Young Muslims in Africa say soaring travel costs are stopping them from fully honouring their faith, which demands that they visit the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at least once in their lifetime.
That spiritual voyage is called the Hajj.
“I’m really upset about it. I’m also disappointed that this issue isn’t widely discussed. It feels like Saudi Arabia and travel agents are profiting from a religious practice that we want to experience spiritually,” says 24-year-old NGO worker Ahmed Haji in Kenya.
He says he managed to save up $3,000 (£2,360) after a Hajj travel agent quoted that price. But later, to his dismay and confusion, prices unexpectedly doubled to $6,000.
This year’s Hajj is free from Covid-related restrictions for the first time since 2019 and the number of participants is astounding, with more two million people from 160 countries taking part.
But the high costs involved make it a pipe dream for many of the world’s Muslims.
This is especially true in Africa, where poverty rates exceed 30%, making it the region with the highest number of people unable to afford Hajj globally.