A TALE OF TWO CULTURES:
The Central African Republic and Morocco
April 15, 2016
There's a huge clearing in the dense rainforest of the Central African Republic... meager blades of grass dot the trampled earth, flattened by herds of elephants, buffalo and the rare, elusive bongo antelope (among others.) From behind the towering trees on the periphery of this particular bai, more and more elephants, buffalo and bongos rush out into the open field. I could hear them thrashing in the undergrowth as they worked their way towards the life-giving water and minerals buried deep in the iron grey earth.
The animal family groups come and go throughout the day (and probably through the night,) as the elephants dig the access holes and the rest of the animals benefit from their hard work. They dig for their much needed salt, minerals and water while providing quite a show for the onlooker...an incredible introduction to the riches of the Central African Republic in the heart of equatorial Africa.
Our home away from home was a camp on the Sangha River where fishermen are busy from morning 'til night and goods are transported on a daily basis in hollowed out tree trunks.
The BaAka pygmies were the people with whom we spent most of our time. Natural trackers who live in villages in the area, they're warm, welcoming and curious, as they don't get many tourists venturing into such a remote location. Their main forest activity is hunting for consumption as well as for trade. They employ several methods of hunting... some solitary...primarily for the men and the group net hunt involving men, women and children.
It's a curious thing to observe...they set their nets around a large area then shout and thrash at the undergrowth to force the animals out toward the nets. They hunt small antelope and porcupine in this way...always commencing the hunt with songs about their upcoming adventure.
Here are some glimpses into their village life...
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| A beauty salon |
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| A movie theater |
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my first meeting EVER with a very rare creature. Have you heard of a tree PANGOLIN? They're solitary, very shy, nocturnal animals...Africa's little ball of armor. This is a photo made by the owners of SANGHA LODGE, (our home away from home in the Congo,) of the pangolin they rescued and reintroduced into the rainforest. She's very sweet, independent and absolutely adorable!!! It'll be interesting to watch her progress, as not a great deal is known of these tree pangolins.
One of the most exciting days in the rainforest was spent trekking to see the Lowland Gorillas. Walking through dense jungle with temperatures well into the 90's and humidity almost as high, we climbed over fallen trees and impenetrable foliage for hours to find these beautiful animals. For me, this was very difficult, but well worth the effort. Of the following photos, some are mine and some were made by my friend, Jayne Turner. These guys were difficult to photograph...the forest was dark and these amazing primates were very active!!
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I
confess that in the gorilla photos that weren't up to my high standard
in their original form, I played with them a bit to make them more
appealing!! :) They were extraordinary to observe at such close range!!!
The last part of our journey to exciting, colorful Morocco is the second culture we experienced. Check back for the rest of the journey...
Thanks for stopping by.
Big Hugs,
abbyj |
It's a curious thing to observe...they set their nets around a large area then shout and thrash at the undergrowth to force the animals out toward the nets. They hunt small antelope and porcupine in this way...always commencing the hunt with songs about their upcoming adventure.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my first meeting EVER with a very rare creature. Have you heard of a tree PANGOLIN? They're solitary, very shy, nocturnal animals...Africa's little ball of armor. This is a photo made by the owners of SANGHA LODGE, (our home away from home in the Congo,) of the pangolin they rescued and reintroduced into the rainforest. She's very sweet, independent and absolutely adorable!!! It'll be interesting to watch her progress, as not a great deal is known of these tree pangolins.
