Exploring Africa’s Fascinating Cultures And Lifestyles | Somewhere On Earth Marathon

Exploring Africa’s Fascinating Cultures And Lifestyles | Somewhere On Earth Marathon

Y Morocco this Kingdom forged from Arab European and African cultures offers us the Exotic magic of the Orient right next door to Europe it’s hard to resist as the country’s enchanting light works its magic on you and the people we’re going to meet are all reflections of that warm

Glow Abdullah who lives in the region of talin will initiate us into the secrets of saffron the origins of this age-old spice are still steeped in mystery it’s said to have many virtues and it’s worth its weight in gold Red Gold Julie is a nurse she lives in a

Valley of the high Atlas 5 hours of hard driving from the nearest Village this young French woman grapples with the harsh environment in order to care for the most remote communities Ali and Lao guides in the Sahara are old hands at crossing the desert following the traces of the

Mythical desert Caravans they are carrying on the tradition of the merchants that once traveled the south of Morocco what I like most about the desert are the long cross when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven’t wasted your Time the rugged range of Jebel SWA is a stunning link between the high Atlas and the Sahara a land where you don’t expect to find any trace of Life a voyage that only begins there where the Trail Ends long ago people settled on these lunar plateaus to protect their goods

From the pillaging tribes of the Sahara their Villages blend in with the ochre land landscape as if they were trying to camouflage themselves and their soil has become the Cradle of a heavenscent Spice they say that saffron was brought here in the 9th century by a tribe traveling from Arabia to Andalusia now 600 years after being driven out of the Iberian Peninsula their descendants have settled in this similar landscape Our great grandparents were already growing sa it’s part of us we’ve been growing it for ages we’ve all grown up with it we’ve always grown it here in talin in other places they’re just starting to grow it savron is an honored guest in our village here a guest who arrives only in

October life in tisg a village of small Growers follows the rhythm of saffron for Abdullah and his family this delicate plant is their whole life it flowers for only 15 days a year but from the all the way to the selling it demands painstaking work everything about this crop has to

Be done by Hand I think that’s an interesting thing this one piece will make 52 layers watch on mobile devices or the big screen all for free no subscription Required We get up at 5 in the morning we do our prayers then we have breakfast and we set out around 5:30 we get to our saffron fields at Daybreak and we have to finish our work before the Sun is up completely it’s 400 m from the village

To the plateau where the saffron fields are located the Steep Trail often runs right alongside a sheer drop one has to belong to this land so as not to go Astray it’s a rough road but people are used to it they have no choice the road isn’t paved there are only Trails here it’s a 45-minute walk uphill all the way it’s a very narrow Trail a really tough Climb the trail is washed out in spots because of the rain we were repair it every time but it keeps getting damaged there the storm and that’s it just this year we’ve repaired it three times caught by the first rays of the Sun as they climb these Intrepid saffron

Growers run a Race Against Time every day during the Harvest Even if we have to get up early it’s okay we’re happy because we’re eager to see all the saffron That Grew during the night we can’t wait to get out and pick our treasure if our field is flourishing we’re happy when the flower opens and is exposed to the Sun the filaments scatter

And they’re lost here you see in the morning the flower is closed and that’s why we come so early every morning the plateau abounds with new flowers that contain the precious strands an ephemeral miracle and The Villages are quite grateful for this Boon this is a very good year and we

Hope it’ll be just as good for the money we have rich soil here saffron grows well thanks to the cool climate there’s a lot of humidity and that makes for a very good saffron so far from the bustling cities this is how life goes on for these berbers who are perfectly in harmony

With the seasons of Nature The Harvest follows the rhythm of the Sun and they have to stop picking as soon as the plateau starts to get warm during the saffron season every minute of work counts and the whole family pitches in and helps even SAA abdullah’s daughter she attends school but after class she has to help her Parents [Applause] For Saffron is vital to us because it’s our only resource that in a few animals we raise but saffron is our number one source of income it’s gold it’s gold thanks be to God even when you get good saffron the price doesn’t amount to much compared to

The work we Growers put into it your eyes get tired your hands your legs when you stay seated like this four or five hours at a stretch afterwards you can’t walk you can’t move you can’t go out it’s really strenuous you work night and day during the saffron Harvest Right up till the

End and the work has to be done right away you can’t put things off it has a very short lifespan if you let it go for two days it’s lost it’s just one month’s work a year but it’s the equivalent of full after a month of intense activity

Abdullah is ready to set out on a long road trip okay here I go may God protect us pray for me anded what should I bring back for you now calm down now I have to go you what do you want clothes and what else H shoes shoes God willing I’ll

Bring you back a pair of shoes don’t kiss my hand what should I bring back for you bring back clothes for her too okay mama I’m going take care of the children I won’t be gone long God willing may God protect You this small saffron grower from tgee will sell his Red Gold not just in the local cooperatives and sus he’ll go well beyond the region of Sira from Village to Village wherever his encounters may lead him Abdullah takes us along on the second phase of his work when he is a door-to-door Salesman you know it’s hard I have to make these long trips but I love this life you’re free in this kind of work you work for yourself from your own home and you’re not afraid of Anyone Somebody win I get How long will you be gone this time oh I’ll be away a month month and a half it depends I’m going to wazat Raa rashidia Gul that’s my saffron in all those towns people buy my saon mainly in August when you have all the weddings and celebrations you know we already

Knew that saffron has certain powers and now it’s been proven so people are using it more and more now we know that it’s really good for you the saffron harvested in the Autumn is sold at different times throughout the year it keeps for a long time and even improves with

Age so when Abdullah needs money he simply takes to the road let’s have a look it’s pure saffron of course it is top quality it comes from my Village my saffron comes straight from my Fields I don’t buy it the soup okay I’ll take five grams look at it just take a

Whiff great it’s good homegrown good even though it’s this used it’s light and dry nothing more delicate than the scales the scales have to be precise will you see they’re accurate good that’ll do it yes that’s perfect that smells good you’re right plus it has medicinal properties it’s good for colds and teas

It’s good for what ails you yes it’s good for everything it’s even good for death oh that I didn’t know the rising demand for this spice has driven up the prices and at the same time raised abdullah’s hopes of improving his family’s standard of living by selling my saffron I can buy

Clothes for the children some sugar tea and flour that’s how it is with saffron saffron is Money Take a Look it’s a beautiful color how much is it 5 a gram I’ll take four grams I used to sell it for two three four a gram but the price has gone way up that’s expensive no it’s not expensive if you know what goes into it it’s not a

Lot this is good saffron I use it a lot I put it in my tea to give it an aroma in the Tajin the couscous I use it for my children I make an herbal tea with it when they’re sick Live in a city it’s never even crossed my mind this is where my children are growing up this is our life we have to grow saffron and apples that’s how it is it’s the Earth that feeds Us at the end of this Voyage the simple freedom of these men of the earth is a natural gift that feeds its own dreams in the silence and immensity of the high plateaus of Sira [Applause] The tesaut this Valley in the high Atlas Mountains was for a long time unexplored even at the beginning of the 20th century it was not known that this remote Valley was inhabited it seems as if the modern world had stopped on the threshold of these deep gorges

Julie 24 is a nurse she left her life in the city of Leon in France to spend a year in Morocco along with hadija her interpreter she takes care of the people of the region a minibus has set out during the night on the Valley’s single track to

Come get the two women and take them to the site of their next consultation we work together she teaches me about everyday life here this headscarf is part of that so she’s my guide she’s my interpreter and my guide they cover a vast area Julie and Khadijah work in 14 Villages deep within

The valley getting there is already an adventure in itself this track is very long it stops in magdas from there on there’s no more road so we feel like we’re in a completely isolated corner of the planet it seems really far away from everything and then we wonder how’s it possible

That there are people actually living way out here we think my God it’s almost unnatural Muhammad has also come a long way to be taken care of he’s a farmer and lives in ishak Ken about 20 km away it’s a difficult trip so he put it off as long as he possibly could now he has to do It it took him four hours on mu bik to get hair how long has he had these stomach pains it’s been a month now here you have the everyday gestures that would take five minutes in France but here they take a lot longer because there are the constraints we don’t have all the

Equipment there’s no electricity no doubt about it it’s a different way of life a different Rhythm not much comes into this Valley only a few of the local drivers are willing to tackle these rough roads they are the only link between the first town and the inhabitants of the tesaut Valley This dispensary was opened in 2002 by a French Association tasador nurses come here to work for a year they provide basic Medical Care and take part in public health programs we take care of the children all the vaccinations and the Pediatric problems that might might come up digestive infections ear nose and

Throat general medicine and there’s the Family Planning programs and a lot of pregnancy care and emergency care that happens a lot and we’re also a presence for them we’ve realized that the commitment and values are much more important here than they ask themselves so just being here

With them reassures them and means a lot to Them time is quite elastic here so you let yourself go with it because you don’t have a choice It’s the Rhythm here and you learn to live with it there’s no way to be stressed because that’s just how it is you learn to make do with what you

Have the most important thing in tesaut is the Wadi this stream of the same name it not only irrigates the crops but it also serves as a means of transportation it’s a beautiful Valley but it’s hard living here in the winter especially when it snows but in the spring the water from

The melting snow is very useful sometimes the river overflows and that damages the crops but we accept that because here like everywhere else in the world water is essential and we respect water and all living things the TS out is a magnificent region it has a lot of

Water we lead very simple lives but the people here are happy I don’t like towns too much too much noise hustle and bustle cars everywhere it’s not for me if they would improve Rose here that would really make our lives Better we go along with Julie and Khadijah on the path to Tustin 10 km down from the dispensary where they have to do some vaccinations most of the time the two women make the trip on foot conditions permitting we can’t really make long-term projects because we never know what’s going to happen

If we’ll be able to make it back if the road will be blocked if it’s going to rain if the river is going to flood so we have to live in the present moment and that gives you a Serenity their culture is very strong their family ties as well the family is

Very important they like living here they don’t want to leave and from my experience I can say yes these people like it here in their Valley and they want to Stay life is hard here the people the women have to work in the fields it’s hard and yet there’s a certain aura about them and they’re always ready to laugh you want to feel sorry for them because we couldn’t imagine living our whole life here but in fact the people are very happy

Here I adapted to life here pretty quickly I think that later when I go back it will be difficult to adjust and yet I know full well that I’m a foreigner here that I’m just here for a certain time to give what I can live as fully as I can

Here but that this is not my home so it’s good that it all has a beginning and an End Julie has surely found here the essence of what Drew her to this profession an authentic bond with these men and women whose everyday life is so different from Ours Now we head south towards even wider Horizons towards a land where the Voyager loses himself in both space and time a harsh land where the buffeting winds sculpt the landscape and the piess Sun beats down on man and Beasts here we’re on the outskirts of the Sahara halfway between the plains of tailet and the dra Valley this region is the home of a myth the myth of the great Caravans Laden with gold salt and other riches they would ply The Roots between Morocco Niger Sudan and

Morania the Caravans made the fortunes of men and cities and thus created vital links between these countries and now what remains of them is a romantic image that lingers in our memories and that of these two sons of the desert Ali and Leo are guides in the

Sahara they are old hands at long Crossings with their camels one and a half months sometimes two completely on their own cut off from the outside world the two men have been traveling for several days now they’re taking their Caravan over an old trail that leads to

Timbuktu we’re going to explore a trail that we’ve never taken before with the help of God Lo and I have been desert guides for about 20 years we have experience and we set out looking for new routs we’re trying to find Wells if we can find water we’ll be able

To open this new route to Tourists The Caravans used to transport dates barley there were no cars was done by camel in the old days they would carry a little gold and money that they would hide it was all carried by Caravan they also carried salt right and salt too they carried Hannah they used to carry a lot of

Hanah now there are no more Caravans that’s all finished no Compass no GPS they make their way to the dra Valley by reading the signs of the Earth for several centuries The Columns of camels furrowed these fields of stone but the traces of their passage are beginning to fade

We’ll be right back we’re going to try to find the trail keep an eye on the camels they made this pile of stones back in the old days they’re all over the N region all the way to S and even down to the south of Morocco we’re on the right

Track it’s the trail that leads to the draw Valley this is a very old trail these piles of stones these cans are about 2,000 years old they Mark the trail to T and even into Moria for Fore Fore gby foreign I like the city from time to time but it’s in the desert where I really feel alive I feel part of a hole I really feel my soul I’m at one with nature and I feel close to God I feel a presence in this vast

Wilderness in the Starry Sky the Moon out here my thoughts become focused on life’s Essentials the family and especially my children I feel it peace the desert it calms the soul and the Mind after more than 10 days of traveling our supply of water is almost finished it’s vital for both the men and the animals to find a well Wells used to dot the length of the Caravan route every 20 to 30 km but some have dried up and others have been

Forgotten they can go 15 days without water and now it’s only been a week when water is available and they drink as much as they want they can hold out for 15 days and they’ll drink about 40 L of water Now what’s my what I like most about the desert are the long Crossings when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven’t wasted your time these important commercial Roots once gave rise to flourishing cities in the

Middle of the desert that golden age is now passed but some cities like Tam grout are still a stopover for these modern-day Caravans Ali and loo take us to a traditional Caravan sde to meet Baba ragil guardian of the past we’ve come a long way with our Caravan

From uman and we’d like to spend the night here in Tam come in come in welcome he is a descendant of a caravaner he’s also the living memory of this city Tam Groot is home to a treasure a library of thousands of books collected thanks to one man a theologian named Muhammad Ben

Naser he used the Caravans to import a store of knowledge here and make this city a center of learning for Scholars of the time it was around 1,000 something viira that is the 17th century for Europe Muhammad bin nasar taught theology the Quran and the Sciences in tamut to more

Than 1,4 students he brought books on philosophy grammar medicine astrology B Turkish and Arabic our library’s oldest book dates back to the year 483 of the Aira 1063 of your calendar it comes from Cordoba and Andalusia these Works were written by Scholars from all different countries and C Muhammad Ben Nas wanted

All these books to be available to everyone not only the elite they used to say may God make our country a land of religion of culture and a Haven of Peace for the poor and for the Needy Oh Ali and Lao know that to open the trail once they get past time grout the Caravan is going to have to face a formidable obstacle these high Cliffs the trail exists animals used to take it frequently but Ali and Lao don’t know exactly where it

Is hi there are you from around here yes I am do you know the trails around here yes we’d like to go to te and tet I think that we’re on the right path but we’re not sure maybe you could show us which way it is please sure I can help you out

Muadi the Nomad agrees to join the Expedition he goes off to leave his motorcycle at his encampment and will hook up with the Caravan a bit further along the way [Applause] [Applause] when you set out your goal is to arrive at your destination whatever the cost it gets pretty tricky sometimes but

We’ve decided to revive the trails of our ancestors in spite of the Heat and the difficulties I won’t give up otherwise that would be the end of everything a whole world would disappear we have to resist in order to preserve our heritage this is our history and we have to keep

It alive for our children in future Generations God Willing Mi did you know the people that used to live here yes it was the Balo family that used to live here they didn’t have any blankets they’ just cover up with a bit of ragged cloth and they’d eat a bit of brand bread she’ take shelter up there that’s where they keep the

Dramar and a little further up is where he would St off by himself and eat on his own no look a jackal did this did you see to catch the Jackal they bury a trap here then when the Jackal digs it he gets caught hey mi which Trail do we take

Get the one on the right First Fore speech spee Ali please go check with him I’m telling you it’s okay no Ali’s going to check it out with you we’re not going any further until we see what the trail looks like go all the way to the end to check you can make it through other

Caravans have come through before us with their donkeys and dromedaries here we’re coming into a really tricky passage mu knows the trail well he says if we don’t take it we’ll have to make a long detour all the way around we’ll have to tighten up the

Loads each one leads his drama and will trust in God but still it’s extremely Rocky for i’me speech foreign foreign spee [Applause] Speech Up At The hard thing in the desert is having the responsibility of the Caravan when you’re reopening a poorly marked Trail when there’s a storm bad weather sandstorms and when you’re at the head of the Caravan leading people and animals it’s not easy you really have to back each other up in all

Situations we may know the region very well but even so we always have to be very alert sometimes it’s hard but I wouldn’t change my life for anything in the world For for for Fore Spe Take to the road make the journey strike out to discover new lands new hopes and everything else will be granted to you the long story of the Caravans continues in this boundless landscape heading towards New Horizons Oh O Tanzania land of wild animals Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar javeed the photographer will take us to discover his Island Zanzibar in this Tanzanian archipelago that combines the colors of Africa and the Orient music and the heady fragrance of spices blend into the sea Tanzania is also a great Jungle Book

Pascal the guide will take us on a trip through a wild world that is like something from the dawn of Humanity Kilimanjaro the highest Summit in Africa in the middle of the land of the Wasaga people Simon the marathon runner holds the record for the ascent and Descent of Kilimanjaro this mountain is his whole life today we benefit greatly of this mountain this is not only the waga

People this is a a treasure for my [Laughter] Country we approach the eastern coast of Africa by the Indian Ocean Zanzibar a mythical name an archipelago of nearly 75 islands that was United to nearby Tanzania in the 1960s only some 15 of the islands are Inhabited Zanzibar is an important port of call on sea routs the main island is called uja for a long time it had a reputation as an important and flourishing trading post a port from which the famous Dows set sail for far off destinations Javed is a photographer we could even say he is the photographer of Zanzibar his family came from India and settled here more than a century ago for the last 15 years or so Javed has been photographing life on the archipelago he now has a collection of more than 50,000

Photos to show his work Javed started his own publishing house and book shop in Stonetown the main town on the island he publishes on the average three books of photos a year these books dealing with the history and culture of his country have been translated into many

Languages this may sound like a success story but it was necessity not choice that led Javid down this path after repeated refusals of his work he decided to take his future into his own hands when I did my Photography in UK I had approached almost all the Publishers in

Europe and says look uh I’ve just finished and I’m going to Zanzibar and I want to do a book on Zanzibar everyone said sorry there’s not market for Zanzibar there’s no commercial Market Zan is too small I mean we do books where would sell millions or at least

5,000 10,000 I approached every big Publishers I’m talking about 93 92 94 everyone said zanbar is not our market so I said well if no one else wants to do it I’m going to do It Javed also launched a regular Magazine on life in Zanzibar he gets to see local life from a privileged point of view so he invited us to come along with him as he works it’s a rather eclectic program but fascinating to watch the one okay so following it

Up this one morning Javid started out by looking up into the air he wanted to photograph the first colors of what to us look like simple buds this is the king crop of Zanzibar Zanzibar has always depended on cloes during 60s and 70s Zanzibar used to earn export earnings on this however now

Tourism is taking more uh bringing more Revenue in terms of cloves clove trees when it’s in season you can smell clothes everywhere you go you smell clothes you see clothes all the Village People everyone they’re working on the clothes in the evening they come and

Take all the uh the clothes out from the tree next day they put it on the floor and they dry it so it takes three days four days 5 days this is Zanzibar nutmeg and mace and in Zanzibar they make uh the powder of this and for the wedding night they

Always give it to bride so she gets bit of a high and this is the secret of zanba wedding there’s no nutmeg ma there’s no wedding in zanba yes smell of zanba say smell of zanba wedding the name Zanzibar is of course closely associated with the spice trade cardamom

Pepper nutmeg cinnamon cumin cloves all these spices contributed to the wealth and reputation of this island many Merchants settled here bringing with them their cultures and their Traditions Zanzibar a blend of colors of smells but also of ethnic groups and civilizations But the history of Zanzibar also has its somber side for a long time the archipelago’s fortune was also built on the slave trade up to 50,000 human beings passed through the docks of Stonetown every year they were sold here before being transported to other countries even after slavery was

Abolished the traffic continued in clandestine places here and the slave trade went on until after the end of the first World War this woman is undoubtedly one of the last survivors of that tragic era beud is 98 today or 105 she doesn’t really know herself but beud is not just the memory of a bygone age she is above all a voice a respected even admired voice in Zanzibar Javed has just finished a book

About her and like any artist she signs her name to it written in Arabic it’s the only word she knows how to write the only word she knows how to Read nobody ever taught me how to sing I started when I was 10 and have been singing ever since that’s right I learned how to sing in the Arab Dows do I still sing of course I do how would I eat if I didn’t sing I’d live on thin air you’re Kidding Then Javad takes us to see and more importantly to hear an all female Orchestra women who take up music and play under a man’s Direction this may sound normal but here it’s a great step forward in this country with its double Arabic African influence women’s freedom is not always encouraged the creation of

This musical Ensemble is a first that javet didn’t want to miss you know there are some people who who do not allow their children or their daughters or their wives to to to to perform with men you know men men and women group but they are they they allow

Them to have to to to participate in women groups so I think it’s going to be an interesting you know very interesting to bring back these women groups where bu F because there are women who are very talented well these women started to play the music almost two and half

Two and half months not years nobody can believe about This it will be a for a new think and usually one starts others start complaining say why women and then but then later all of them support this is how life Is the sound of the tarab music with its multiple influences is still ringing in our ears and already Javed is sweeping us off to another destination Uzi Island on this rather forgotten Island the inhabitants are somewhat wary of our approach and tend to avoid us at first the reason that javat has come

Here is simple he wants to photograph the mangrove forest which after a period of regression has once again started to grow these young shoots he is photographing are a true symbol of regeneration very nice this mangr is uh lost I think it’s just a new new life has just grown over here very

Interesting I like it coming around a bend in the mangrove we’re greeted by one of the locals in the beginning fazin was self-appointed guardian of the mangrove but now the authorities have made his position official he looks after the proper development of this fragile environment that is indispensable to the

Balance between so many species in zanar only now two Villages big mro like this here Uzi and we call chaa okay yes so here we just we we prepared or we protect any person don’t come to cut it when they cut the mangroves what do they use the mangr they use for

Charles okay so Charles only and Charles and to how to if you want to go to build a house you can just for put a tin on for the house okay so in Uzi Island you do not allow them to cut yes this if you cut

This we going to at the police station and police come and Mangrove has be called Mangrove uhhuh to protect to say the bath the fish is small big fish come inside and bath here so the all the big fish they come here and they give birth

To babies and they live here yes before they go out yes when they high tide they move okay so if we cut the mangroves we have no fish yes no if there’s no fish no fishermen yeah noish and that means we all in trouble yes which is same same species this the

Same type this this and this so there are six species you said five five five types of mangr of onzi Island this is the seed of this type okay so when you want to they remove the go like this and this become how to grow it grow itself

Don’t come person to grow is to grow with itself yes but preserving the mangrove forest without maintaining the activities of the population is pointless so for all parties to live in harmony they have to try to develop alternative small scale activities so this project of honey be

Uhhuh how to prepare the the H the be the honey uhhuh so we called this project of special for ladies of the village uh to prepared uh to take honey and honey then they sold how many do you have this now how many approxim uh more than 20 there

Inside so this called very nice honey for flowers of mangrovia but they normally they they settle three month or fourth month they come to to take off uhhuh back on the main island of unuja Javed always on the Move takes us to nungi the boat Builders Village this is

Where the famous boats are built the Dows that made the seaf fairing reputation of Zanzibar today Javid has come to see the boat he is having built he plans to sail through the whole archipelago exploring the Lesser known nooks and crannies of the different islands and capturing the

Light and the Landscapes he feels so strongly about the people of nungi have been building uh the Dows for almost years centuries and this is the very famous place all the master Dow men uh from NWI and nungwi is renowned for making Dows for a lot of uh and and the Traditions

Are passed from father to son father to son this is how people have learned so basically nungu is the Dow capital of the world I would say I would say Dow capital of Zanzibar uh and I think that’s the way it is it takes about 3 months to make a

Boat and it involves lot of people so you’re looking at about 7 eight people working on for 3 months by the time the boat is finished so it’s a long tedious work and everything is done by hand it’s a labor of love without blueprints using only the

Eyes precision and a great deal of skill these men build vessels that can face the whims and Tantrums of the Indian Ocean and Link the islands of the [Applause] Archipelago even if times have changed and Zanzibar has lost its Prestige and its Fame Javid still looks upon these islands with the eyes of his passion and continues to capture with his cameras all the natural and human beauty of this land that he loves [Applause] s s no no Pascal is a retired professor of Natural History animals animals animals everywhere this nature lover knows how to read and interpret the local Wildlife like an open Book at present he volunteers his time to do observation missions for tanzania’s national parks Discovering with him the taranger national park one of the country’s lesser known Parks is quite a treat spiced up by his enthusiasm for this incredible Wildlife Refuge one of the planet’s privileged sanctuaries Pascal got a special permission to leave the main trails to get a closer look at the

Wildlife for or Pascal just being in the presence of the animals and observing them is an endless source of Wonder I love nature I love animals I love the natural environment I grew up uh as a young boy in the village and I

Used to we used to do a lot of a bit of hunting and um so I got used to uh to to wild animals to birds to plants and vegetation and natural environment and then later on as I grew up I was trained as a naturalist and um a welllife

Manager the Tang Park contains the highest population density of elephants in the world they are attracted to a marshy Zone here and to the taranger river a permanent source of water that gave its name to the park this Zone the swamp as it is called here attracts more than elephants a multitude

Of species share this space and large colonies of migratory birds come to winter here every year among all the species that live here Pascal has a particular fondness for the elephants he can spend hours observing their behavior and their movements you know they walk in a kind

Of an extended uh extended line uh if you look at it you’ll see that you have the the mothers you know leading the way and then they have the you know the babies in between and then you have some behind just make sure that uh the babies

Are well protected and they’re coming to graze now in the swamp and to drink too here the animals live together and share their territory where each one has its own Niche the animals roam free and the humans stay in their four-wheel drive vehicles there is real danger this

Is not a zoo the natural behavior of the animals must not be disturbed the trunk has a little so many functions for breathing for you know uh for drinking it it sucks in water pumps it in the mouth yeah for smelling you know for fighting you know for love

Making you know caring he uses the same trunk [Applause] yeah when they born they weigh about 100 to 120 kg they grow very quickly when they are young and then uh when they start getting to at the age of 5 six they grow now slowly after their migration to

Different watering holes the elephants regroup into smaller family units the young in training are learning to to use their trunks like a baby its thumb elephants are very protective animals you’re best off listening to Pascal’s advice and not get too close to [Applause] them that is Tanga

Hill end of the first day of our special elephant Safari but on the way back nature treats us to yet another wonderful sight like at the beginning of time Animals still live here with their own rules in total Harmony The next day Pascal tracks down a herd of buffalo all of a sudden we are the ones being observed Buffalo are one of the big five that is the five most dangerous species of African Wildlife these um social animals that live in a big head they are fairly

Dangerous they have killed a lot of hunters Hunters who thought they are just like cows but in fact they’re not they’re very um uh they’re very cruel and um if you come very close to their babies these animals there are times when they lose their temper you know for example

If they’ve been wounded by a by a bullet and they are solitary they’re hiding somewhere don’t get very close to them you know when they’re having their afternoon sest or just nap they’re resting and they are solitary don’t disturb them if you do they can be very wild

These are animals that can change their moods like sometime women can change moods [Laughter] too the proximity of water in the Tanger attracts a large number of animals and sometimes a big cat perched in a tree watches its prey with a lazy unconcerned eye without Pascal’s trained eye we

Certainly wouldn’t have spotted this leopard hidden up in the branch ious he appears almost shy but all his senses are alert then suddenly he feels that his territory is being Invaded [Laughter] I enjoy just being in the wild it is interesting to visit you know to see these animals in their natural environment um they have different behaviors different activities that they do and it gives me a lot of spiritual satisfaction and um um Recreation to some extent and so I really enjoy I I

Don’t mind being out in the bush for for for two months I’m just very happy somewhat apart from other species in the taranger park large groups of lions enjoy this vast hunting ground abounding and easy to catch Prey lands are very common here in t and as you can see in this River they’ve just killed a fresh zebra and they love the they love the zebra meat the females are are quick and fast and they and they normally hunt as a team so here six of them have managed to

Hunt this zebra and they’re now feeding on it yeah look look over there a hunt begins before our very eyes but this time the zebra is too fast usually these you know these animals um although they are social but when it comes to table manners I think

They have the poorest of it because even if there’s plenty of food here they still Scramble for food and sometime even if there are cbbs here they they will eat first and the Cubs will eat later during the Lion’s lunch hour some unexpected visitors burst in on the

Scene a strange vehicle with a rake antenna an odd tool to bring to the feline’s feast quick introductions are made and we learn that these people are scientists who are tracking and Counting the different Prides of lions yeah we have about uh six radio callers that help us

To follow the population Trend and also Rec collect range use pattern to estimating that the ecosystem has about 400 to 500 lines the entire ecosystem tangular and the surrounding areas they they’re decreasing actually because of the human line conflict the Retaliator killing from the past surrounding tangir National Park and also the hunting

Activities others are also waiting for their share of the food the vultures are the Park’s garbage disposal crew you know these are Caron eaters and the reason why they’re here is because they have spotted these lions eating this zebra Mia so they hanging around you

Know just waiting for the lands to go so that they can come close and feed on the leftovers these birds are so important in the ecosystem because you know they’re the ones who cleans up everything otherwise the whole area would have been smelling you know awfully Pascal is curious about

Everything he knows this territory like the back of his hand and he wanted to show us another animal an animal one encounters sometimes here a strange even improbable creation of nature that is one of the largest monitor lizard around here which has a total length of about 2

And2 m and they are here because they feed there is enough food for them they feed on Catfish there are a lot of catfish in this swamp yeah the lizard is there it was trying to climb a tree I think to go and check if could it could it can get some

Eggs of some of some birds because it also feeds on eggs Chum ch ch Ch jum jum ch ch ch those are what you call massai giraffe and they are quite many in tarang they quite many you know moving around and feeding on The Acacia Leaves you know they are kind of prehistoric animals that you know still exist on Earth Today They don’t have many predators because of their they’ve got very powerful eyesight and they’re fairly big because of their big size uh the lands are the only Predator that can kill you know the giraffe and they wait until when they’re drinking and uh they’re beding their

Their their neck then it is easy for them to Ambush for Pascal contemplating this sanctuary of nature means more than simply observing the animals it evokes a particular train of thought I I’m never bored with seeing these animals I love coming to see these animals because they

Are quite interesting you know they you know they are very refreshing you know they beautiful to see and uh every time I come here it keeps my mind fairly cool and uh so I have what you call peace of mind you know when I’m out that makes life really Good [Applause] White mountain mountain of Splendor House of God for the peoples of the Kilimanjaro Africa’s highest mountain has different names different faces Mount kbo almost 6,000 M high is the highest of the Three Peaks that make up Kilimanjaro it is the true symbol of the whole Mountain Simon empy is a child of the Wasaga tribe and this mountain has given him everything he was 16 years old when he first climbed to the summit of Kilimanjaro his Mountain this is beautiful mountain it has been my livelihood for 20 plus years of uh climbing this mountain and making my progress of

Life it’s remain uh symbolic for waga is the it’s a hidden place it’s a it’s a mountain of God and when you get a punishment there from the cold um you have to believe it’s it’s a mountain that nothing exists There for the Wasaga this place is home to the spirits and their God Rua who can bring the rains and ward off bad weather in funeral ceremonies the dead are buried facing Mount kbo and yet according to their beliefs this is not the original cradle of the Wasaga

People on the other side of the mountain more the South Southeast there’s a small mountain called as a kiuna this kiuna is the um is a mountain where the AA people believe that’s where the origins of waga we go there from worship and and this mountain has so many places where waga

People do their Sacrifice but now a persistent question dogs the mind of Simon and the other Wasaga what is the future of Mount kbo and its Glacier scientists believe that the glacier will have completely disappeared sometime between 2020 in 2025 when I was a child at the age of um

Of 16 when I Sumit the mountain the first time uh basically the glacia were very way down halfway the mountain and this Glacier now they’re not longer existing you can just see little spch of of the glaciers there but it’s almost gone uh we need more scientific approval

To understanding what is really going on on this mountain I feel sad I feel like this is something that I would like my my son or my children to come and see to see these amazing glaciers and uh when I visualize what I’ve seen when I see what I saw on

The past I don’t it I feel imbalance I feel like something is Missing Simon a Native Son Of This Land is an enthusiastic Runner or more precisely he’s a professional Marathon Man in 2006 he did the ascent and Descent of Kilimanjaro in the amazing time of 9 hours and 21 Minutes every year Simon takes part in a number of international events especially in different states in North America where he is ranked among the best in endurance runs and Ultramarathons Simon trains almost every day here in the hills around Kilimanjaro right where he was Born This tiny woman with the heavy load on her head is Simon’s mother she’s 68 like all the wagashi works every day on the Family Farm where they raise livestock she’s somewhat less enthusiastic about her son’s activity say too much running he say you too much running it’s [Laughter] Okay say is not very good place to go he say is like a death death zone is not a good place to go here in the family Hut is where Simon was born along with his nine brothers and sisters his family is always very surprised each time they see him

Returning home from the United States but for Simon the pull of his mountain is stronger than anything else I I’m very happy here to to live my life in the village and I I go every year for running and I come back here and my mother she was very happy when I

Say to her I go to America and I come back and I go I come back so if even with my first time attempting to get a Visa it was very difficult to because for example in American Embassy they have to ask you this question what

Will make you to come back home I say to them um my family they say what what are you saying I say it’s my family so I come back for this there’s a good things on this country everything is possible here and much easier than than in US you walk and

You pay the bills you walk you pay the bills of course you do the same here but is a different mentality Simon’s father a giant almost 2 m tall he’s 85 and in fine Health he too still continues looking after his farm but his real passion is raising

Short-legged chickens as he calls them they lay the best eggs in the village or so he claims this is the muz the chicken with a short leg are you okay shall See is a freedom I feel I feel like uh there’s nothing after this my heart my body I feel refresh after run I like this every day I do It Simon’s Garden is his pride and joy he grows his own vegetables 100% organic no fertilizer no chemicals he uses only his own compost my father he didn’t know how to read or to write so he teach us how to to grow maze how to grow coffee how

To work hard and I think I take this forward from my grandfather to my father and today I want my son to enjoy the same thing like all the Wasaga who are excellent Farmers he grows Taro bananas rhubarb some flowers and his own coffee 600 to 800 kilos a

Year if I wish to do uh um um um um more commercial I will spray a chemical but I don’t do it is just let the nature uh live itself and that’s not all he has to be proud of Simon grows what are very exotic fruits for this region

Strawberries that he serves up to The Travelers in his rural guest house that he has set up the guests are mostly Americans I think there’s a reason for the clients to come to the Village there’s a reason for the clients to come to um to enjoy

The culture to talk to the people to see the the people of waga and not only to be with them on the mountain also to learn how their livelihood besides going on the mountain besides going on the Safari so I make sure the the clients come here they get the richness of this

Country when he started to get a reputation in the United States thanks to the marathons and endurance runs Simon developed a network of relations he receives his clients kilamanjaro climbing enthusiasts in his rural guest house um now um I want to make sure that everyone is aware of what you’re going

To go through uh The Climb is a it’s not a it’s not a joke it’s not a walkabout it’s a it’s a mountain that you’re going to climb so you have to be uh very aware of what is going to go on with yourself we know for sure the Summit is not what

Brought you here this experience we want you to have a full of experience uh experience that you wish to come here for I actually heard about Simon when I was on the top of a mountain in Colorado um someone who knew Simon from the distance

Running um told me about him and gave me wrote down the website and that’s how I found it I discovered about 3 years ago that I really liked climbing mountains and I’m I’m kind of good at it and so I wanted to come here and and climb kjaro

And see Africa as well you need to make sure you’re drinking uh you’re eating enough you need to make sure you you’re sleeping enough you need to make sure you’re warm enough and when you arrive to the camp today they’re going to measure the Vital sign again what

They’re looking for is your O2 sat your oxygen saturation how much oxygen you carry in your body secondly they’re looking your heart rate there are several places I wanted to see in the world I wanted to see Patagonia and South America and see uh Machu Picchu in

Peru but this has always been I think part of that dream is uh is Africa and kilano as well as all the land around it and of course we like you to have that dream to be on the top of of Africa the highest speak of Africa we would like to

Be part of you to make sure side to side you’re going to get our dreams for us here today for me and my staff and the farm this is our Dream have come true and we hope that by the end of the day your dreams is going to come True Simon constantly on the lookout for new ideas to promote the region has developed an ecotourism activity mountain biking around Kilimanjaro his first two customers Peter and Tom are two Americans working for local NOS The complete tour of the mountain more than 200 km will take about a week of sometimes difficult cycling but Simon also wants his guests to discover the region and appreciate local traditions and culture Simon the son of Wasaga peasants is a man with deep roots in his native land but he’s also a man of his times and always has his cell phone in his hand no matter where he goes he’s in daily contact with the company he created in Moshi 40 km from his farm

Several times a week he goes to his office which is housed in three recycled containers with the help of a secretary and an assistant he plans the schedules for his organization which can when there are Expeditions on employ up to 30 people a day including guides and Porters he it took 4 days for Simon and his teammates to get to the west side of [Applause] Kilimanjaro herds of large animals migrate through this region which is more sparsely populated and arid than the eastern part most often they’re fleeing the droughts on the nearby Kenyon plateaus The mountain bike track runs between Kilimanjaro and mount meu the second highest peak in Africa With the expeditions to the top of Kilimanjaro and his new mountain bike Trek Simon’s activity is progressing smoothly with respect for the surrounding environment and with his own convictions Simon has succeeded in creating his Niche by combining a land of traditions where he grew up and the new challenges of a world that’s

Evolving quickly very quickly but perhaps what sums up Simon best of all is the attachment and the Deep respect he feels for his Mountain this Mountain Supplies not only the climate not only the glaciers the water the the good weather around this mountain and to today we benefit greatly

Of this mountain Mountain this is not only the waga people this is a a treasure for my Country since his first climb as a porter at the age of 16 Simon has been working on making his dreams come true taking his Destiny into his own hands in his own way he has be become a sort of symbol of Africa on the Move open to the Curiosity of the World J W Madagascar located in the Indian Ocean and one of the world’s largest Islands it is a Land of Stories and legends it’s also known as the Red Island because of the color of the earth you’ll be meeting Eliz a botney student she has a Fascination for her country’s national tree the bab the Arid

Hard to get to territory in the south is where she carries out her research soloda is a vzo a group of nomadic Coastal inhabitant his village on a Sandy spit of land jutting into the mosm beak channel is completely isolated he spent a few years away from

His family but his love of the sea Drew him back Jil a Frenchman has been here for more than 20 years an Ardent nature Lover he has made his home in the foothills of the Island’s most beautiful mountains and has decided to reforest the valley where he

Lives jono’s book The Man Who planted trees really impressed me I’d like these people to remember me as the man who planted trees Madagascar is a vast territory in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Africa this land of beliefs and mystery the fifth largest island on earth offers a great diversity of Landscapes and cultures a trip to Madagascar is always spiced with Adventure there are very few roads off the central Highlands to the

Northern forests and into the Arid Plains of the South discovering Madagascar means above all slowing down adapting to Island Time the National Highway 7 is the only route into the South El and tantel are both botney students doing research they’re off on a long trip to the land of thorns the vast region in the southernmost part of the island we cover hundreds even thousands of kilometers to get there at least

We’re doing it in a bush taxi this time sometimes we travel by by Ox cart or even by boat it’s an adventure every time Al is doing her doctoral thesis on a tree that is recognizable at a glance but which in fact is not very well known the

Bowab the malasi here call it the renala meaning mother of the Forest the bowab is the object of many traditional beliefs about mother and child its trunk is straight and massive its bark very smooth and it has a tender heart the bow Bob is the symbol of Fertility the bow Bob really has an odd look and in fact they often say that it was planted upside down down as if its branches were trying to take root in the sky there’s a legend that says in the final days of creation the gods realized

That they had forgotten to plant the bow Bobs so they just tossed them down from the heavens the two young botanists still have hundreds of kilometers to cover they’re looking for flowering bow bobs for the search is focused on the reproductive cycle of a particular species found only in the southern part

Of the island toara the major city of Southern Madagascar aliz and tantel still have a ways to go they left the capital 2 days ago and have crossed half the vast last island with a single goal in mind to find a bow Bob that is just about to

Flower we think there’s a sort of hybridization going on in the bowel BS so I’m going to try and find out just how this hybridization works of the world’s eight known species of Babs this large island is home to seven and six of those are endemic to

The island some of them are hybrids and Al is seeking to solve this Enigma after the bush taxi they continue their trip South with a zeu cart into the mahafali plateau a poor arid region here we go just what we need the mystery surrounding the bab is the mystery of the reproduction of all living beings of the fragile balance of

Nature the life cycle of flowers pollen and Insects the bowab flower an ephemeral Bloom resembles a wild or it only blossoms once in the trees’s lifetime for a few days and only during the hot summer Nights s and Dil two climbers specialized in trees will be helping Al carry out her observations now it’s Al’s turn to tackle the bow Bob she has spotted flower buds that might Bloom at nightfall about 15 15 M up in the tree the very first time I climbed a

Bobab I felt right away that I was in my elements I was at home in the tree I felt good climbing I really felt good with everything having to do with the life of the B and maybe I feel I was destined to study them after such an

Experience look the cord and the knots have to be taught all the time and as you go up this is how you feed yourself slack okay El acrobat and botanist now has to get familiar with her Treetop Laboratory she’s hoping to observe the flower blooming when evening comes and to spy

On some insects she suspects of being the pollinators of these Majestic trees this parched land covered by thorny Savannah and shadeless Forest is the land of the sakal an ethnic group whose character has been forged by their harsh environment you twice a day diza and his family have

To come into this Forest Home to many lemur dimisa comes to collect Nature’s gift this is his only riches a bow Bob that he has transformed into a water reservoir a bow Bob sistern We’re used to managing our water from day to day the bab is the Cornerstone of our life but its wood is useless you can’t do anything with it we don’t eat much meat we’re not allowed to kill the zebu we don’t grow manc all we have in fact is the bow B my

Life it’s a mother to me diza has hollowed out the tree trunk down to a height of 1 M50 this doesn’t harm the tree and allows it to continue growing after each rain Deb’s family collects the rain water from the ground and stores it in the bow Bob a necessary

Reservoir to make it through the severe shortages of the dry Season here more than anywhere else water is scarce and so even more precious on the m haali Plateau finding water is a constant worry the water from the bow Bob system meets the normal needs of the whole family this bab takes the place of the

Zebu it takes the place of a cart of the goats that I don’t have it’s my only treasure that’s why I take such good care of it if the bow dies well I disappear in my family along with Me for 3 days now the little crew of scientists and climbers have been camping in the bush at the foot of the trees at first The Villages were surprised by their setup but now they’ve become a regular local attraction one has to admit they are an intriguing site Every evening the group from tanaro attracts more locals curious to learn more about these strange experiments being carried out at nightfall For a long time now scientists thought that the only pollinators of the B boob were lemur and bats only recently have botanists discovered the vital role played by a certain insect the Sphinx Moth the Sphinx Moth is probably one of the insects that pollinate the bowel we recently discovered that it is maybe the Tre main pollinator since it is a moth it can easily carry pollen from one flower to another Not Al D and S are getting ready to spend the night suspended between sky and Earth up in the bow Bob everything has been ready to observe the blossoming of the flowers now it’s up to Nature to play her Role it’s really a whole Expedition just getting to the tree at exactly the right time but maybe that’s exactly why I like this work this phenomenon is very hard to observe you have to work at it and maybe that’s what I find important in what I’m

Doing there’s like a shudder of nature a stirring sign of its amazing Vigor and in a few minutes the flower transforms and opens to the world this is a magical and fleeting Moment ascar is known for its very rich biodiversity so if the bobab were ever to disappear we’d lose a treasure we’d lose our culture as well and our identity because the bab is Madagascar Al’s research has just begun she wants to learn all she can about the bow Bobs in order to protect

Them no one knows how to tell the age of a b Bob these imposing Giants of nature must surely be over a thousand years old testimony to the islands Rich biodiversity the bow Bobs have centuries of Madagascar’s ecological history engraved in their [Applause] flesh Sarrano the end of the world living here means adapting to extreme isolation in malagi sarrano has two meanings difficult Waters and land surrounded by water it is in fact both we’re in the village of the vzo Madagascar’s great seafaring people the nomads of the sea the vasil live all along the Southwest

Coast of Madagascar a region parched by the Heat and regularly lashed by Cyclones right from its early settlement sarrano has turned its back away from the land and towards the Sea The Village is located on a spit of sand that juts out into the mzm beak channel so the best way to get there is on foot or by

The Sea which can sometimes be risky the fishermen’s Outriggers are practically the only craft that dare Venture across the coral reefs that ring the Lagoon coming into this Village is like landing on an island soloda is a Native Son of sarrano Native Son Of The Wind and Sea The Village has its daily routine every morning and evening during the cooler hours of the day they go to fetch water our village is called sadan

Because before there was no water here they had to go buy it in the neighboring villages and that’s what they had to do back in the olden days here we have enough to eat we raise a few animals and the water we need is not all that far Away The vzo live in a quiet Backwater away from the bustling World nature is the only thing that shapes their existence in spite of the rudimentary conditions solida is quite attached to his remote region a few years ago solidad decided to come back to live where he was

Born before that he had to leave his village in order to help out his family he joined the malagi army but the strict military life is a far cry from how these free men live after years in uniform he became a merchant traveling the country to buy and sell

Rice again not the ideal situation for him so soloda came back to sarrano to start a Family This is solid’s family Clan three generations living in peace and Harmony even though they are gradually becoming more sedentary the vzo have remained Nomads at heart as Solo’s father the patriarch of the family has always been it wasn’t mere chance that brought us here it’s the will of the creator that

Led us to this land before we were truly Nomads when there were no fish we’d travel a long ways to find them we’d settle in other fishing villages the always wins in the end she is mighty We Men We Come and Go but the see she never Dies in the vzo tradition there is a single god of the sea he’s all powerful over the environment he protects all those who travel on the Water The Cliffs that dominate The Village are a sacred site the final resting place of The Souls of the Ancestors for the Vaso the spirits are everywhere they hover over the sea and ensure the happiness of the living but apart from their beliefs the only thing that the fishermen have to face the elements is their long experience of the Sea that when there’s a shipwreck well the whole village heads out in the boat to help the carpenter is a very important person in the village the fishermen come from all the neighboring villages to have their boats repair com in every day here for repairs the lacas the Vaso Outrigger

Canoes are surely identical to those used by their ancestors when they migrated here from Asia the techniques used for constructing the lacas are a distillation of all these fisherman sailing sense the end product of an intuitive knowledge of the sea the boat is the heart of the Vu

People a visil without his canoe is simply not a visil he’s just a vagabond we use it to travel to hunt octopus to earn our living the canoe is to the viso with the car is to Foreigners the elegant gesture of the Vaso in malagi vzo means simply one who paddles they claim they are not an ethnic group or tribe being vzo is a culture a state of mind its a way of living from day to day to the rhythm of the tides and the passing

Seasons the sea is the only means of subsistence for these Mariners of Southern Madagascar Parents teach their children to sale very young whenever they have spare town this is the Heritage that gets passed on when children know what they’re doing they’re put out to sea alone in the boat to I’ll teach my children everything I know about the sea because the sea is the

B solida has been fishing since he was six to scare the fish and drive them into the Nets it’s always the same age-old technique when I come back to the Village at noon I decide then whether I’ll go out again in the afternoon it all depends on the morning’s

If it’s still no good in the afternoon I’ll go out again at night for shrimp and that’s what goes on in a fisherman’s head sailing fishing living on the water in the end solid yielded to the call of his destiny The Vaso don’t do any farming they don’t raise cattle they live from and for the sea it’s their most precious Possession they never worked the land but why not Farm the sea with funding from an NGO solida and some other fishermen have set up a seaweed Farm they’re hoping to sell their crop abroad to the cosmetics and Food Industries when the plants are young you have to take very special care of them

Every day check that there are no dead or broken branches because if you don’t take care of them the seaweed could die and then if you get bad weather there could be damaged from floating debris we don’t have television to check the weather forecast sometimes we listen to the radio when we

Can otherwise we watch the wind and listen to the Sea this is the very beginning of an experiment that could Mark a turning point in these people’s lives the seaweed shoots aren’t mature yet but if the project is a success it will ensure them a steady source of income there’s nothing here it’s

Untouched blind and we love it we feel it home here and the SE full of food the viso are attached to this place we’re not allowed to sell it it’s our heritage for future Generations so that they too can benefit from this spot we feel good here warms our heart there a

Lot of people in the village and we’re happy the vzo are a free people a tightly knit group that help each other out if nature doesn’t have any nasty tricks in store for them solida and the fishermen of sodano may very well make a success of their project to farm the sea

Their Source of Life their soul [Applause] riches The highlands in the center of Madagascar is a region where life follows the rhythm of the rice harvests this plant originally from Asia is the staple food and part of the common Heritage of all the malagi it’s the symbol of Life rice and rice patties also have a sacred significance for many

Malagi at the frontier of the central Highlands is another region a mountainous lands inhabited by Spirits a land of peasants marked by the marriage of sky and granite the sarano valley is not all that far from civilization yet it has long remained cut off as if the

World had forgotten this land where the mountains reach up into the Skies Jil left his home in Marseilles when he was 20 crossed Africa on foot and lived in the koros islands then in the late 1980s he discovered Madagascar and at saroro this quiet Valley isolated from the rest of the world when we first came we needed the four-wheel drive to get to the nearest

Large Village which is 10 km away from the paved road then we had to continue on foot there was no Trail anymore it was abandoned about 50 years back there weren’t even any Ox carts in the valley people only got around on foot and the same went for

Us I spent a good part of my life in the mountains I grew up in Bri in the high Alps in France and I love the mountains I’ve done a lot of cross country skiing climbing kayak some Delta plane when I landed here it was completely Virgin Territory

I think any climber would find this a paradise for the Soro Valley was a revelation he literally fell in love with this spot and ever since this nature lover has been covering the length and breadth of the valley to satisfy his yearning for nature the valley is home to many herds of zebu

The Peasants only riches but these animals are often the booty of human Predators the deals zebu thieves who strike at night 800,000 head of cattle are stolen every year it’s a serious problem for malagi cattle herders originally it stems from a tradition if you were a man and you

Wanted a wife you had to steal a zebu at least once in your life now it’s gotten out of hand I don’t know if it’s a mafia but there’s a feeling of insecurity in the rural area it’s emptying the countryside it’s become depopulated because of this fear of rural banditry

It has nothing to do with tradition anymore every night there are children from the valley who come sleep up here they call them the eyes of the mountains they keep an eye on the herds Sur following in’s footsteps we discover the valley its history and its scars

Wow this is a lavac an open gash caused by erosion Mountain runoff that has been channeled to irrigate the rice patties in The Valleys gouges deep ravines in the earth these gaping wounds scarring these bald Hills are the Grim consequence of deforestation nature is generous in Madagascar but if we throw things too

Far out of balance there will be negative Consequences Nature has her own defense mechanisms but this is too much for her to handle there’s digging erosion and it’s hard to undo phenomena like this are hard to control Today X and his hiking buddy Noah are getting ready to climb a cliff face overlooking the valley the highest cliff here is 800 M and it’s a notorious challenge to extreme rock climbers this imposing Granite wall is still under conquered not even the world’s best climbers have managed to climb it in one Go zeil and Noah don’t take themselves for Champion climbers they opened and equipped a much easier climbing Route there’s the physical pleasure climbing can be very physical there’s the pleasure of the gymnastics and the movements on the rock then there’s the idea of pushing yourself the little athletic challenge can I do it yes I can no I Can’t it’s really really something it’s such a privilege you look out on the valley and you’re the only one out there so peaceful you’re so far removed from civilization you won’t see a single telephone pole a single Road maybe two or three cattle H herders but you’re really alone in the

Mountains you can come and go as you please and there’s absolutely no one you have to answer To I could have settled down anywhere but this Valley was love at first sight there’s no rational explanation some places on Earth you just feel wow you get this vibration it really hit me here I said to myself that’s it I found my Paradise I I’d wandered a lot and here I thought

Really this is perfect this is pure Bliss when you look around 360° it’s really breathtaking you have all the mountains from the andringitra to the Bobby Peak which is the country’s second highest Summit there’s the Sano behind us an incredible sheer Cliff 800 met high it’s really a spectacular landscape One of a [Applause] Kind the satoro road IO a rice Patty bull fight trampling the rice patties it’s a tradition and the teenagers just love it it takes courage and daring to play this risky game it’s meant to prepare the rice fields for planting by churning them up into muddy Wallows You can never tell when an accident might happen if something goes wrong we just have to tough it out accidents happen with Zebo mainly when you don’t follow the advice of the adults they tell us to watch out and always be alert this Valley used to be nearly all

Covered with Forest slash and burn farming has had devastating results throughout the vast Island but out in the countryside there’s no other solution but to burn off the brush to regenerate the Soil Today is Madagascar’s national school day a special day for school children the pupils of Amil the Valley school teacher are going to plant trees today it’s not merely a symbolic act it’s a Concrete gesture in favor of the [Applause] environment to get the seedlings they head for J’s Nursery

This Frenchman has been doggedly replanting the valley for him is a way to connect with the Villagers and the mountains where he has chosen to Live J’s Nursery is open to all the local inhabitants every year je plants over 100,000 Seedlings we simply work with the kids the adults won’t change it’s too late so every year at the same time the children come and plant trees when they’re grown up when the rains come they’ll continue to plant on their plots of land and little by little get the forest back into

Shape throughout the island school children devote two days a year to their natural environment the school in the valley is a green School sensitive to questions of Agriculture and ecology the school program is designed to stem the rural Exodus the whole philosophy is directed at getting the school children

To consider making a life for themselves right here in the valley and this is Yi’s goal as well to that end he has founded an association to reforest and protect the Soro Valley a forest doesn’t Sprout up overnight Gil has set up a nursery of eucalyptus a rapid growth tree that will

Meet meet the villagers needs in Wood yearby year J’s work is bearing fruit This Is The New Forest of vola the little village back there the villagers did that we planted 3,000 trees on a few acres of land these saplings were planted 12 13 months ago and now in a few years the

Villagers will be to use the wood like that older stand of trees we planted 12 years ago if we hope to reforest the mountains the people have to be able to meet their needs and wood we can’t demand that they stop cutting wood just because cutting wood is

Bad we must replace the wood they’re not allowed to cut I think I was meant to live here on this land deep down I believe I was destined to live here not just here in Madagascar but here in this Valley These Wide Open Spaces this virgin Wilderness have a certain Grandeur here you sometimes find yourself very very far from the modern world that’s what wide openen spaces mean to me not just some kind of a well manicured Park just the opposite a vast territory terribly

Empty when you come right down to it the population is very sparse on this land I mean on the island of Madagascar you realize that you can live with very little here and you meet people who whatever may happen to them they’re always ready to laugh from morning

Tonight they have nothing a clump of straw a little machete but they’re Happy up Operation tree planting at dawn zeil heads up the hill it’s the rainy season time to plant over the years jeil has formed a crew of Planters a group of villagers one over to his cause they plant young seedlings and also use X’s own particular technique these balls are seeds coated

In a mixture of dirt and zebu dong the results are kind of halfhazard 15 to 20% of the seeds take root but that’s not the most important thing these Hills are extremely bare they’ve been ravaged even planting a tree a little seed is already something my little Association can’t

Reforest the whole valley all of Madagascar the whole planet we’re trying to set an example look we’re planning just wait 2 or 3 years and you’ll reap the benefits there are trees that are beginning to bear fruit so there are concrete results on the road we replanted when it’s hot people walk

Under the new trees they stop and rest in the shade they’re starting to see the positive results erosion is starting to diminish so we hope that by showing the people what action to take and what it can bring to their land it will convince them to reverse the

Tendency which is still to clear the trees to make pasture land this is a kind of special place calosa it used to be a royal palace and there’s a funny story about it the King was cruel with his subjects so the subjects reacted towards him like

One does with an abusive King well they didn’t decapitate him because it’s taboo to draw Royal Blood here in Madagascar Madar they suffocated him they suffocated him with bananas every time I come up here I get a kind of weird feeling it’s my malagi side coming

Out I’m starting to be influenced by the irrational local beliefs you can’t live here without assimilating a bit of the mysticism the magic you just can’t it’s an integral part of life in Madagascar it’s not easy it takes two hours to hike up so there’s no way to

Bring water here we have to give the trees the best conditions to start with and then we wait and See in a few decades the children of sanora will be able to look out on their Valley that’s green year round and as y hopes covered with Forest They will remember that their ancestors once crossed paths with an eccentric Frenchman who loved treesan xo’s book The Man Who planted trees really impressed me the story of a Shepherd who planted thousands of trees and reconstituted a whole Forest even the authorities were surprised what’s this a new

Forest that left its mark on me I’d like these people to remember me as the man who planted Trees

In this marathon of Somewhere On Earth we meet locals from the countries of Morocco, Tanzania, and Egypt. Morocco has been influenced by Arab, European, and African cultures throughout many centuries and we see how three people live their lives in among the unique culture and warm scenery. Heading off to Tanzania next, this beautiful country is full of wild animals, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the island of Zanzibar. See how what life is like among this stunning scenery. And finally, we end in Egypt, where most of the country is a desert and we see how some of its citizens live off the beaten track.

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