Vogue Living (NL) July 2022 & Vogue Lifestyle Nov/Dec 2019
Article first published in the Winter issue of Vogue (NL) Magazine
We had the best time showing the Vogue Team around Stone Town and our home away from home at Emerson Spice!”
Actress Hanna Verboom
If it were up to me, we would live there“.
Actress Hanna Verboom still calls Africa her home. She grew up in East Africa and shares her insider tips based on her beautiful memories.
Excerpts from Vogue Living Magazine July 2022
Beautiful Memories
Hanna Verboom grew up in East Africa and shares her insider tips based on beautiful memories.
A city trip or a long journey ahead? The best tips come from ‘those who have already gone and enjoyed’. In the Vogue and Voyage section, women reveal their best-kept holiday secrets and give them a peek inside their suitcase. Actress and social entrepreneur Hanna Verboom can see herself and her family living in Africa again, where she grew up as a child of an agriculturalist and nurse in the countries of Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. She shares her insider travel tips based on beautiful memories from that time.
The bond I have with Africa is very strong. It’s my home. That may sound a bit crazy, because I’ve lived in the Netherlands longer than I’ve lived in Africa, but I love the African lifestyle. People are much better at connecting.
I love the African lifestyle. People are much better at connecting.”
Hanna Verboom (Vogue Living NL – July 2022)
Growing up in Uganda and Kenya
“Growing up in East Africa was crazy. The longest we have been in Kenya. There we lived a five-hour drive from the capital, in a very small village between the tea fields. In the weekends we drove to the Masai Mara (a nature reserve in Kenya, ed.) where we camped among the animals. Then that was still allowed.”
Even now, two years after a trip for Vogue Living Magazine, the memory of wild camping in the Masai Mara immediately resurfaces in the actress’s head. “That was really one big adventure. There was a Maasai warrior on the lookout in front of the tent all night. When he woke us up, we knew: there are lions close by. Then we had to sit in the car for a while. Other times the shaking ground woke you up on your own because of an approaching herd of elephants.”
Links with East Africa
“I lived in Africa until I was twelve, after which we moved to the Netherlands. I’d love to go back every year, but we try not to fly too often. The next trip is planned for next year. Then my husband Ralf and I want to make a long trip through East Africa for the first time with our family. We can’t wait to see our friends again..
The bond I have with Africa is very strong. I feel most at home there. People are better at connecting than in the Netherlands – not only with each other, but also with nature. I think that in Europe we have distanced ourselves quite a bit from each other and from nature. I just get happy when I’m there – the way of life, the people, the relational nature. People don’t have much, but they do share what they have. Most residents of the village where you live are often distant cousins as well. As a result, the family-feeling is predominant. You can expect help from the people around you for raising your children. “It takes a village to raise a child” is not an African proverb for nothing.”
Moving to Africa
“That way of life is one of the reasons why we considered moving to Africa a few years ago. Unfortunately, that never happened, partly because I couldn’t get a work permit and wanted to continue building my film company Cinetree. Our two young children and my company are number one for now.
“I would like to bring that African connection with people and nature back into our lives in the Netherlands. We set up the ‘Get It Done Foundation’ with that in mind, a crowdfunding platform that activates people to do something for others and tackle important social issues. I strongly believe in the power of sharing, whether it be life experiences or resources. You always get more in return. Of course I always keep my focus on the film world.”
My favourite hotel in Zanzibar is Emerson Spice.”
Hanna Verboom
Vogue Living Magazine July 2022
EAST AFRICA TIPS FOR TRAVEL
“When we moved from Africa back to the Netherlands, I – as a teenager – went on a world tour. At that time, I mainly travelled through Asia and South America, because I also wanted to see other cultures. But East Africa will forever remain my favourite.
Of course I have tips for people who want to make a trip to Africa. As far as I’m concerned, a combination between nature and Swahili culture is the best. For the most beautiful wildlife you have to go to the Masai Mara – a tip that should of course not be missing from this tip list because of my own memories of Africa. You now have fantastic tent camps there. Another amazing tented camp – not located in the Masai Mara, but on the edge of Lake Naivasha – is Fisherman’s Camp. There you can see the hippos walking in the morning.
My Favourite Hotel is Emerson Spice
I am also a huge fan of Lamu, an island with a harbor town just off the coast of Kenya. That is such a beautiful place. You can sail there with Dhows, a traditional sailing ship. That island is also close to Zanzibar, where you have to go for the ultimate bounty island feeling. My favorite hotel in Zanzibar is Emerson Spice. Friends of ours have also set up a fantastic boutique hotel on the island: Kijani Beach Zanzibar, a family-friendly hotel that is ideal if you are traveling with children.”
Travel Light
“I always find it a nice challenge to take as little as possible with me when I travel. We love to get around and often take public transport – that’s also the closest you can get to the people who live in the country. Whoever goes in and out of the bus wants to carry as little as possible.
With two kids, that is now a big challenge, but my biggest tip is: make sure you can endlessly combine everything you take with you. I often go for clothes in neutral tones. My most important item when traveling is my hat – one that you can also fold and sit on. And of course: sunscreen.”
It takes a village to raise a child” is not an African proverb for nothing.”
Hanna Verboom
Hanna’s musings on the first Vogue Article in 2019
Vogue visited us in Tanzania last month. At first we were a bit hesitant as family life is intimate and Ralf knew he would be the running gag at his soccer team for months to come 🙂 But they also gave us the chance to talk about the social projects we are involved in. The team was wonderful and we had the best time showing them around Stone Town and our home away from home at Emerson Spice!
Still can’t believe Sari’s cute behind is on the cover of Vogue; that’s some serious ammunition for any future kindergarten feuds 🙂 We hope you enjoy this sneak peak into our lives – of course a bit idealised but than again such an honour- @vogueliving_nl in stores on Nov 21st 2019
To see the recent Vogue article in full:
©VOGUE LIVING, WINTER 2019 – FOTOGRAFIE: LISELORE CHEVALIER, STYLING: LINDA GÜMÜS GERRITSEN
With very special thanks to Hanna Verboom for the article
Hanna Verboom
Hanna Verboom was born in Belgium , but grew up in Kenya , Uganda and Sudan . Her parents worked there as development workers and built a hospital there, among other things. Around her twelfth year, the family moved to the Netherlands . As a teenager she lived in Amerongen. She started studying both philosophy and economics at the University of Amsterdam followed by a modelling career . She won an Elite Model Look competition in 2003 and was featured in several commercials and in supporting roles in Dutch TV series such as Baantjer and in a soap opera entitled Jong Zuid .
