‘Fear kept me alive on an epic motorbike trip through Africa’

At 23, Nigerian musician Udoh Ebaide Joy survived a traumatic car accident.

This damaged her spinal cord and for months she was unable to get around without a wheelchair.

But along with the pain, Ms. Joy felt an overwhelming sense of clarity.

“It made me decide that I was going to live my life to the fullest,” she told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.

Since recovering, Joy has invested all her energy – and all her savings – into traveling, even converting an 1980s Nissan van into a home on wheels.

But Joy’s biggest adventure came this year when, at age 32, she became the first documented black African woman to travel alone from East to West Africa on a motorcycle.

The Afrobeats singer took a 9,000km (5,600 mile) journey from the Kenyan city of Mombasa to Lagos, Nigeria, and spent more than three months travelling.

Along the way, she experienced stunning landscapes, visa problems, an underground community of African bikers, solitary rides through “scary” forests, and an epic and emotional homecoming celebration.

“Being alone and traveling those roads, not understanding the language, I always traveled in fear, which was good because my fears kept me alive,” she says.

The journey began earlier this year when Joy flew to Kenya and bought a 250cc motorcycle, which she named Rory.

Having never ridden a normal bicycle, let alone a motorbike, she took a week-long training course in the capital, Nairobi, to prepare for her adventure.

Then, on March 8, Ms. Joy embarked on her odyssey through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria.

She chose to avoid the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the conflict in the east and other security concerns, as well as poor road conditions.

Kenya was the perfect starting point – “the people and the friendliness” were second to none, she says.

The “crazy” roads of Kampala, the capital of Uganda, naturally brought some challenges.

However, after this experience, she traveled to her next destination – Rwanda, and was very impressed with her “perfect” border crossing.

Upon entering several other countries, Ms. Joy faced additional costs, bureaucracy and hours-long delays.

But Rwanda is one of the few nations on the continent with visa-free access for all Africans.

It was also “a motorcyclist’s dream” – its mountainous terrain was perfect for practicing how to lean from side to side while riding. This was something that Ms. Joy really embraced and enjoyed.

Tanzania provided the most memorable meal of Ms. Joy’s trip.

After riding for several hours without seeing a single person, she found a village in the middle of a forest. Local women in a restaurant served a hungry Mrs. Joy soup, a huge plate of roast chicken, and a bowl of fluffy white rice.

“They were fascinated by a girl on a motorbike and interested in my bad Swahili,” she laughs. “The conversation was so sweet that it was nice to eat and see people.”

Along with curious locals, Ms. Joy encountered many sites of cultural importance and natural beauty on her trip. She was enchanted by Victoria Falls, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“It was amazing! I’ve always heard about Victoria Falls – for God’s sake, it’s one of the seven [natural] wonders in our own universe,” she says.

She met motorcyclists from several countries on her trip, and they joined her for short portions of her journey, recommending where to stay or eat.

An app for motorcyclists also proved invaluable, allowing her to receive tips and other advice.

When she started, Joy intended to camp overnight on the side of the road, but soon abandoned the idea as unsafe – and halfway through the trip she sent her tent and other camping gear back home to reduce her luggage.

From Kampala onwards she stayed in cheap hotels – sometimes staying in one place for a few days to explore.

“On the days I cycled, I did at least 300 km,” she said, explaining that she usually cycled at night.

In Angola, the motorcyclists threw her a party – to celebrate the journey she has traveled so far.

“It’s a small community,” she says. “No matter where you are, if you get the right connection, you can meet any biker anywhere.”

Those who didn’t have the ability – or inclination – to hop on a bike and ride alongside Ms. Joy were able to virtually ride with her.

She has posted dozens of minivlogs on social media, captivating viewers around the world with her humor and honesty.

When she had an internet connection, she sent her recordings to someone in her home, who edited the footage and posted the videos for her.

By the end of the trip, she had reached more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.

Many of these supporters were women, who were proud to see Ms. Joy overcome gender-based stereotypes.

She showed the world that she was a woman on a bike, fulfilling her own adventure, doing something for herself.

“Thank you for showing the WORLD how amazing women can be!” one commented.

Ms. Joy did not face any discrimination when meeting people on her journey.

“People ask about the negative things, but I haven’t experienced them,” she says.

“Yes, people are fascinated by a girl on a bike, but I haven’t had any bad experiences.”

The positivity he found throughout the trip reached its peak when he reached his final destination – Lagos, Nigeria’s main city.

Other cyclists and other members of the public thronged the street to give him a hero’s welcome at an event organized by Nigeria’s ministry of arts and culture.

“When I arrived, I couldn’t hold back the tears. People were dancing and cheering. I couldn’t contain my excitement,” recalls Joy.

After sleeping “three days without stopping”, she concludes that the walk changed her outlook on life.

“Travel taught me that I am resilient and tenacious enough to overcome any challenge life throws at me,” she says.

“I had the time of my life.”

She has no plans to hang up her leather clothes. In just over a month, she will depart Nigeria for Morocco.

Cycling is a “life lesson”, she explains – it has taken her to the most sublime places and introduced her to the most wonderful people.

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