{"id":643,"date":"2017-03-14T13:45:50","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T14:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/?p=643"},"modified":"2024-06-12T14:02:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T14:02:28","slug":"10-quotes-by-celebrities-who-love-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/14\/10-quotes-by-celebrities-who-love-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Quotes by Celebrities Who Love Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Richard<\/div>\n

From the likes of the \u2018overrated\u2019 Meryl Streep (we kid, we kid \u2013 we\u2019d never agree with the Donald) to the too-cool-for-school (or his fans) Justin Biebs, celebs from all walks of life are drawn to our shores. Whether they\u2019re the most celebrated names in the industry or simply tabloid fodder, they all seem to have one thing in common: a resounding love for Africa, and what\u2019s not to love? Mama Afrika has plenty\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0admirers \u2013 including really, really, ridiculously famous ones. Take a look at what some of them have to say:<\/p>\n

\"Dave
Image credit: Moses Namkung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Dave Matthews\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a melting pot, Southern Africa. You find these cultural collisions that result in art and music, and it\u2019s pretty amazing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Coming from one of the most respected musicians in the biz, we\u2019d be compelled to take Dave\u2019s word for it (if we didn\u2019t already know how true that was, of course). Fun fact: before Dave Matthews achieved worldwide fame with The Dave Matthews Band, his story began in Johannesburg<\/a>, the continent\u2019s city of gold and his birthplace.<\/p>\n

\"Richard
Image credit: William Murphy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Richard Branson\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI love Africa, and Ulusaba, our home in South Africa, is pretty special. It\u2019s on a rock overlooking the bush, and from your room, you can see lions stalking zebras by the waterhole\u201d.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re big fans of Ulusaba Private Game Reserve<\/a>, too, so much so \u2013 we wrote a blog post<\/a>\u00a0dedicated to their Cub\u2019s Club!<\/p>\n

\"Tom
Image credit: Gage Skidmore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Tom Hiddleston<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI feel as though a cardboard box of my own reality has been flattened and blown open. Now I can see the edge of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty tough talk coming from Loki himself (or ex-Mr Swift as he\u2019s known in our office gossip circles), but we\u2019ll take it!<\/p>\n

\"Will
Image credit: Frazer Harrison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Will Smith<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cIt feels like God visits everywhere else, but lives in Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Nuff said. Perhaps Will took a trip along the Panorama Route<\/a> and stopped by God\u2019s Window<\/a> to come to this conclusion?<\/p>\n

\"Taraji<\/p>\n

5. Taraji P Henson<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI love South African food because it\u2019s flavourful, your taste buds dance, you just never know what combinations\u2026 very spicy. I love food that you can taste. I don\u2019t like bland food\u201d.<\/p>\n

Neither do we, Taraji! Take a look at some of our favourite recipes<\/a> to come out of Mzansi and the rest of the continent. After all, what Cookie says, goes.<\/p>\n

\"Shakira<\/p>\n

6. Shakira\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learnt to see Africa with new eyes, from the perspective of a continent that has given the world so much, that has nourished it like a mother nourishes her child. A continent full of colours, feelings, smiles, and kids with enormous talent that are just waiting for the chance to shine (\u2026) I wasn\u2019t surprised to find so much beauty, but I never expected to see such warm, gentle and loving people; I had never been given that much love, that many hugs and kisses, that many smiles. That is what makes me believe in humankind over and over again\u201d.<\/p>\n

We couldn\u2019t agree more. Shakira fell in love with South Africa when she opened the 2010 FIFA World Cup\u2019s Kick-Off Concert in Soweto.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Roger
Image credit: Tatiana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Roger Federer<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cMy heart is in South Africa, through my mum. My mum being from here, me spending a lot of time here as well, I feel most connected to this part of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

Psst\u2026 rumour has it, one of Roger\u2019s favourite places to hang out when visiting SA is the alluring Garden Route<\/a>\u00a0and the coastal town of Knysna<\/a>, in particular.<\/p>\n

\"Leonardo
Image credit: U.S Department of State<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Leonardo DiCaprio<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI saw a pack of 35 lions eat a wildebeest carcass and swam with giant manta rays. That was unbelievable. Africa\u2019s natural beauty is unmatched\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sound appealing? Yup, it does to us, too. It also sounds a lot like a Big 5 safari<\/a> in the Kruger National Park <\/a>and a beach holiday in Mozambique<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Heston
Image credit: Brian Minkoff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Heston Blumenthal\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI love South Africa. I\u2019m always inspired when I come here\u201d.<\/p>\n

One of Heston\u2019s most inspirational destinations is undoubtedly the Cape Winelands<\/a> where gastronomy rules supreme and fine-dining restaurants promise tastebud-shattering foodie experiences. This viticultural pocket holds such allure, we decided to design a Taster Tour<\/a>\u00a0checklist for parts of it.<\/p>\n

\"Jared
Image credit: Nicolas Genin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10.\u00a0Jared Leto\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWe have been very lucky in that we have toured South Africa<\/a> twice, and plan on coming back. It\u2019s one of the great inspiring places, a magical place and some of our best shows have been in your beautiful country. We\u2019ve been inspired to write songs there, and recording there was an experience to be remembered\u201d.<\/p>\n

We look forward to seeing you back here, soon, Jared!<\/p>\n

Ready to see what all the fuss is about?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch<\/a> and we\u2019ll help you fall in love with Africa, too.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the likes of the \u2018overrated\u2019 Meryl Streep (we kid, we kid \u2013 we\u2019d never agree with the Donald) to the too-cool-for-school (or his fans) Justin Biebs, celebs from all walks of life are drawn to our shores. Whether they\u2019re the most celebrated names in the industry or simply tabloid fodder, they all seem to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/onthegosite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}