Thank you to USAA and National Military Spouse Network (NMSN) for the opportunity to share my Military Spouse career journey!
My conversation with Sue
was so much fun!
#WildlifeWednesday Why my passion for Humans and Wildlife coexisting? My Grandfather!
As many know, I was raised by my Maternal Grandparents. My Grandfather spent part of his youth on a Farm in rural Southwest Virginia. In order to help me sleep, my Grandaddy told me “Big Black Bear” stories.
Each story was about how a Big Black Bear would have some sort of interaction with humans. Each encounter would be resolved without anyone, bear or human, getting hurt. Peacefully co-existing.
Sometimes the Farmer would find the Big Black Bear in his orchard. When the parents went to town, the Bear would get in the house. The children would hide, watching the Bear eating their food. One of my favorites was coming upon a Bear, on our way to go fishing.
I was raised believing there was a way to live with Wildlife. Now, my business is dedicated to African Wildlife Conservation through Safari Adventures.
I think my Grandaddy would be proud.
Big Black Bear Stories © Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Commissioned Artist: Kazakhstani Korean Tanya Kim
Celebrating Mandela Day With Christo Brand
Celebrating Mandela Day with Christo Brand
“Nelson Mandela’s birthday is July 18th,” states Christo Brand. Without missing a beat, he adds, “He would have been 106 years old this year.” This intimate knowledge of a Nobel Peace Prize Recipient and the first President of the Republic of South Africa grew from years of Christo Brand being Nelson Mandala’s prison guard, then, over time, his friend.
At 19, Christo Brand met Mandela on South Africa’s Robben Island Prison in 1978. How he got there is as fascinating as the close relationship Christo would develop over the years of Mandela’s imprisonment. Christo, like Mandela, was from rural South Africa. “I grew up on a Farm where I was the only White child, playing with African children,” Christo matter-of-factly states. “My Father was just a Foreman. We was very poor. Yeah, we weren’t even allowed to go to the rich Farmer’s house. One day I was disrespectful to an elderly African man on the Farm. And my Father gave me a hiding and said to me, ‘A person can be black, but a human being like us. We must respect each other as human beings.’ My Father was quite a Christian. He always said, ‘In front of God, we are all the same colors.’ That is how I grew up on the Farm.”
But, Christo’s life was about to take a drastic change. He offers, “When I was the age of twelve, nearly 13, my Father developed pneumonia. The rich Farmer chased us off the Farm. We moved to the city. And then we land up in the city. In that city, I didn’t have anymore Black friends, or Coloured friends to play with. I made new friends. I go to a new school.”
“In that school, one of my friends was called up for Miliary Service. At those years, it was compulsory for all South Africa White males, in South Africa, to join the military for two years. If you don’t join the military, they will take you to a military prison for five years. My friend was sent for military training. After his training, six months later, he was sent to the borders. He was killed by so-called ‘terrorists’.”
“And, that day, when we were sitting in that Church, the Priest was saying ‘What a hero that gentleman was protecting our country. How he protected the country against the Black enemy.’ For me, sitting in that Church, I said to myself, ‘My friend was not a hero. The Black is not my enemy.’ I made the decision I would look for something alternative, not to join the military.”
Growing up on the Farm, Christo says, “I didn’t know about Apartheid, which happened in the city. I knew an area called ‘Free State’ was only White. I didn’t understand that at the time. I would only start to understand that in later years.”
Christo chose a difficult path with his decision not to join the military. Mandatory military service was part of his culture and upbringing. “When we were at school, we belonged to 'militêre kadet'. On Fridays, you go with a military uniform to school. Fridays, after 2:00 o’clock, we do military training in school. Even shooting training. All White children. Not Black or Coloured. It was all in the White schools.”
Once he left school, he says of mandatory military service, “It was compulsory when you left school. All White males in South Africa, not Blacks or Coloureds. Only White males was forced to go for two years military training. But, I didn’t want to join the military. Military was also patrolling the in the Townships [segregated areas for non-Whites]. And, it was also killing Black people. The military was like that. The same for the training, you go to the borders, you work in the Townships. When you come from there, you are sworn in a document that you cannot talk about what happened during that time.”
Christo continues, “A lot of people come back from their military training, not all well in their heads. Some of them have psychological problems and things like that. Because they see how people died in front of them. You know, but they’re not allowed to talk about the situations. They must keep secret. People in the cities don’t know what was happening during the military time. It was secret. Only when the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ comes out, many, many years later. That is when some of these things come forward, what happened during that time.”
“Because people was uninformed about what really happened in South Africa. Television came in 1976. And that was controlled by the government. First one hour a day, later 3 hours a day of television. The newspapers was controlled by the government. The people in the cities only read and see things which the government want them to recognize and see, not what really happened in the country. You know, that was how segregation was working.”
The alternatives to military service were the police force, harbor police, or the prison departments. Christo says, “I wasn’t interested in anything like that. Then, a gentleman visited our school looking for prison guards. I was not interested in that ‘til they mentioned exemption from military service. Then I think, ‘I’ll have a conversation with this guy’. That is how I became a prison guard."
Once on Robben Island, a teenage Christo started work. Of his early years, he states, “When I start work on the island, I see these names ‘Nelson Mandela’, ‘Walter Sisulu’, I never talked to them. Just greet them. Lock them up. Things like that. But, when I started working in the Census Office after three months of me working on the island, that is a time when we count Birthday Cards that year in July, we counted 55,103 Birthday Cards for Nelson Mandela. They were from all over the world. That is what made me realize this man must be very special.”
“But, what happened also I take him for a visit. I put him in leg irons to walk him to the Visiting Center. When I lock him there, I was instructed to fetch the visitors from the boat. So then I fetch the African ladies from the boat. And because the visitors were Black, Coloured, or Indian, they was not allowed to sit inside the boat. They always sat on the top deck, outside in the rain, the bad weather, and the rough sea conditions. Many times visitors came to the island soaked wet with the waves broke over the side of the boat.”
“Then, that morning, when I fetched the ladies, I walked them to the Visiting Center, after we locked the prisoners there. Then I see one lady take off her raincoat. Then she take off a big blanket. Then she take off a small blanket, with a backpack. When she take that off, it was a baby infant. And, prisoners must not be allowed to see children. You know, we were supposed to cancel your visit. She was not supposed to show Mandela the grandchild AT ALL.”
“But, after the visit, I called her and said to her, ‘Your husband wants to give you another message. You must go back into the visiting room.’ I asked if I ‘could hold the baby, I never held an African child.’ She pushed into my arms. She tried to bribe me with some money to show him the child. My answer was, ‘NO!’ But, when she was in the cubicle, I locked her in. I moved to the side of Mandela. After Mandela passed his message, the window closed. When Mandela seen me in the passage with a baby, tears comes out of his eyes. He walked to me and take the baby out of my arms. He become more emotional when he kissed the child’s face on the cheek. That minute, Winnie Mandela knocked on the door. She’s locked in on the other side. I take the baby back from him and wipe the tears from the baby’s cheeks. Go to the side and apologized for locking her in. She was still begging me to show him the baby. The answer was ‘NO!’ And, you know, that secret was between me and Mandela for nearly 20 years. Until he became the President of our country. Last year that baby passed away. She was very sick with Cancer. She passed away in November.”
And so began a lifelong friendship between Nelson Mandela and Christo Brand. At the insistence of Mandela, finally Christo co-authored the book, Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend, now in its second edition. At first, Christo was reluctant to write the book. Christo was afraid he’d end up in prison for all the illegal things he did for Mandela during his time in prison. Mandela promised to support him and back him up.
Manela pressured Christo for six years. Finally, Mandela sent Barbara Jones from the UK to Christo in South Africa to co-author the book. While Mandela died before the publication, at the UK book launch, Zindzi Mandela came. She told Christo, "Mr. Brand, you can't run away from me. My last promise to my Dad was if he can’t attend your book launch, I must represent him.” And, so the deep friendship between prisoner and guard extended beyond life itself.
In addition to giving Group and Private Tours of Robben Island, in Cape Town, South Africa, Christo, also speaks at “Mandela, The Official Exhibition”, which is currently touring the United States.
Information can be found at mandelaexhibition.com and www.christobrand.co.za.
Christo’s book may be purchased from Blue Ear Books, which has a Veterans’ Books Initiative. Blue Ear Books “has a strong interest in developing and publishing books by American military veterans.” Their “mission is to assist veterans in their journeys to becoming published authors. Through the Initiative, they “strive to provide a platform for honest accounts of personal experience that we hope will help bridge the gap in understanding and empathy between veterans and the civilian public.” blueearbooks.com
Photographs used with permission of Christo Brand, Tiffany Wright, and Eric Wright.
Great Day at #Juneteenth 2024 Camp Humphreys South Korea
#TravelTuesday Updated Safari Guides are Now Up!
Samburu Jackal ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
#ThrowbackThursday Honeymoon Couple in Mara North Conservancy
“Honeymoon Couple” is what you call when the male Lion of a pride takes a young Lioness out to mate for the first time. This Lioness was young and still had some of her spots! While you can’t see him, the male Lion’s brother is nearby, for protection.
Last November I had the most romantic, perfect Safari with my husband in Mara North Conservancy. It was his first trip to Kenya. After 31 years of marriage, it felt like we too were on our Honeymoon. 💜💜💜
#TravelTuesday Chef’s Garden Sharing Kenya’s Culinary Heritage
#TravelTuesday New for 2024 - South Africa Family Safari
South Africa Family Safari
Highlights:
· Introducing one of the most exciting new Safari experiences in South Africa, the Kapama Kruger Homestead, offering a truly Private Family Safari. The Homestead, an exclusive use Lodge, is a family-style Homestead with 3 Ensuite Bedrooms. Includes:
- Private Game Drive Vehicle, with a Guide and Assistant Guide
- Private Chef
- Assigned Concierge
· Jock Safari Lodge Wilderness Walk allowing children over the age of 12 to participate.
· Private Robben Island Tour with Christo Brand, a former prison guard, who was responsible for guarding Nelson Mandela. Christo and Mandela developed a close friendship over the course of many years. He is the co-author of his book, Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend (2014).
Discover Africa Together!
#TravelTuesday Africa's Best - The most aspirational Africa destination book - Ever!
While on Safari in Kenya last November, I picked up “home” a Southern African Magazine. Their tagline line is “your guide to beautiful living”. I like that. In the back of the magazine (where good surprises are always found), under the Shopping Guide was:
Stay in Africa’s Best
This book was compiled by a team who travelled to some of the most breathtaking places in Africa. And the focus isn’t just on elegance or style. They’ve considered social initiatives, environmental impact, management styles and visitor’s experiences. In Africa’s Best, you will find everything from a beach holiday to a safari and cultural experiences.
Count me in! There was an email that I quickly sent asking if they were in bookstores in Nairobi. Tanith “Tan” Hobson quickly got back to me with a friendly email saying not yet. Well, as I now must have this book
Tan kindly indulged me as we checked into shipping either to the United States or South Korea. When she came back with the pricing, while taking a deep breath, I realized this wasn’t the little book on sustainability I had imagined. This was a REAL book.
As I had to get home from Kenya and get a bank transfer done, I thought I’d be lucky to get the book by my birthday in February. The book made its way from South Africa, to the United States, and then shipped via the Army Post Office to me. It arrived on January 6th. Tan had kindly sent me happy birthday wishes. And while we are not Orthodox Christians & January 7th is Orthodox Christmas, we had been to Greece last year & I pretended it was my Christmas Eve gift.
First a bit about the book. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful book on Africa I have ever seen. Aspirational. The book weighs 3.475 KG (just under 10 pounds) and is 5 cms (over 2 inches thick). Africa’s Best covers 94 destinations in 15 countries.
Each country starts with an overview and then offers unique “Bucket List Experiences” found in that country. Then, for each destination, there are three catagories:
How They Dazzle Us
Why We Love Them
Their Sustainable Superpower
When I asked my husband why he thought I am so in love with the book, he said, “Its been a long time since we had a good book.” I think that’s true. The book is a breath of fresh air in the age of everything digital and audio books.
There are a few ads in Africa’s Best, but they fit with the book. I appreciate the information. The book will hopefully be available for international shipping via Amazon later this year. The ISBN is 978-0-6397-3020-2
If you truly want to know the destinations that should be on everyone’s bucket list - that is Africa’s Best!
This is how thick Africa’s Best is! #love it
Happy First #TravelTuesday of 2024! Pleased to announce my New Uganda and Rwanda DMC Ellington Safaris!
Last November, during our time in Kenya, I met Jenny and Shaun of Ellington Safaris to solidify our Partnership. Ellington Safaris is now Flyga Twiga’s Destination Management Company for Uganda and Rwanda.
They join my strong team of DMCs including Nikki and Collin of Southern Africa 360, and Diana and Richard of Adventure Expeditions Kenya.
2024 is quickly booking up - but there is still room & we can work with you to make your dream Safari a reality!
As always, Happy Day! Safe Safari!
#WildlifeWednesday No two Safaris are the same - ever! And, elusive Leopards only show themselves when they want to!
The same is true for me. After countless Safaris, living and working in Africa, 15 years & 3 months since my first Safari in Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa, the Leopards decided to appear for me in Kenya.
Starting with Samburu National Reserve, followed by Maasai Mara National Park, and ending with so much time with this beauty from Mara North Conservancy - Leopards in all three. Of course, if I were to be truly African, I’d say the Leopards were pleased I finally brought my husband to Magical Kenya. May be true!
Leopard Mara North Conservancy ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Thank you Kenya's One Way
There are few things I love more than a Date Book. One of my beloved Kenyan Suppliers, One Way Clothing, gave me this beautifully designed Date Book as a Thank You Gift. #LoveIt
#SafariSaturday Great Day at Osan Air Base Fall Market!
Thank you to all who attended.
Loved meeting so many people enthusiastic about African Safaris!
#TravelTuesday Thank you Erin Henderson Media for the Shout Out and Beautiful Pictures from Your South Africa Safari Adventure!
Happy #TravelTuesday The Shoutout that moved me to tears this morning!
Kenya Wildlife Services & Maasai© Flyga Twiga™ LLC
Fun at Camp Humphreys STEM Scouts of Pack 203 Event - Wildlife Conservation & EcoTraining
No.…the stuffed Twiga isn’t mine. One of the parents brought it & I added the hat. Camp Humphreys has some extremely bright children!
#WildlifeWednesday Wildlife Conservation, Sustainable Tourism & Friendship in Challenging Times
Great event at Camp Humphreys Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Festival!
#TravelTuesday New! South Africa Girls Getaway Safari
Penguins South Africa ©Flyga Twiga™ LLC
