Youssef finds temporary home in Edenvale during African travels

Thousands of kilometres from friends and family, Youssef Sahsah is on a journey of fulfilling his dreams of travelling across the African continent.
Two years into his journey and 18 countries later, the 29-year-old found himself in SA far from his home country of Morocco.

He is staying at Petra Lodge in Eastleigh.
Youssef said the idea to travel Africa started when he was a cinematography student.
“Whenever I had an opportunity and some free time I would travel into the mountains and villages and see a lot of things I had never seen before.”

While travelling in Morocco, Youssef decided he wanted to see more of Africa and learn more about the continent and the people living on it.
“When I told my family about my idea they all thought I was joking but as it got closer to my departure date they realised I was serious.
“Along my journey, I have met a lot of incredible and interesting people,” said Youssef.

“The journey has changed the way I look at people and their religion. I no longer judge people on how they look but rather on their actions.”

Travelling through Africa, Youssef said he found himself in dangerous countries but never in dangerous situations.

“In Niger, I was bedridden for two weeks after I consumed expired antibiotics but after a healthy diet I was soon ready to resume my travels.

“In Angola, three men tried to attack me but I was helped and looked after by police officers who took me to the station, where they fed me.”

Speaking on communication, Youssef said it has not been a problem for him so far.
“I can speak Arabic, French, English and a language native to the Sahara, so that helped me a lot.

“Whenever I entered a new country I would ask people at the border for their help learning the basics of their language.”
Youssef entered SA through one of the bode posts with Namibia. He then travelled to Cape Town in the hopes of fulfilling a childhood dream.
“For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to fly in a Huey helicopter. As a child watching Vietnam war movies the Huey helicopter was an iconic aircraft.

“In Morocco, I lived close to an airport and would often see them but they were only used for the military.”
While preparing to leave SA in February, Youssef’s bicycle was stolen. Just over a month later President Cyril Ramaphosa announced SA’s lockdown.

“At the time everything happened I was frustrated but I realised my God must have a plan for me and must have a reason for doing what he did.
“Being stuck in SA gave the opportunity to prepare more and get new equipment and come up with new ideas.”
While waiting for the lockdown to be lifted, Youssef arranged for another bicycle to be sent to him.

Looking to the future, Youssef hopes to travel to Mozambique either in December or at the start of next year.
“I might not be able to visit all 54 African countries but I would like to visit as many as possible.
“Luckily, most of the Eastern African countries provide visas at the border posts.”
Offering advice to those thinking of doing a long-distance journey of some sort, Youssef encouraged others to do the journey for themselves.

“If you want to see the world, see it through your eyes rather than a photograph or on TV.
“It is up to us to make our path in life. It is up to us to make our own stories for ourselves and our families.”

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