‘I want to carry our national flag to every country of the world’

Najmun Nahar Sohagi is the first Bangladeshi woman to travel to 150 countries across the globe, carrying the national flag of Bangladesh.

It took her 21 years to reach the landmark. "When I completed 135 countries in 2019, I promised myself that I would reach a milestone within the 50th year of Bangladesh's independence," says Sohagi.

Undoubtedly, Sohagi has set an example for young travellers, "I have always tried to convey the message that the world is our home. I want to carry our national flag to every country of the world," she says.

She chose São Tomé and Príncipe, an island nation in Central Africa, as the 150th country. "Although the ongoing pandemic affected many of my plans, I picked this place as it is located on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea," shares the avid traveller.

Sohagi raised awareness about issues such as world peace, child marriage, and plastic pollution among others, around the countries she went to.

She stayed at a guest house in São Tomé and Príncipe in a jungle-based area, where all civic benefits were not available.

While travelling, she got ill, and starved for long hours as restaurants were far from the guest house. She also faced language problems, while travelling with the locals by road. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the flights were more expensive than usual, and she had to get tested for Covid-19 twice, for a single flight to Africa.

According to Sohagi, São Tomé and Príncipe is a geographically rich country. "After Iceland and Namibia, I would describe this place heaven on earth. It seems like an untouched heaven that has the history of a hundred thousand years," she says.

From the land of sunrise to the land of giant mountains, she has stories to tell about every country she visited. These stories will be told in the book she is writing on her travel experiences of 21 years.

Sohagi plans to travel to all 195 countries enlisted in the United Nations. "My target is to visit the war- raged areas soon," she asserts. "Since I travel alone, ensuring my safety is also important."

Inspired by her paternal grandfather who was an Islamic scholar, and her father, who also loved travelling, she began to explore the world from an early age. Sohagi studied at Lund University, Sweden. Her mother has accompanied her to 14 countries.

She received the Miss Earth Queen Award and Youth Conference Globe Award at the Fobana Summit, Nassau Coliseum.

She is a recipient of the Peace Torch Bearer Award (USA), Atish Dipankar Gold Medal Award, Zonta International Club Award, and Red Crescent Motivational Award. She will be visiting Bangladesh in November.

The author is Trainee Reporter, Arts & Entertainment, The Daily Star. Email: sharmin@thedailystar.net.