THE ULTIMATE DOWNTIME DESTINATION
My bedroom. It’s the first place I go to when I need to rest and retreat. The greatest luxury in life is time, and the greatest asset is sound sleep.
ON FIRST MEALS
I was the founding artistic director of RAW material company, a centre for art, knowledge and society in Dakar, Senegal. I still have a home there and the first thing I eat when I arrive is soupe kandia – Senegalese okra soup. I love anything with okra in it. Fun fact: South Africa is the only African country where you do not eat Okra.
SENEGAL’S BEST-KEPT SECRET
I always go to Ngor Island. It’s a small island just 900m from the mainland and has the most laid-back, hippie vibe. It’s a small community of artists, musicians, public poets and philosophers and not too touristy. I often swim to the island.
ON GOING HOME
I visit my family in Cameroon every year. I love going to the fish market and visiting the artist communities while I’m there.
TRAVEL MUST-DO’S
I always make a point of visiting artist studios wherever I go, as they are such magical, privileged spaces. Having access to the process, to the artist’s factory and all that happens there is something you will never see in a gallery.
MOST MOVING STUDIO VISIT
I met Edouard Duval Carrié, a Haiti-born artist based in “Little Haiti” in Miami, Florida, and was incredibly moved by him. He participated in the When We See Us exhibition at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), which ends this month. But nothing will counter my coming together with the late Senegalese painter Issa Samb, who I worked with for 20 years. The first time I attended a performance of his work in Senegal I was mesmerised.
ON BASEL
This is where I enjoy the ultimate staycation. The man in my life was born and raised here and he is a brilliant cook. I travel so much for my work, so when we get to Switzerland, our home is my sanctuary were I enjoy solitude and seclusion.
RECENT TRAVEL REVELATION
I have just been to Jamaica and it blew my mind. I knew I would fall in love with it and I want to move there. Jamaica confirmed my very intuitive connection with Black geographies. There is so much soul there that simply cannot be touched – it was a very profound experience. I want to go back and do a road trip across the island.
ON ROAD TRIPPING
I love a road trip and recently travelled the Gullah Geechee corridor in the United States. It goes from North Carolina, through Florida, to the swamplands in the south. I’ve also followed the civil rights trail from Alabama to Mississippi. Every human being who is interested in the history of the Black person should visit these places in the United States. They are profound experiences.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
I need to have comfortable clothing and sneakers. Nothing is better than the Pleats Please range by Issey Miyake. You look dressed up and dressed down at the same time.
