Nekebozu

We are doing a round of awareness meetings with each of the communities that surrounds this protected area. Today's was at Nekebozu, which is a cool name.

The government wants to gazette the forest from proposed to official status, and we are helping to conduct the necessary consultations, as people have an intricate relationship with the forest and its resources. It can't all become strictly protected as it would prevent people being able to access fish, vegetable plots and what in the biz are called NTFPs (non-timber forest products) such as rattan, honey, mushrooms and wild-growing palm. The outside boundary of the protected area is relatively straightforward, however the zones within require much careful deliberation. There will be a core conservation zone where wildlife such as the pygmy hippo (termed 'water cow' locally and apparently a fan of digging up yams) roams, then zones for managed collection of forest products, and finally an agricultural zone, recognising that there are many farms within the boundary and being totally against the idea of relocating people. For people who usually practise slash and burn agriculture but who agree they want to preserve the forest for future generations, the great challenge therefore is increasing productivity on existing farms by testing new techniques. Some promising results in some bitterball harvest data I saw today.

In Nekebozu the meeting went relatively well. This village is largely the Christian Lorma tribe, with the neighbouring village of Medina comprised mostly of Muslim Mandingo. The war led to movements (and I am sure more that was fairly grisly) between the two as tribes were pitched against each other in a deliberate tactic to keep opposition subjugated. Some Mandingo remain in Nekebozu and it was heartening in the meeting's opening and closing prayers that everyone agreed one should be Muslim and one should be Christian. The tradition of prayers at official gatherings (as well as surprising the foreigner with a demand for 'closing remarks'...) is widespread. However today was the first time I have also sat through an opening prayer before a car journey, to ensure we would be conveyed safely.

The car prayer was led by Isaac, who's travelled with us from Monrovia as a government delegate from the Forestry Development Authority. He heard me on the phone to Mrs Weah in our Monrovia office and thought I was chatting with Mrs George Weah, the First Lady. Isaac is apparently pals with her and her husband, so I talked up our organisation in case it reaches the President's ears.

During a break in meeting proceedings, another government rep present saw a girl of about 4 staring at me and said 'you are looking at your wife', whilst explaining that courtship between future married couples often begins in childhood, organised by parents. I thought that being 30 years her senior may invalidate this idea.

'Who would marry a white man?' he continued, and the same girl raised her hand. 'Marriage is a process', he clarified. Yes, on behalf of billions of girls and many millions of boys around the world, this statement is my fear.

After a certain while travelling, nothing visceral can shock. Alice started talking about diarrhoea when I was shovelling down plantain and spicy beans. Then she apologised for the fact I was eating. I hadn't linked the two, so I shrugged and recommenced shovelling.