What and Where in the World is Lamu?

Lamu is Kenya's Katmandu, a paradise lost, where the visitor is transported back in time to a way of life much as it was 600 years ago. Little has changed, and in visiting Lamu it is easy to see how life must once have been lived at all the great trading posts on the East African coast, along the Indian Ocean. 

Age-old commercial and political links with Arabia and Persia provided Lamu's raison d'etre, and it emerged as a vital trade link for spices, silks and perfumes from Zanzibar, and slaves from the interior. It is an intriguing mix of these early influences on the indigenous people, plus the influence of Portuguese explorers and Indian merchants. All these effects merged with the predominantly African blood and resulted in the distinctive details of features and skin color of the people and culture at large.

Lamu is a town, an island and an archipelago.  The archipelago is a chain of seven islands and a multitude of islets, separated from the mainland at its narrowest part by a channel just a few meters wide. The mainland and the inland sides of the islands are fringed by dense mangrove forests, while the seaward sides are offer some of the best beaches in Kenya.  

A traditional Lamu dhow with the mangrove of Manda Island in the background.

To the tourist, Lamu is a labyrinth of narrow winding lanes flanked by tall, walled homes whose only features are the ornately carved wooden doors, the shaded resting point that provides visitors with a spot to seek haven from the sun and the stucco-like coral that acts as an exterior of the whole structure.  Throughout these lanes you will see women dressed in concealing black dresses (as the predominant religion is Islam, although we did meet a number of Kikuyus who are Christians),  men in long flowing robes wearing delicately embroidered white caps and donkeys, always donkeys.

You will encounter these long-eared donkeys wandering aimlessly or sleeping in the narrow streets as there are no personal cars in Lamu.   Until recently, the only car on the island was the donkey ambulance.  Now there is also an ambulance for humans, a police car and a car for the mayor of Lamu but donkeys are still beasts of burden and transportation for everything in Lamu.

Throughout the archipelago there are numerous historical sites; visible and tangible evidence of ten centuries of a colorful, and often violent, past. Most of these settlements are Arab in origin and started as small trading stations. As these small colonies grew they absorbed much from the local people and a distinct Afro-Arab culture emerged. This culture, which came to be known as Swahili, today dominates not only Lamu but the urban centers of Mombasa and Malindi and its language has  become  the principal language of East and Central Africa.  Lamu town is relaxed but bustling with a butcher, marketplace, town hall and even a movie theater.

Art girls with our guides Ali Sultan and his brother

Sonja and Karen enjoy some fresh coconut water.

 

              

Mary tries her hand at wood carving.

Ancient handicrafts are still carried out as they have been for hundreds of years, by hand.  Woodcarvers chip out rosettes and distinctive motifs on doors, bed chests, chairs and tables; plasterwork is carved and moulded for decorative arches; and ancient patterns are beaten into silver art objects.

            

A sampling of Lamu houses that are hundreds of years old and those that are newly renovated.

This building has been a fort, a prison and now serves as the town hall of Lamu.

The Lamu area contains some of the worlds last truly deserted tropical beaches and islands.  With 12 kilometers of undeveloped ocean front, you can often walk and walk and walk without seeing another soul on the Shela beach.  There is an abundance of sea life including a beautiful coral reef, dolphins, turtles and other sea creatures.  A UNESCO world heritage site, Lamu offers a glimpse into a contented way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries.  I hope I've captured just a bit of it. 

If you are curious to know more about Lamu, you can check out these websites:

www.lamu.org
www.lamu.com
www.lamuchonjo.com