The activist on street parties in St Lucia, frogs’ legs and saving up for a safari
MY FAMILY AND MY WORK LIFE IN LONDON
are pretty full-on, because there’s always something happening, whether it’s Black Lives Matter, Grenfell or Windrush. But travelling provides me with respite and self-care, just to go somewhere where I can relax and unwind.
BEFORE LOCKDOWN, I WAS TRAVELLING EVERY MONTH
for my work for the Kaleidoscope Trust, as the trust works in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific and parts of Europe. There are some laws that exist in Commonwealth countries that mean people are being criminalised just because of who they love. I’ve also travelled extensively to Pride and Black Pride events around the world.
I WENT TO BOTSWANA LAST YEAR
for a gathering of LGBT people to celebrate the fact that it had decriminalised homosexuality. It’s a beautiful country, so now I’m trying to save for the next year or two in order to go for a luxury safari in Botswana or Kenya.
WHEN I GO TO ST LUCIA, I USUALLY STAY IN GROS ISLET
where there is this wonderful tradition called Fish Fry Friday. It feels a bit like a carnival but it’s a street party. There is loads of food, including different types of fish, such as lobster and snapper, with wonderful creole sauce. There’s j just something about t being in St Lucia – the sun, the sea, a, and the people are so friendly.
THE FOOD IN CHILE IS AMAZING,
as is the nightlife. I went there for a women’s conference, but also took some days for myself yself and went to Santiago tiago to the Museum of Memory and
Human Rights, and learnt about Pinochet.
I ABSOLUTELY Y LOVE GOING TO CAMBRIDGE
in the summertime. me. I’m not the greatest test cyclist but I make an exception for Cambridge because there are just so many different things and places you get to see on a bike.
AS A BLACK WOMAN, RESEARCHING WHERE I’M TRAVELLING IS A HUGE FACTOR
in any holiday or travel plans. For work, we do a risk assessment and, if going to a country that has discriminatory laws, we make sure that we’ve got safety measures in place. For any personal trip, I will look at crime rates, incidences of hate crime towards women and hotel reviews. Making sure you don’t leave with a scarred view of the place is important.
FOR A PERFECT HOLIDAY, I LIKE SUNSHINE,
good food, a good book to read by the pool and, if I am going to go travelling with people, or a companion, the company has to be right. You may be travelling with someone who’s really active and wants to go on bike rides and hiking,
and that’s not necessarily me.
MY EARLIEST TRAVELTRA MEMORIES INCLUINCLUDE GOING TO THE ISLISLE OF WIGHT
– which felt like “abroad” because yo you had to get on a ferry – tastin tasting my first frogs’ legs at 10 years old in Paris, and a trip to Accra in Ghana when I was 11. I learnt there t that, because of bla blackouts, people would have to sit in the dar dark or light a candle.
I WENT CAMPINGC IN PENZAPENZANCE and, whi while the town wa was beautifu beautiful, sleeping on a blow-up mattress in a tent wasn’t for me. I like to look at nature on television or by going for a quick walk, not while I’m trying to sleep! I’m very frightened of spiders.
THE LAST TIME I WAS IN JAMAICA
I stayed in this beautiful resort called Round Hill, which had a stunning infinity pool and is now my favourite place to stay in the world. St Lucia and Jamaica are possibly my favourite holiday destinations. I also love going to Bermuda, the Seychelles, Barbados and Mauritius.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO CALL OUT THE RACISM
and the discrimination where you see it and other times you just really want to enjoy yourself and you don’t want to have to deal with it. I think also sometimes because of my profile, I do have to put checks and balances in place when I travel somewhere. For example, I will be a lot more cautious when visiting a part of England that might have a high rate of the British National Party.
I HAVE QUITE A LONG LIST OF PLACES I WANT TO GO,
for example, Australia, but I will have to mentally prepare myself for the long journey. I’ve also never been to Portugal. I want to go to Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, and Australia Prides. If I can get to travel this year, I would love to go back to Barbados or to St Lucia. But of course, this is all Covid-pending.
Lady Phyll (aka Phyllis OpokuGyimah) is executive director of the LGBT human rights charity Kaleidoscope Trust, as well as the co-founder of the award-winning celebration UK Black Pride.