At the Sarit Afro-Asian Expo

It was Valentine’s Day and I had not bought roses. Nor had I booked a table. Too late for that, I thought – all the likely places would be full. 

I am not at all tuned in to the way Valentine’s Day is celebrated these days. When I was a courting youngster (do they use that word ‘courting’ these days?) it was not really a celebration.

Youngsters sent cards to each other but they were not signed. The idea was to create a little intrigue and mystery.  No, I am a bit Scrooge – like about the way Valentine’s has become so commercialised. 

Nevertheless, at breakfast last Sunday I was feeling rather guilty.

“So what would you like to do today?” I asked my wife, Lut. 

“I would like to go to the Afro-Asian Expo at the Sarit,” she said. 

So that’s what we did. 

Valentine thoughts

I hadn’t been to the Sarit Centre for ages. On my own, I would have been quite lost. I would have had trouble finding even the car park.

Sarit has expanded both sideways and upwards, and there are so many new shops, as well as some old stalwarts like the Textbook Centre and Westlands Florists.

“Is Monty’s still here?” I asked.

I was glad the answer was Yes, because my Valentine thoughts had turned from flowers to chocolates. A box of Black Magic we could both share. 

But we were making for the Afro-Asian Expo. It was in the smart and spacious Expo Centre, which the website tells us is, with its three halls and four meeting rooms, ‘Kenya’s largest purpose-built venue’. 

The Expo was more Asian than Afro, we found. In fact, we didn’t see one African exhibit, though the poster advertises products from Kenya as well as from India, Syria, Iran and Egypt.

Well worth visiting

No, it was like walking into a crowded market in Delhi or Cairo. It was an Oriental bazaar – with the colour of fabrics, the glitter of jewellery and the scent of spices. 

There were health herbs from Syria, intricate silver from Iran, ornate furniture from India.

You could find out how to train your brain with a course on Vedic maths, or buy a do-it-yourself 7-in-1 magic massager – both pastimes, I suggest, for these stay-at-home pandemic times. 

I have been talking about the Expo in the past tense. But today it is still open – it is its last day, and it will be open from 10am till 8pm.

So if you are in or near Nairobi, and if you haven’t already been there, it is well worth a visit. And, of course, there is a lot else to do in the SarIt Centre these days. 

Box of chocolates

After the Expo, we felt like taking a drink and a snack. We found our way through the food court to a small restaurant called The Library. It’s a fun place, decorated in bright colours, and it has many nooks and crannies.

The actual library is up a spiral staircase, where there are books you can read as you eat and drink – books you are requested to return to the shelves when you leave. 

There are lots of books for children. On a high shelf, too high for children to reach, there are only two books in the ‘Adults’ section – ‘Passion Play’ and ‘Vixen Manual’. The largest section is ‘Romance’. But there is one book there called ‘Four Play’, I reckon it should go up to the high shelf.

One called ‘Democracy in America’ is also in ‘Romance’. Having watched the Trump-inspired shenanigans over the last month or so, I reckon Romance is the right place for it. 

And, yes, we found the Monty’s shop before locating our car park again. So I salved my conscience by buying the Valentine’s box of chocolates.

John Fox is Chairman of iDC Email: [email protected]