Horns of Arica and Heritage
Letter board that sits in front of a dandelion-knit blanket with the words “When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind,” according to an African Proverb.
Editor’s note: This post will continue to evolve as I do.
Welcome, explorers! Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or someone just beginning to see the world with new eyes, this stop in our Around the World series takes us to where horns, highlands, and heritage meet. A region layered in rhythm, tradition, and resilience, yet too often overlooked by much of the world.
From the soaring Ethiopian Highlands to the Gulf of Guinea’s coastal roots, these nations: Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, and Guinea, carry legacies as old as kingdoms and as vibrant as their music, languages, and lands. Here, heritage isn’t just remembered, it’s lived, sung, and seen in every market, mountain, and shoreline.
So grab your passport, and get ready to bring these six nations to life. If you’re looking for a guide at any point throughout this series, check out “Just the Beginning.”
My hand-drawn flag of eSwatini
ESWATINI
Official name: Kingdom of eSwatini
Pronunciation: eh-swaa-ti-nee
Capital: Mbabane and Lobamba
Official language: Swati and English
Location: Near the Southern coast in Southern Africa. Also, in the Southern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: South Africa
Most known for: Vibrant cultural traditions. The Umhlanga Reed Dance is the best known cultural event. According to the “The Kingdom of Eswatini: A Royal Experience” website, which further details this 8-day ceremony. You can read more on the Umhlanga Reed Dance article here. Also, here is a volunteer from Peace Corps sharing her own experience of participating in the Umhlanga Reed Dance.
Fun fact: Per Gerald Imray, “Eswatini, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique, is the last absoluteMonarchy is Africa, and one of the few remaining in the world” (Africa’s Eswatini, one of the last absolute monarchies, holds an election without political parties, 2023). To continue reading, click here.
Recent news article: National Media Awards Relaunched to celebrate excellence (Dennis Charnley, 2025)
My knowledge: I have no further knowledge of Eswatini
My hand-drawn flag of Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA
Official name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Pronunciation: ee-thee-ow-pee-uh
Capital: Addis Ababa
Official language: Amharic, Tigrigna, Somali, Oromo, and Afar
Location: In the Northeastern part of Africa within the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Kenya
Most known for: Birthplace of coffee as coffea arabica is a native plant
Fun fact: Not only do Ethiopians run on their own time with a 12 hour time system but they also have a 13 month calendar. Making them seven years behind the Gregorian calendar. To put things into perspective, they celebrated the new millennium on September 11th, 2007 (10 Facts About Ethiopia You Probably Didn’t Know, Absolute Ethiopia Tours: Building Absolute Vacations).
Recent news article: Thousands celebrate Ethiopia’s Thanksgiving Festival (Amanuel Gebremedhin Birhane, 2025)
My knowledge: I am aware of Ethiopia as the hydroelectric bridge Egypt was working on was with Ethiopia but that is really the extent of my knowledge
My hand-drawn flag of Gabon
GABON
Official name: The Gabonese Republic
Pronunciation: ga-bown
Capital: Libreville
Official language: French
Location: Country in Central Africa located at the equator in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Cameroon and Republic of the Congo
Most known for: Being one of the most biodiverse nations on Earth, and the most carbon positive according to Discover Gabon: The Last Eden.
Fun fact: Loango National Park is known as the “land of the surfing hippos” after hippos have been photographed playing in the ocean waves there. To read more about this phenomenon, from Gabon Biodiversity read here.
Recent news article: Gabon’s Minister of Universal Access to Water and Energy Joins AEW 2025 Amid Power Expansion (African Energy Chamber, 2025)
My knowledge: I am unfamiliar with Gabon
My hand-drawn flag of The Gambia
GAMBIA
Official name: The Republic of The Gambia
Pronunciation: gam-bee-uh
Capital: Banjul
Official language: English
Location: In Western Africa along the coast within the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Senegal
Most known for: “Smiling Coast” nickname given to Gambia due to it’s warm, friendly, and smiling people, making it a very tourist-friendly destination (The Gambia: The Smiling Coast of Africa)
Fun fact: Unique Marble Voting System where citizens roll a dice into a hole instead of using paper ballots. To learn more about this voting system, click here to read Fair Planet’s “Counting on Marbles”
Recent news article: Media Literacy in Gambia: Students Learn to ‘Pause. Reflect. Research (UNESCO, 2025)
My knowledge: I not very familiar with Gambia
My hand-drawn flag of Ghana
GHANA
Official name: Republic of Ghana
Pronunciation: gaa-nuh
Capital: Accra
Official language: English
Location: In West Africa in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo
Most known for: Rich cultural traditions. More specifically, for its music like Highlife and Hiplife
Fun fact: Home to Lake Volta, largest man-made lake in the world
Recent news article: Ghana to host 7th edition of Agrofood & Plastprintpack Exhibition in October (Modern Ghana, 2025)
My knowledge: I’m not very familiar with Ghana
My hand-drawn flag of Guinea
GUINEA
Official name: Republic of Guinea
Pronunciation: gi-nee
Capital: Conakry
Official language: French
Location: In West Africa along the coast. It is in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
Most known for: Its vast natural resources, such as bauxite (holding half of the world’s reserves)
Fun fact: Three of West Africa’s major rivers: the Gambia, Niger, and Senegal, originate in Guinea. Making it known as “Africa’s natural power station”
Recent news article: Promoting community-led forest conservation in Guinea (Aliou Diallo, 2025)
My knowledge: Only that it is one of four countries in the world with “Guinea” in it.
As we tuck our passports away after this stop, one thing becomes clear. Each nation we’ve visited, from Eswatini to Guinea, carries a heartbeat that reminds us why we travel in the first place: to understand, to connect, and to keep discovering.
Our Around the World series, is a reminder that every country holds a story worth hearing, and every story, a lesson worth learning. So let’s keep exploring, not just to collect stamps, but to grow in perspective, empathy, and wonder.
Before you go, don’t forget to enter the giveaway, happening now through Thursday at 12am! It’s my way of saying thank you for coming along on this global adventure. Details are in the post “1st Lap Around the Yard.” And trust me, you’ll want your name in that draw.
Here’s to open passports, open minds, and the world that’s waiting to be discovered.
Now it’s your turn: Have you visited, lived, or moved to any of these countries? If so, I’d love to hear more about your experiences.
As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!
***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***
