"It is now unmistakably post-holiday season, and in some parts of Africa, the last of the Detty December revellers are packing their bags. The few weeks of heavy partying that attract Black diaspora travellers from all over the world have been a fixture on the calendars of cities such as Lagos and Accra for almost a decade. But this year, it feels as if the darker sides of the festivities are encroaching on the year-end celebrations. Have we reached peak Detty December?"
"Detty December is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the untrammelled fun, indulgence and even debauchery of the holiday party season. Festivals, concerts and club events, from Ghana and Nigeria to Kenya, receive an influx of local and global guests who now make a regular pilgrimage to beaches, bars, restaurants and nightclubs across Africa that are firmly south of, or on the equator, to enjoy boiling temperatures and blue skies, leaving behind the need to shelter and shiver through the northern winter."
Detty December became an annual post-holiday ritual drawing Black diaspora travellers to coastal African cities such as Lagos, Accra, Ghana and Kenya. The phenomenon grew rapidly in under a decade, driven by festivals, concerts and club events that offer warm weather escapes from northern winters. Recent years have revealed negative consequences: rapid scale and intensity have placed pressures on local economies and services, while the largely transactional nature of many events raises questions about the longevity and depth of ties between visiting diaspora communities and local residents. Organic cultural roots remain important to its appeal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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