A 50-year-old German, Robert Mionskowski, has done what many would hold for a crazy adventure. He rode his BMW motorbike from the German city of Hannover to Accra – a daredevil mission that took him three weeks.
Mionskowski undertook the unusual trip to visit his son who is volunteering in Volta Region’s Vakpo. “Riding a motorbike gives me a sense of freedom,” he told the Ghanaian DAILY GUIDE disclosed.
Mionskowski narrated his journey’s route from Hannover to Spain, Gibraltar then to Morocco and Mauritania, proceeding to Senegal, then Côte d’Ivoire and eventually Accra.
“Before this trip, I used to ride to Italy from Germany. I was told about the dangers on the way [to Africa] but the people I have met have all been friendly. When they realized the mission I was on they were friendly and helpful. Soldiers and residents were all friendly in Africa. Their conduct was different from what I was told before I embarked upon the trip. I did not witness any of the corruption stories I was told were rife along African borders. People asked me to come and pass the night in their houses,” he told DAILY GUIDE.
Mionskowski also talked about the staff of African embassies in Berlin who were fascinated about what he wanted to do and did not hesitate to grant him the necessary entry visas for the different countries.
The intercontinental biker will however fly back to Germany and have his motorcycle shipped back home.
Felix Dappah
THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.