A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE MUSEUM - PART 2

Not long ago, we took our visiting friend German to the notorious Museum of Arts and Traditions. The gate was open and so we entered the museum grounds, hardly believing our luck. The establishement itself, however, proved to be closed. We knocked on the door several times and, just as we were leaving, a gentleman in a smart suit appeared and opened the door. He told us it was indeed after opening hours but he, the director of the museum, would make an exception for us. And he did - he gave us a guided tour of the exhibition and played a film about Pygmies, whom he, an anthropologist, generously called the link between animals and civilised man. I jumped at my chance for more illegal photos and I proudly present the results below.

Ngon'Ntang, the White Girl (from Estuaire)

It is a Fang mask, of anthropomorphic shape and four female faces. It is made of raffia, wood and eagle feathers, with coffee grains for eyes. It is used at the end of mourning, to bring the spirits of the dead home and thus avoid their getting lost.




Lekoka or Kidumu or Mvri, the Moonlight or the Terror (from Haut-Ogooué)

A Téké initiation mask, which above all symbolises moonlight that illuminates the society. Made of light osongo wood and toucan or eagle feathers, as well as raffia. This mask lets a boy become a real man. It is present during ceremonies held at the end of mourning, fortune-telling and it protects the village from evil.



Nzambe Kana, God Creator or the First Ancestor of Man (from Ngounié)

An anthropomorphic Tsogho mask made of wood and raffia. It is an initiation mask usually called Moghondzi, the spirit of the dead. It is used in various rites of passage, as well as in the event of death and in mourning. It promotes fertility.




Mukudji or Mbwand or Ngondji, the Tallest One or the Extreme Beauty (from Ngounié)

An anthropomorphic initiation mask from the Bapunu tribe has a face of a young girl, which has several scars: nine on the forehead, and nine on each temple. These scars are signs of beauty. The hair-do is typical of women in mourning and the eyes are made of almonds. The figure is elevated on stilts and its costume is made of raffia. It is used to appease the spirits of beautiful girls who died. Also, it is used in the celebrations at the end of mourning.

All the information is a direct translation from the museum's information panels. If you can spot any mistakes, please let me know!

PARC NATIONAL THE GABONESE WAY

Yesterday we went on a boat trip to the nearby National Park of Akanda. We'd already visited it a few months before and so we called up the same Nigerian fishermen who took us there in April. Of course, it would be easier and maybe more legal to enter the park through some kind of "official" body, associated with park authorities, such as the Akanda hotel. However, the price proposed by the hotel was a daunting 40 000 francs (60 euros) per person, while the fishermen we found in the port of Charbonnages offer the same services for 70 000 francs (105 euros) per boat, which seats up to eight people. Even if there were only four of us, the final price per person amounted to 26 euros.

The first stop on our way to the Île aux oiseaux (French for Bird Island) was a place we hadn't visited back in April: a tiny little island, entirely occupied by a Nigerian village. We disembarked among the traditional pirogues, and were welcomed by excited kids springing to view from every direction and huge poster saying: Parc National d'Akanda. Accès strictement réglementé. As soon as we touched ground, a big man, dressed in a European way, appeared out of nowhere, brandishing a large Canon camera. He presented himself as le conservateur du parc and officially welcomed us to the little island, scrutinising our fisherman guides. Afterwards, a conversation followed, which held us scandalised throughout the rest of the day.

- So, as you can see the tourism is not yet developed. We are, however, thinking of building a hotel to receive tourists. Of course, we will not bring them here from Charbonnages, its too dirty (meaningfully pointing to the villagers with his head).
- Oh, but we like the Charbonnages market. Where are you going to build the hotel?
- Right next to the Île aux oiseaux. You will be able to book it through the park and we will offer real guides (again, looking in the direction of the Nigerians who were accompanying us).
- But isn't there a village there?
- Well, yes. We will remove it and build a hotel.
- Oh... But it is interesting to visit the villages. We enjoy that. Tourists enjoy that.
- Well, yes... If they were Gabonese we might understand. But Nigerians...

We were at a loss for words. Of course, we knew that the Gabonese looked down on other Africans. But to remove a whole village in order to build another expensive hotel? How will they handle the people? Where are they going to be removed to? And all this coming from a person responsible for one of the national parks. Suddenly I felt strange loyalty towards our Nigerian guides. The conservateur had an obvious air of a bully and I felt sorry for the villagers who had to put up with him on a daily basis. Before saying goodbye, he took a picture of us, which will probably be included in some kind of a useless report. We left hoping that the hotel would end up as so many other Gabonese projects: in the phase of planning.

Pictures from the trip here.

PARADISE NEWS' GUIDEBOOK: IVINDO

The trip to the Ivindo National Park was long and exhausting but yes, we managed to reach the Kongou camp in one piece. Accompanied by three guides and a France-based Gabonese tourism student (gladly displaying her bikini to anyone who would look), we arrived at the three little huts the camp consists of. We were excited, embarking on yet another jungle adventure, looking forward to being compensated for the nightmarish journey. Details and tips concerning the trip coming right up!

Transport
A boat from Makokou takes you down the Ivindo river and to the Kangou camp (address: in the middle of nowhere). It takes over three hours to get there, so remember to put on a lot of sunscreen. A raincoat won't be a bad idea, as water enters the boat easily, especially while crossing the wilder parts of the river. The wooden benches are not very comfy but if you're lucky you might see, as we did, a python having a siesta on the river bank, or an elephant feasting on the rich green plants.

Accomodation
Basic but located right next to the waterfalls, so that you can hear their humming at all times. The camp consists of a couple of wooden huts, containing beds and mosquito nets. Clean sheets are also provided. We used a spray which supposedly kills anything that moves on/in your mattress, just in case. No electricity, no running water - instead, romantic oil lamps and a crazy shower in the natural waterfall jacuzzi. You can also view the waterfalls from a wooden terrace overlooking them, and enjoy your meals in the wooden dining-room gazebo, listening to jungle sounds mixing with the splashing river. Food is simple but tasty, abundant in the morning and evening. Lunches are rather monotonous (bread and canned tuna), so it's good to bring some snacks. And the two bottles of wine we'd brought proved to be an excellent idea!

Guides
Finding a good guide in Gabon is never simple. The ones we met in Invindo were average and let me explain why. Of course, they knew the forest and all the plants very well, they could see a python where we saw nothing but branches, and they could hear a monkey from an incredible distance. They would, however, take this knowledge for granted and seemed surprised to know that, apart from seeing the elephants, we wanted to learn about plants, traditions and the like. Getting them to share what they knew proved to be a mission nearly impossible. Morever, they showed little flexibility. No options are offered, as the guides follow the same plan they have been following for years. Finally, they wouldn't eat with us or spend time with us unless specifically asked to. This, however, probably results from the attitudes of most tourists, for which the Gabonese are not to blame. Consequently, you can imagine the surprised gaze of one of the guides when we accompanied him to the river bank to assist him while he cleaned the day's catch of fish!

Trips
We spent two nights in the camp and I think it is the perfect amount. The first morning is entirely taken up by the boat ride and then you go for a short hike in the afternoon. The guides take you through the forest to a spot on the river bank which allows you to see the nearby waterfalls in all their beauty. We got extra-lucky: for half an hour or so we watched an elephant peacefully chewing on the plants by the waterfalls, just to go up them afterwards. A magnificent spectacle!

On the second day, you take a walk through the forest, you cross the river in a little boat and, after another jungle hike, you reach a place right at the top of the huge twin waterfalls called Buya Na Gonde. In Kata, the local language, it means Sun and Moon, and reflects the tradition of giving twins complementary names. Standing on the very edge of the water, just a couple of metres away from the great force of the waterfall, is an unforgettable experience... For a few moments nothing else exists, only you and nature - you can hardly avoid feeling grateful for being one of the few lucky people who get to see it.

After such an eventful morning, we were taken to see the abandoned Chinese camp; you see, a few years ago the Chinese cut through the forest to build a road, all this in preparation to building a dam on Ivindo. Who gave them permission to destroy this place and how much they paid for it remains a mystery to me, but we were relieved to know that the go ahead had been withdrawn before more damage was done. If only Gabon cared more about its natural heritage! If only they bet on tourism instead of ridiculous buisness schemes!

On our third day, another hike through the forest finished our visit of the park. We admired enormous trees and learned something about their role in the traditional medicine. Tired, dirty and extremely happy we got on the boat and went back to Makokou.

Conclusion
Yet again, Gabon managed to stun us with its natural, unspoilt beauty. The whole trip was remarkable and I have hundreds of pictures to prove it. The moment we got on that boat we forgot about the train ordeal and it just got better and better as time passed by. Ivindo is an absolute must for residents in Gabon - it makes you realise what on Earth you are doing so far away from home.

TRAIN TALES

Travelling in Gabon is not easy. Of course, we were perfectly aware of that when planning our trip to Makokou. But we were also very determined to see the Kongou waterfalls, located in the heart of Ivindo National Park. The plan was daunting but simple: seven hours on a train (travelling by night, Libreville - Booué), three hours in the pick-up truck generously provided by a friend based in Makokou (Booué - Makokou), and finally three to four hours by boat (Makokou - Kongou camp). Using three different means of transport implies that a lot things can go wrong. What is more, depending on any other driver than yourself is in general not a very good idea. But here we were, bags packed, Friday night, getting on the train, even though we had promised ourselves that we would never ever repeat the Franceville train experience. Surprises were in stock for us, of course. Nothing is simple in Africa.

Getting on a train in Gabon is a complicated business. Some people (I have yet to discover who and why) must check in their luggage, as at the airport. Then you pass three different control points, where your ID and ticket are carefully scrutinized. Then you are allowed on board. We shared our first-class compartment (six seats) with a big Gabonese lady and a man with VIP airs, holding tight onto his laptop. The train left the Owendo station relatively on time and we put on three sweaters each to fight the air-conditioning. So far so good.

Around 11 pm we reached N'Toum. Falling asleep, I heard a strange noise. The train stopped. Struggling for a comfortable position, I opened my eyes. It must have been a few hours later, the train was suddenly quiet and all the lights were off. Are we moving?, I asked myself and I realised that indeed, we were, very slowly and in the direction of Libreville. Strange, I thought drowsily and closed my eyes again. I was just pulling my shawl over my head when the air-conditioning went off, too. Strange, I thought and sighed with relief. At least I won't freeze my toes off.

I opened my eyes again and pulled the shawl off my face. Everything was perfectly still - the train was definitely not moving, my friends were peacefully asleep... Feeling for my backpack and some water, I realised that the big Gabonese lady was now on the floor, taking up the little space we had, snoring loudly and criticising Setrag (the train company) at the same time (a real mystery to us all). I closed my eyes, hoping that this bizarre picture would be gone when I opened them again.

I dreamed about reaching Booué and was rather disappointed when I woke up at 6 am to find out we were still in N'Toum, fifty kilometres away from Libreville. People on the train were getting restless and started to threaten the train crew. The latter, however, completely unmoved, would only state the obvious: I'm protected and you will go to jail. Go on, stab me in the back. Apparently, there was a problem with the engine and some passengers actually blocked a cargo train that pulled up in N'Toum and demanded its engine to be given up. I do not know how this story ended.

We started moving again around 7 am The air-conditioning was not working, which first made us feel really greatful and then gave me an asthma crisis, as the windows are sealed forever. The gentleman from our compartment spent most of the way to Booué writing a complaint letter to Setrag. When we left him, he was on page four. We reached our destination ten hours late, which obviously must have made the driver waiting for us extremely happy. The pick-up ride was a nightmare, as we were absolutely exhausted and were unable to keep our heads from bumping around as if we had no spine. Finally, around 5 pm we arrived in Makokou. It took us twenty-one hours to get there. Hungry and tired beyond description we found a peaceful heaven at our friend Sophie's. Clutching my cup of tea, I was seriously starting to wonder if those waterfalls were worth it. Were they?, you'll ask. Stay tuned, I'll keep writing.