Academic to go on Africa tour to provide scholarship

ISTANBUL

A Turkish academic will go on a tour across Africa on her motorcycle with a mission to become a “bridge” between different cultures and provide scholarships to successful students in need.

Asil Özbay, an academic from Gedik University who hit the road with her motorcycle to the Himalayas with the motto “freedom suits women” two years ago, will explore African countries this summer and autumn alone on her motorcycle as part of a documentary project.

Özbay promoted her project with the motto “Africa through the eyes of a woman” on social media, adding that she will be riding her motorcycle northwards from today starting from Kenya.

The academic will continue her adventure, where she will travel nearly 30,000 kilometers and which she plans to conduct for six months, including especially sub-Saharan countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia after Kenya.

She plans to shoot documentaries that reflect the texture of tribes, village life and the general daily life of the continent.

“I enjoy producing digital content objectively and sharing it with people wherever I go. Actually, I want to be a bridge between different cultures,” Özbay said, noting that she gives priority to regions that are rarely visited in her intercontinental journeys.

She also added that she wants to provide scholarship opportunities to successful students who want to come to Turkey from Africa.

Considering that her journey to Africa will be difficult due to temperatures reaching 50 degrees, food shortages and security risks, Özbay will stay in hotels and hostels and will sometimes pitch tents wherever she can.