Most people dream of visiting Africa for the wildlife. The safaris. The sunsets. The lodges with infinity pools overlooking elephant herds.
But what if I told you that the most powerful part of visiting Africa isn’t found in a game park or a 5-star hotel—but in the backyard of a local home, peeling bananas beside a woman who doesn’t speak your language, yet understands your heart?
I know, it sounds simple. Maybe even underwhelming.
But let me take you into a moment that changed someone’s life—and might just change yours.
🧑🍳 The Life-Changing Power of Peeling Matooke
Her name was Lisa. A tourist from the U.S. visiting Uganda for the first time. She had booked the classic safari circuit, but decided to add something different—a visit to a rural village, hosted by me, a former tour guide turned travel advocate.
I took her to my auntie’s home in Western Uganda. No Wi-Fi. No hotel service. Just mats on the ground, banana leaves, a pounding mortar, and the hum of daily life.
That’s where it happened.
Lisa sat down with three village women and began peeling matooke (green bananas) for lunch. No big ceremony. No script. Just hands-on, heart-open connection. She laughed when they laughed. She struggled to get the peeling technique right. She asked about the leaves we were using. They joked in Luganda and helped her like one of their own.
By the end of that meal, Lisa was in tears—not from sadness, but from being seen, welcomed, and immersed in something real.
“I’ve stayed in luxury hotels all over the world,” she told me.
“But this… this is what I’ll remember forever.”
🧠 Why It Matters More Than You Think
This isn’t about romanticizing poverty or checking off a cultural box.
This is about breaking the illusion that Africa is only game drives and glamorous lodges. It’s about reconnecting with humanity in a way the modern world has stolen from us.
In these homes: You’re not a customer. You’re a guest. You don’t just see Africa. You feel it. You don’t watch from the window. You sit on the mat.
You begin to realize that joy doesn’t require Wi-Fi, that community doesn’t need a meeting room, and that some of the wisest life lessons are shared over a pot of steaming bananas.
🕊 This Is the Africa You Were Meant to See
At Go Amazing Africa, we don’t want your trip to be just another vacation. We want it to leave a mark on your soul. That’s why we’re offering something different. With every itinerary, we offer you the chance to:
Visit a real African home, share a meal, cook together, or learn a cultural tradition, hear stories that will stay with you forever because Africa isn’t just a place. It’s a teacher. And sometimes, the most important lessons are found on the floor, not the balcony.
🌍 From Tour Guide to Global Voice
My name is Saasi Richard. I spent years guiding travelers through East Africa—sharing game parks, tracking gorillas, narrating landscapes.
But the stories that moved people the most were never in the brochures. They were found in the heartbeat of daily life—the women peeling matooke, the children chasing tires, the songs sung while sweeping courtyards.
I now live in California, but Africa lives in me. I started Go Amazing Africa to give travelers from first-world countries the truth: You’re not just welcome here—you’re invited to belong here, even for a moment.
