What Makes a Destination African Enough?
- Oritour By TUVA
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
When you hear “African travel,” what comes to mind? Wild safaris? Mud huts? Maasai warriors? Maybe that one drone shot of Victoria Falls you’ve seen on a million Instagram pages?
Now picture this: A modern city with smart infrastructure. Rooftop bars. Smooth highways. Minimalist hotels. Beachfront resorts with no tribal masks in sight. Still Africa?
The uncomfortable truth is this: we’ve been taught to associate “African” with only one type of look, feel, or aesthetic. And anything that doesn’t fit that colonial, curated image? We question its Africanness.
Let’s break that down.
The Places That Get Left Out
Think of destinations like:
Cape Verde – vibrant island life with strong Portuguese influence
Mauritius – tropical and multicultural, more Indian-Chinese-African fusion
Seychelles – ultra-modern resorts, luxury tourism
Northern Morocco – white buildings, palm trees, blue alleys, European style cafés
Windhoek, Namibia – German architecture, wide streets, clean-cut design
These places often get side-eyed like: “Is this even African?” Why? Because they don’t look “raw” enough.
But that’s the trap. We’ve been conditioned to believe African tourism must feel tribal, dusty, rugged, wild, and underdeveloped to feel “authentic.”
Yet… authenticity isn’t aesthetics. African isn’t a costume. It’s a continent.
Who Gets to Define “Africanness?”
Colonial history and global tourism boards have curated a narrow version of African experience:
Adventure = safaris
Culture = poor villages with dancing kids
City life = “too Western”
Modern architecture = “unAfrican”
But guess what? We’re in 2025. And African cities and cultures are evolving — not losing their Africanness, but expanding it.
Africanness isn’t locked in time. It’s not frozen in a 1970s postcard. It’s fluid, dynamic, multi-layered. It’s Accra’s tech scene, Lagos’ underground art collectives, Addis Ababa’s jazz cafes, and Morocco’s fashion scene. All of it.
We have to stop limiting our continent to how others expect it to look. And that starts with us — the travelers, the storytellers, the creators, the tourism professionals.
If It Doesn’t Look Like a Drum Circle, Is It Still “African?”
Here’s where things get deep. African tourism sometimes over-performs for a western gaze. Tribal dances for tips. Market chaos as a spectacle. Culture distilled into a 15-minute photo op. The aesthetic becomes a product.
But when we see a boutique hotel in Lusaka with no woven mats or talking drums, we feel lost — because it doesn’t “look” like the Africa we were sold. Even we start to doubt our own spaces.
This is why representation matters. Not just who’s in the photos, but what kind of Africa is being shown. Let’s normalize:
City skylines
Urban streetwear
Fusion restaurants
Quiet nature retreats
Minimalist African interiors
And yes — vibes with no zebras in sight
We’re Telling the Story Now — Let’s Tell It Well
As young Africans building brands, content, creative platforms, and travel communities — we have a responsibility. To show Africa as it is, not as it was staged to look.
This includes:
Embracing all aesthetics — from traditional to contemporary
Highlighting diverse experiences (luxury, slow travel, nightlife, digital nomad spots)
Creating content that reflects truth, not just trend
Questioning our own internalized gaze
Letting Africans define Africa — in full color, with full freedom
Final Thought: Africa Isn’t a Prop. It’s a Perspective.
Africa doesn’t owe anyone a performance. And no one has the right to say a destination is “too Western” or “not African enough” just because it’s clean, calm, or complex.
So the next time someone says, “This doesn’t feel African,” Ask: “Or does it just not feel familiar to the Africa you were trained to expect?”
Let’s reframe the narrative. Let’s travel with new eyes. Let’s make space for every kind of African story — because they’re all valid.
📍 Want to challenge the norm with us?
Share this post with someone who needs to see Africa differently. Comment below: Which destination do YOU think gets unfairly judged for not looking “African enough?” Let’s talk 👇🏾
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