Wealthy Older Women Are Hiring Men In Kenya To Romance Them

PHOTO BY Sofie Amalie Klougart

In 2009, Sofie Amalie Klougart traveled
to Mombasa, Kenya with the nonprofit
ActionAid. Her day job was to document
ActionAid's numerous efforts to
alleviate poverty in the country.
Fascinated by the country,
Klougart spent her nights and weekends
traveling the country in search of
stories.
While visiting the country's numerous
beautiful beaches, Ama was struck by
the many older European women she
saw carousing with young Kenyans.

When she inquired with one of the
women, she found that she was
witnessing what many call "Romance
tourism" — lonely men and women
who travel to impoverished countries in
search of companionship and locals
who willingly oblige, in exchange for
gifts, free meals, and, sometimes, cold
hard cash.
Klougart began documenting the affairs
of the many women she met on the
beaches of Kenya who introduced her to
the sometimes troubling and sometimes
empowering world of women who go
after exactly what they want and
nothing more.
Klougart shared a number of the photos
with us here, but you can see the rest at
her website .
Klougart first came across
“romance tourism” while she
was walking along the
beaches of Mombasa,
Kenya. There she saw older,
single, white women, who
were often surrounded by
young Kenyans. “It was very
easy to spot,” Klougart told
Business Insider.

The hotels in Mombasa were
full of European travelers,
both male and female,
traveling alone. Everyone at
the hotels, from the
receptionists to the help,
was aware of relationships
between those in the hotel
and the locals, according to
Klougart.
Klougart met her first
subject, Louise, on the
beach. She told Louise that
she was doing a story about
love. Louise laughed and
said, “Love! That doesn’t
exist here!” Louise was in a
relationship with two
different Kenyan men and
introduced Klougart to many
of the women in the area.
Louise first began living in
Kenya in 1997 when she
went to work as a tour
guide. As a tour guide, she
saw many tourists have
romances with the locals
and she swore that she
would never become one of
them.
Not long after, Louise began
dating a Kenyan man and
had a child. The three of
them moved to France, but
Louise kicked the man out
after she caught him
cheating. She moved back
to Kenya so her son Joshua
could connect with his
roots.
Most often, the women
begin “dating” the Kenyan
men because they are
lonely. The men usually play
along because they live in
awful poverty. Playing along
can guarantee the men a
comfortable bed in a hotel,
as well as meals and gifts
from the women that the
men keep or sell for things
they need..
Most of the women are from
Germany, Switzerland,
eastern Europe, and Turkey.
The women are usually
older, wealthy, and
overweight.
In many cases, money is
handled discreetly so that
the women can preserve the
fantasy of the romance.
Other times, it is far more
explicit, with women paying
the men directly for sex.
One woman that Klougart
met travels from Germany
twice a year, staying three
weeks each time. She visits
the same man each time she
comes.
When she arrives, she gives
the man enough money for
him to pay for everything
while she is there. Many of
the women hate the idea of
playing the “sugar momma.”
When she leaves, she gives
the man money as well.
In many cases, the men are
looking to secure a way out
of Kenya to Europe through
their lovers.
This can lead to elaborate
relationships that blur the
line between the reality and
the fantasy.
Many women get caught up
in the fantasy and
experience hurt, confusion,
and anger when they realize
that they were just being
used.
Most of the time, however,
the women are aware that
both are using each other.
One for companionship and
the other for economic
security.
For example, one of the
women Klougart met works
in the hotel industry in
Europe and travels to Kenya
each year to escape her life.
Her husband died of cancer
20 years ago and she
doesn’t want a new father
for her children, only some
companionship when she
needs it.
Klougart learned that the
practice is not limited to
Kenya. It is common in
numerous other vacation
spots, especially the
Caribbean.
A lot of people are willing to
pay for connection.

Adopted from The Business Insider and all photos used are by Sofie Amalie Klougart.