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Festival de
Guinée Guinea
Story , |
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1st
Annual International Heritage and Culture Festival,
Conakry, Guinée, April 24-30,
2004 Come to Guinée
(Guinea in English) on West Africa's sunny Atlantic
coast for April's Festival de Guinée, or
book your tour anytime. You won't want to miss
seeing and hearing " Les Ballets Africains,"
Guinée's
musical goodwill ambassadors to the
world and Africa's
foremost touring dance company.
What a sight they are on stage! Our applause rocked
the auditorium in Conakry following this group's
spectacular, energy-filled, two hour command
performance at the ATA International Congress.
What else? Les
Precessions de Guinée, Dejembe and various
performing art shows for starters. Read Muguette
Goufrani's description of a typical tour of
Guinée, below. FOR FARES FROM USA
AND AN INFORMATION PACKAGE ON THE FESTIVAL
DE GUINEE, E-MAIL US NOW: africa@dowco.com
. Festagg
Website
. Français The
Guinea Story: Land of
contrasts Did You
Know? •
Guinea is called
the Switzerland of Africa, with its lofty
mountains and high plateaus, plus a temperate
climate. The highest peaks are Mount Loura at Mali
Ville (1515 m) and Mount Tinka near Dalaba (1425m).
They also call it the Water Tower of Western Africa
because many rivers take their origin (River
Gambie, Senegal, Niger, etc.) from it. These rivers
and churning rapids, hurtling down the mountains
create beautiful waterfalls. •
Guinea's
Tropical Paradise, the Loos Islands. Our next
installment will feature a trip to Loos Islands, an
archipelago located near Conakry. The key islands
are Kassa, Room and Fotoba. There is also Tortoise
Island (where giant tortoises are protected), Snake
and Kid Islands. With easy access by boat, these
islands offer beautiful white sand beaches for
relaxation and nautical sports. •
Financial development: According to a recent
financial report, the Gulf of Guinea has become one
of the world' s most promising areas for new
petroleum development. This income source in itself
will help expand the infrastructure on which
tourism depends. • Many
Africans call the country 'Guinea Conakry,' to
avoid any possible confusion with Guinea Bissau,
its northern neighbor. • The
language of business and commerce is French and the
currency is the Guinea Franc. If you are
interested in a tour covering the same route,
contact Dunia
Voyages
of Conakry, who have a page on this web
site. Photos
from Muguette Goufrani's
Tour More Background Part of UNESCO'S historic
"Slave Route," Guinée was the first country
to benefit from the program of rebuilding the
historic sites on the "Slave Route." On Host
Country Day, ATA delegates had the opportunity to
discover Guineé's "unspoiled Africa." The
full day tour, sponsored by the private sector, the
Office Of Promotion of Private Investment, took
Congress participants on a scenic tour to Kindia,
including a visit to Konkoure Falls and a festive
luncheon at a private ranch belonging to the
sponsor of Host Day, El Hadj Mamadou Sylla.
Highlight of the day was a special performance in
the evening at a Gala Dinner, by Guineé's
world renowned National Dance Company, Les
Ballets Africains Africa
Travel Association
(ATA) is an international, nonprofit, nonpolitical,
professional travel industry association whose
objective is to promote tourism to Africa. Its
membership is comprised of National Government
Tourist Offices, hotels, airlines, ground and tour
operators, travel agents, group tour leaders,
marketing and media executives ATA has chapters
throughout Africa and North America; is a member of
ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), WTO
(World Tourism Organization), an industry partner
with ARTA (Association of Retail Travel Agents), a
founding member of the Coalition of Partners for
Peace Through Tourism; and a Green Globe member.
ATA organizes an annual international marketing
conference in Africa; a biannual symposium on
environmental and cultural preservation; and
publishes the Africa Travel Magazine. ATA headquarters: email
africatravelasso@aol.com;
tel (212) 447-0027 or fax (212) 725-8253; or visit
ATA on the Web at www.africa-ata.org. |
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The
story of my journey from the Gulf of Guinea on
Africa's Atlantic Coast to historic Mali Ville in
the northern highlands appears in our bilingual
Africa Trvel Magazine. With that in mind, please
consider this online version as an hors d'oeuvre -
the full course banquet will come when you visit
Guinea. I guarantee that your travel experience
will be a feast - and like one of Nat King Cole' s
most famous songs ... Unforgettable! Or as the
immortal Maurice Chevalier would say ...
