As the winner of season 6 of the Amazing Race, Kendra Bentley was able to travel to a myriad of beautiful countries. During episodes four and five of her season, Kendra Bentley was able to visit Senegal and while the stay was short, the respect for the Senegalese people has lasted a lifetime. Senegal is a great example of a place that Kendra Bentley and countless other Americans would know very little about if it weren’t for the Amazing Race. Obviously, the information that can be gathered from the show is just surface level. This page will be used so Kendra Bentley can educate readers on the Senegalese people.
Kendra Bentley’s trip to Senegal took her to the western tip of the continent of Africa. The climate is such that the Senegalese people are often victims of severe bouts of drought, which greatly impacts the agriculture sector. There are just about ten million people within the country. Population in the area has been skyrocketing lately and has increased greatly since Bentley appeared in the country during season 6. There are many different great charitable organizations to help the people of Senegal as they deal with a growing population and a lack of resources.
As a model and a visual person, Kendra Bentley was struck by the beauty of the national flag. The green, yellow, and red all have a deeper symbology behind them. The red represents all the blood that was spilled during the nation’s fight for liberty, the green is a representation of hope and the natural forestry in the country and the yellow represents the country’s savannah.
History and tradition are two very important parts of the identity of the Senegalese people. French is the language that is taught in most schools, but the natives speak in the Dakar Wolof dialect, which has strong roots in the country’s history. All these aspects of Senegal are aspects that Kendra Bentley would have never sought the knowledge of if it were not for her time on the Amazing Race. The show helps shrink our globe and teach viewers that people are not so unalike one another – regardless of what continent they call home.
In addition to Senegal, Kendra Bentley was blown away by Lalibella, Ethiopia. Bentley was able to explore Lalibella during episodes 10 and 11 of her season of the Amazing Race. This area of Ethiopia is breathtakingly beautiful. There are deep spiritual roots in the area. There are several churches throughout Lalibella that show off the rich Ethiopian tradition of architecture. The churches in the area are linked all the way back to Emperor Lalibela who had these churches constructed in the then capital of Roha. When restoration work was done in the 20th century, it was revealed that many of these churches served as homes to the royal people of Ethiopia.
It was undeniable during Kendra’s season of the Amazing Race and it’s undeniable now that many people and children in Ethiopia need help. Donators to great organizations like UNICEF help provide the basics of food, water, and shelter to those in need. Kendra Bentley encourages all with the funds to do so to contribute to assist the people who make up such a beautiful country. Future blog posts will touch on different unique experiences Kendra has had in Senegal and Ethiopia as well as direct readers toward charitable organizations that are making a difference for these countries daily.