The drive from Malindi to Marafa felt mythical. It reminded me of my history lessons back then - the history of the coastal strip, the sultans, the Swahili people and the local Miji Kenda.

Marafa is a sandstone canyon outside Malindi town. The place is locally known as ‘Nyari’ meaning ‘the place broken by itself’. Legend has it that once there was a village where the ...