About Guinea Conakry

The Republic of Guinea is bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.Guinea's main attraction to tourists is its relatively undisturbed countryside. Its landscape varies from mountains to plains and from savannah to forest and the three great rivers of West Africa (the Gambia, the Senegal and the Niger) all originate here.

The capital, Conakry, is located on the island of Tumbo and connected to the Kaloum Peninsula by a 300m- (984ft-) long pier. The city is well laid out, its alleys shaded by mangrove and coconut palm trees. Guinea has a strong music tradition and Conakry, in particular, is a dynamic centre for music. The singing of the Kindia people is especially renowned.

In 1958, when it declared independence from France and voted in a staunchly socialist one-party government, Guinea became an isolated and secretive country. However, after the death of the dictator Sekou Touré in 1984, Guinea began, slowly, to allow tourists.

The Republic of Guinea covers 245,857 square kilometres (94,926 sq mi) of West Africa, about 10 degrees north of the equator. Guinea is divided into four natural regions with distinct human, geographic, and climatic characteristics:

• Maritime Guinea (La Guinée Maritime) covers 18% of the country
• Middle Guinea (La Moyenne-Guinée) covers 20% of the country
• Upper Guinea (La Haute-Guinée) covers 38% of the country
• Forested Guinea (Guinée forestière) covers 23% of the country, and is both forested and mountainous

The population of Guinea comprises about 24 ethnic groups. The Fulas or Fulani (French: Peuls; Fula: Fulɓe), comprise 40% of the population and are mostly found in the Futa Djallon region. The Mandinka, also known as Mandingo or Malinké, comprise 26% of the population and are mostly found in eastern Guinea concentrated around the Kankan and Kissidougou prefectures.

The Soussou, comprising 11% of the population, are predominantly in western areas around the capital Conakry, Forécariah, and Kindia. Smaller ethnic groups make up the remaining 23% of the population, including Kpelle, Kissi, Zialo, Toma and others.^[1] Approximately 10,000 non-Africans live in Guinea, predominantly Lebanese, French, and other Europeans.

I am proud to say that I am amix of Fulani, Mandinka and Kissidougou :)

Things to Do And To See

Conakry

The capital, Conakry, is located on the island of Tumbo and is connected to the Kaloum Peninsula by a 300m (984ft) pier. The city is noted for its botanical gardens. The Cathedral, built in the 1930s and located in the town centre, is well worth viewing. There is also a National Museum (Musée National), with a collection of masks, statues and musical instruments. The Palais du Peuple is a large, Chinese-built auditorium that is home to two national ballet troupes. Plenty of restaurants line the main north-south street, the Autoroute (Route du Niger).

Kakimbon Caves

The Kakimbon Caves in the village of Ratoma, now a suburb of Conakry, are the source of many interesting legends and are bestowed with great religious significance by the local Baga people. 

The Îles de Los, off the Kaloum Peninsula some 10km (6 miles) southwest of Conakry, are recommended as a tourist destination and are easily accessible from Conakry. Good beaches can also be found at the Île de Roume and Île de Kassa, the latter being accessible via a public boat service.

THE ILES DE LOS

Iles de Kassa

Le Voile de la Mariée

Approximately 150km (93 miles) outside Conakry is the picturesque Le Voile de la Mariée, nestled at the bottom of a 70m- (230ft-) high rock from which the River Sabende plunges, amidst lush vegetation, into a deep pond. In Pita, located between Dalaba and Labé, the Kinkon Falls can be found which produce 150m (492ft) of cascading water.

 I remember as a child going there with my family. When you actually stand under the cascading water, there is a funny sensation I will never forget . 

The Main Dishes

I love to eat, and lucky me with the multiples Etnies in my country, there are a lot of different dishes to enjoy. Here I will share with you some of my favorite dishes. Most of them are eaten with rice, but sometimes can be eaten with a cereal called Fonio or a sort of paste made with Mais or Mil

My Number one Favorite: Kansiyé

This dish is made out of peanut butter and you usually eat it with rice.
The sauce can be made with chicken, meat or fish

The Leaves Sauce

We have three variations of this dish. You can make it out of  sweet potato leaves, cassava leaves or even spinach

Spinach sauce

Sweet Potato Leaves sauce

The Ocra Sauce

This dish can be eaten with rice or with a powder made with cassava powder.

I usually do not eat this dish, only if my mum makes it :)

The Tomato sauce

This dish can be make with any meat ( but beef is the best for this), chicken and  most of the time with a smoked catfish called Konkoe 

KonkoeTouré gbeli 

We also have desert such as :

Kabissé, made with little round bowl of mil and milk

And our favorite drinks are

A sweetened drink made out of dry Hibiscus flower and flavored with fruits essences, sometimes extract of vanilla.

A cold ginger juice. My mum usually add fresh pineaple to hers and other fruit essences

I try to share with you the main dishes, the common ones, but we have so many more, such as a soup made with all the tubercules we have, fried sweet potatoes with baked fish etc..

I am glad I live with my mother and that thank to all the African Marke we have here in New York, even though I am away from my country, I get to eat most of those dishes,

Also, you can find a lot of Guinean restaurants serving those dishes here in New Yor in case you want to try here are some of these dishes.