and shanty towns on the other.
“When I was in my hotel, I could basically see the richness of their vegetation and on the other end, I could see their low-cost houses, which was such a weird thing to observe, because you could see the difference in the economies.”
Who would have thought the rapper’s favorite travel destination would be right here in Africa.

Youth Day Celebration concert in South Africa

Executive Travel: Kwesta’s Senegal

For Nigeria’s high-flying doctor, Ola Orekunrin, being a part of the booming global air ambulance services industry presents opportunities to save lives as well as visit places she hasn’t seen before.
Orekunrin, a medical doctor and helicopter pilot, is the founder of Flying Doctors, an air ambulance service launched in Lagos to transport patients from areas with low levels of healthcare to those with well-appointed facilities offering better medical aid.
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Over the years, the demand for her organization’s services has risen due to the healthcare challenges Nigeria faces. And there are many. On top of the list is the burden of infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, followed by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The country has a high rate of trauma-related incidents such as accidents and violence.
According to national statistics, Nigeria has the highest number of deaths from road traffic accidents in the world.
For Orekunrin, her business presents an opportunity to fulfil her desire to serve. The motivation for the launch of her company, Flying Doctors, was the loss of her sister, who had tragically died for want of urgent care.
Today, Flying Doctors swiftly moves patients from across the African continent to some of the best healthcare destinations, saving thousands of lives in the process. The job means Orekunrin is constantly on the go.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2018/03/23/magda-wierzyckas-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Magda Wierzycka’s India</a>
With so much time away from home and in the air, Orekunrin has become somewhat of an expert when it comes to the most exciting destinations to visit both for business and leisure on the African continent – and beyond.
“My favorite destination in the world right now is India,” she says.
“It is a place I spend a lot of time because we have a huge Indian diaspora in Nigeria and when they get sick, they usually request to be flown back home. So I have had a lot of experience with India. I think India is in the process of cracking healthcare. For example, they take the best medical students from the whole of India and put them in one hospital. This means the [number] of procedures that get done there are a lot and the advanced medicine that is practised there is equivalent or better than what you get in some first world countries,” she says.
But that is not the only reason Orekunrin is in love with the subcontinent.
“It is such a vast country that moving from state to state, you can find different types of productivity everywhere. In places like Bengaluru, everybody is running a startup and it’s like the Silicon Valley of India. You go to a place like Goa and that is like a beach resort and you go to Kerala and it is completely different like a spa resort with some sort of Indian medicine being practised and infused with conventional medicine. So it is an incredible country where you can find so much variety, culture, language, tribes and so many successful people coexisting together and identifying as Indians. I think that is another lesson that Nigerians can learn.”
Her favorite past-time in the country is getting her eyebrows threaded and going to remote oil and gas exploration sites.
<div id="attachment_36663" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36663" class="wp-image-36663 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927-1024x677.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="677" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927-600x397.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GettyImages-547676927.jpg 1902w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Ola Orekunrin moves from state to state in India exploring cultures and languages. Photo provided.</div>
“The companies there inspire me because I think about their [the companies’] history in terms of growing from a sole proprietorship to eventually growing into the biggest businesses in the world. It makes me think about Nigerian businesses; I run my own business but I also invest in other businesses as well,” says Orekunrin.
Within West Africa, Orekunrin’s favorite destination is Cape Verde. The country is particularly interesting for medical evacuations because it is made up of remote islands and the influx of tourists to that destination means medical logistics are in very high demand.
“It is four hours away from Nigeria and is a fusion of a lot of cultures; from South America, to Africa and European cultures all in one. I visit it frequently most of the time for work. I also really love the different food. I was born and brought up in England but always had a craving for Africa. My connection to Cape Verde is the closeness to Nigeria but also some of the similarities we share in terms of the food and the culture and the music and that is a strong connection.”
In the next few years, Orekunrin is hoping to grow her medical business into a pan-African player. She continues to look forward to the travel it will entail. For Orekunrin, the air ambulance business is all about saving lives. And being at the right place at the right time – for sick patients in need.

Tag: Executive Travel