Thahir Asmal, Radio Islam News – 11-05-2018

A Muslim man who travelled 21 000 kilometres on foot and by bicycle over a 15 month period visiting 17 countries says his next big mission is to do trek across the Americas.

Yasin Ghilam, a Moroccan national, arrived in Johannesburg a few days ago following the arduous trip, which began in his home town of Casablanca on 22 January 2017.

Ghilam initially walked and hitchhiked the first 5000 kilometres to Dakar where he worked for a week and managed to collect the 100 dollars he needed to buy a bicycle.

After moving along the west coast of the continent, Ghilam then cut inland and spent Ramadaan in Nigeria, before heading through Cameroon, central Africa and then the southern regions.

“My motivation was, number one, I like Africa and I like traveling. I like writing books on Africa on the local language, the people, the staple food, etcetra. So I enjoy it.”

Ghilam explains that he ventured into cycling after finding walking an ardent and strenuous task.

“There lots of dangers. Ramadaan in Nigeria was very tough in the heat. There wasn’t much food of water. Ialso had an accident and then spent 10 days in hospital. Then in Cameroon I had to be hospitalised for two weeks due to malaria.”

Ghilam says after touring South Africa, he plans to fly to all the African islands such as Madagascar and the Seychelles, before heading back to Zambia to work for people he met whilst travelling through the country.

Edited by: Faizel Patel