Crossing Africa by foot: Mario Rigby's incredible odyssey! [Travel]

Mario Rigby was born in the Turks and Caicos Islands, grew up in Germany and Canada. While doing research about his African heritage , he was surprised to come across a lot of negative information, motivating him to discover the continent.

Mario, who also wanted to combine adventure and discovery, later turned this crazy dream into reality, after training for a year : his practice walk took him from Toronto to Montreal in 14 days !

“I wanted to show that in Africa, people are living everyday lives and that africans are ingenious, creative … that there are all kinds of people that live there just the way we would live anywhere else. I wanted to normalize that, to show people this kind of living. And I think the best way to get the most authentic experience was to go by foot, because then, you have to meet every single body.” he explains.

I want to encourage black youth... We need to be very brave especially in this part and time of history, to really take a risk, go outside the box ! And really do research be knowledgeable about things.

Mario left Cape Town, South Africa, on November 24th, 2015, finally reaching his destination in Egypt on January 25th. A two year long journey of 11,500 kilometers, across 12 countries, where he met 50 different tribes and learned a dozen languages just to survive and be able to communicate.

A real life odyssey, strewn with dangers of all kinds. To recap, Mario crossed the Nile river in the middle of the night, slept alongside hippos, was at one time arrested by the police in Malawi.

He at a point found himself all too unwillingly, caught in the middle of a clash between military and rebel militia in Mozambique!

Crossing Africa totally changed him, and showed him that human potential is limitless, and that what matters is to dare to dream.

Mario hopes that his trip will inspire youth in Africa, but also from around the world to explore the world while affirming their identity.

Mario is preparing for another challenge which is still unknown but if you would like more information on his travels, check out his online platforms and website at mariorigby.com!