Lamu

Kenya // 2019

The painted sail of this dhow featured the ship’s captain riding Rashford, his prize donkey. Lamu (a historic trading port off the coast of Kenya) takes both dhows and donkeys seriously. Donkey races are held three times a year for a first prize of 20,000 Kenyan Shillings (approximately $200) and a return flight to Nairobi. The captain’s brother was a local legend, having won seven times. The supremacy of donkey transport in the port has recently been threatened by an influx of cheap motorbikes, but a ban is already being discussed, with an exception for emergency services and local officials.