Nature (1982–…): Season 35, Episode 2 - My Congo - full transcript

♪♪

Wildlife cameraman
Vianet Djenguet

was born and raised in
the Republic of Congo

until the age of 15.

Now he's returning to
the country of his birth

to take us on a
journey of discovery

into the wild rainforests
of the Congo Basin.

See, he likes me.
He's responding.

I never realized a silverback
can climb a tree that fast.

First time I've
seen that in my life.

Obviously, I've got
a big smile in there.



What he finds is
a world out of time.

I think whoever wrote
the "Heart of Darkness"

was wrong and this is definitely
not the heart of darkness.

There are revelations
about his family.

♪♪

It's a glimpse of Eden
and a long way home

on a special journey
with a native son.

♪♪

♪♪

I was born on the
banks of the Congo River,

a force of nature,
the deepest river,

and the second
largest in the world.

♪♪

It cuts through a country
I left many years ago.



♪♪

My name is Vianet Djenguet,

and this a long-awaited
homecoming for me.

My father was a doctor,
a specialist in malaria.

When he was called to Paris

to treat students
and diplomats there,

we moved to France.

I was just 15.

But the Congo has
always been with me.

♪♪

And instead of a
doctor like my father,

I became a wildlife cameraman.

I have filmed in many places
across Africa for the BBC,

National Geographic, and others,

but this is my first chance
to film in my own country.

I want to share
with you my Congo.

Not the country of
conflict headlines

you might see in the news,

but the joyous
place of my boyhood,

a thriving world full of
color and natural beauty.

♪♪

This is Brazzaville, the
capital, where I was born.

The markets are a daily
festival of sights and sounds.

♪♪

I love this place.
It just smells nice...

Vegetables, fruits, champignons.

♪♪

It's a fresh fish from
the Congo River.

♪♪

This is my home.

This is where I was born...

Literally in the
center of Brazzaville.

You know, five minutes
east is the Congo River,

and that way two
minutes is my school...

My first-ever school.

And um, I had my chicken
pen just down that far end,

waking up by the sound of birds.

That tree out there,
every morning, full of birds.

My mother is no longer with
me, so coming back here,

I'm flooded with voices
and happy memories.

I'm so proud of my roots.

I want to show you everything,

but my Congo is too
big to see all at once.

So I've chosen some very
special places to take you.

I want to show you
the incredible wildlife,

the amazing landscape,

and the lovely
people that live here.

♪♪

First, it's important to realize
there are two Congos in Africa,

two separate countries

on either side of the
great Congo River.

My Congo is the Republic,
the smaller of the two,

but still almost the
size of California.

And like California,

Congo has a beautiful
but much smaller coast.

♪♪

This is Pointe-Noire, a
place close to my heart.

It takes me right
back to my childhood.

This is a place we used to
come on holiday with my parents.

My dad looked forward to
play Scrabble with my mom,

but my mom
wouldn't be interested,

and she'd want to have
her feet in the water

and just walk along the beach,
you know, Just contemplate.

And me and my brother
would play football all together.

This place looks
like a wild coast.

You know? But when
you go into details,

you realize that there are
some great activities going on.

Like, amazing.

These crabs are searching
the beach for things to eat...

Tiny plants and animals that
could have washed up here

all the way from Brazil,
which is over 3,000 miles away,

with nothing but
ocean in between.

Funny enough, those
crabs, they look like children.

And they try not
to get their feet wet,

so they're running
away from the waves.

♪♪

I can't believe the memories
this beach has stirred up in me.

I guess childhood is something
we never leave behind.

And that makes me think

of some special
youngsters not far from here

that are trying to recover
from a very difficult start.

I meet up with a friend of
mine to show you what I mean.

Serge works

at the famous chimpanzee
sanctuary Tchimpounga,

27 square miles of
forest and savanna...

The largest chimp
sanctuary in all of Africa.

It was created by the
Jane Goodall Institute

nearly 25 years ago.

♪♪

Killing chimpanzees
for bush meat

and capturing them
for the pet trade

has seen them
suffer for many years

and their numbers diminish.

But in the Congo,

for those saved from
this horrible trade,

there is hope.

♪♪

Serge is going to introduce me

to the youngest
members of the sanctuary.

These are 2, 3, and 6... Very
young and quite vulnerable.

But they are on
the very first stage,

so they kind of take
them to the forest

and just want to
try and get them

to get used to the
wild environment again.

Some of them bear terrible
scars from their past experience.

Here, this little one

will get a second chance
to be a real chimpanzee.

So, I'm just going to go
and catch up with those guys.

It's great seeing the trust

the young chimps have
with Serge and his team.

Every day, they take
them into the forest,

to jump around

and get a feel for
what it's like in the wild.

♪♪

That is just, um...
Seeing that young chimp

just breaks my heart

to see his hand, you
know, chopped off.

- It's really, uh,
it's really sad.

Um... yeah.

It's really hard, huh?

Over the years, the sanctuary
has looked after 160 chimps,

and now 161.

The latest orphan arrived
just a few weeks ago.

I think this is the foundation
of rehabilitating those guys.

It starts here.

They need to get that
sort of warmth from human

and trust from human.

His surrogate mother is a
woman named Patience,

and she couldn't
possess a better quality.

Look at that. Look at that.

That's like my son.

Up to now, humans
have not been his friends,

until he was rescued
by the government

and brought here
to the sanctuary.

He likes me. He's responding.

She tells me he's the first
orphan in nearly three years,

which is a good thing.

And it's not the
only sign of hope.

♪♪

I am traveling to some
very special islands.

♪♪

Tchimpounga is a big reserve,

and there are three
protected islands,

each with its own
troop of rescued chimps.

♪♪

The island forests
are natural habitat.

But here, the team
can still monitor

how the chimps are doing.

If everything goes
according to plan,

this is the final stage

before their return
to the wild for real.

♪♪

This little guy was
born on the island.

He's never been in captivity.

It's great because you can see

he's learning from
his real mother,

like any wild baby
chimp would do.

Oh.

Can you see that affection
between the mother and the baby?

That's just so... sweet.

Oh.

The hope is to release this
entire troop back to the wild.

I believe it will be the first
complete troop of rescued chimps

to be released, ever.

So, from what I can see now,

it's moving forward so
fast as per conservation.

And I really, really admire the
people who are working here.

And they are taking
their positive message

to the next generation, as well.

- Bonjour, mes enfants.
- Bonjour, monsieur.

Thanks to the Jane
Goodall Institute,

children are getting to
learn all about the animals

that are threatened
in the Congo.

Chimpanzees are
still living wild here,

and it's illegal to hunt them.

Protecting the
chimps is a priority.

This is really
uplifting, you know?

Kids are really
engaged and passionate,

and they're excited about their
environment and the wildlife.

And I think this is, you know,
conservation, grass roots,

which is really exciting.

I love spending
time with the kids,

and I can't resist a kickabout.

But I have more to show you,
and we have a long way to go.

♪♪

It's time to head north
to very different country.

♪♪

Along the way, you can see
how close to nature life is here.

The wild is all around.

Not far is Loango,

the best place to see another
Congo animal... forest buffalo.

They're a small-scale version
of a big African mammal,

just half the size of their
cousins the Cape buffalo.

But with those big, hairy
ears, they are much cuter.

But don't be fooled.

Buffalo can be very dangerous,

especially if they
have calves with them.

The buffalo have
constant companions.

Oxpecker birds help
keep them free of parasites,

while other birds forage
in the mud they kick up.

The funny-looking
hammerkop also loves the mud,

eating small frogs
and wetland creatures,

sometimes alongside its large
cousin, the woolly-necked stork.

There are more than 600
species of birds in the Congo.

No matter where
you are in my country,

birds will be with you.

♪♪

I love this time,
early in the morning,

and it's quiet, not too hot,

and you get to see
loads of beautiful birds.

As a boy, even in the
city, I remember waking up

to the sound of birds in
the trees outside our house.

There are huge
palm-nut vultures...

tiny swallows...

kingfishers...

seedcrackers...

and woodpeckers.

There are funny little manakins

and brilliant sunbirds.

♪♪

Pin-tailed whydah birds
are like little peacocks...

The males displaying
with their long, fancy tails.

The females lay their
eggs in other birds' nests.

They may be beautiful,
but they are also naughty.

It's not only in birds that I
see variety in the Congo.

Crossing the country,

I see diversity in
the people, too.

Our history is old and rich.

You can hear our many
colorful cultures in our voices.

In the Congo today,

French, along with
two regional languages,

are officially recognized,

but at least 62
different languages

are spoken
throughout the country.

Diversity is all around us.

Halfway along our trip,
we cross a very famous line.

We are in Makoua.

This is like bang in the
middle of the Congo.

And I know this place
doesn't look glamorous,

but this is... We're
standing right now...

We're standing on the equator.

So, if you look that side,

that's the Southern Hemisphere,

and that's the
Northern Hemisphere.

And it's hot here.

I like to think the Equator

is not where the world
divides into north and south,

but where both
halves come together.

And we are not far
from our destination...

A place I have been
so eager to show you...

Odzala National Park.

♪♪

Here, the most beautiful
natural savannas

spill out of the
dense tropical forests

that stretch away to the north.

♪♪

All this lovely grass
attracts my favorite animal...

elephants...

But not just any kind.

These are Forest elephants.

They're supposed
to live only in jungles,

but they don't always
do what they are told.

It's obviously a
forest elephant,

but being in a grassland, in
a savanna type of landscape,

makes it quite unique.

The real surprise is they
are more closely related

to elephants of
India than Africa.

And yet they are found
only in the Congo basin.

They are slightly stocky, small,

compared to their cousin,
you know, savanna, elephant,

which is quite great
because their bodies

adapted to the forest and stuff,

which makes them
so, you know, agile.

They rarely grow
taller than 8 feet,

but like this adult bull,
they have big tusks.

And it's those tusks

that have put their
population in so much danger...

Sadly, making the
forest elephants

even more threatened than
their bigger savanna cousins.

♪♪

Come towards me.

At least look at me. You know?

And say hi.

Oh, just lovely.

♪♪

Home to a quarter of
the world's population,

the Congo is an
important stronghold...

Maybe the strongest.

It is the best
place in the world

to see wild forest elephants.

I hope it is not the last.

And at least, here, I'm proud
to say, they are protected.

♪♪

So many elephants.

The actual
population is growing.

It's quite... I would say
it's thriving, actually,

because not only
the big ones I've seen

but the baby ones, as well.

So beautiful.

And I love elephants. You know?

They are the emblem
of this country.

They represent this country.

I'm grateful to the elephants

for coming out of the forest
and allowing us to see them.

But for another forest creature,

it's more a game
of hide-and-seek.

Rock, a local ranger
in Odzala National Park,

has a trick that will
help me film them.

Rock is just making
the crowned eagle call,

and apparently that
attracts colobus monkeys.

I am not sure why,

because the eagle
will hunt baby monkeys.

But I suppose the colobus
like to know where they are

so they don't get
a nasty surprise.

I can see one, actually.

Beautiful.

This is unbelievable.

I was being quite
cynical about this,

but it worked.

My Uncle used to have
a pet monkey called Kiki.

I was fascinated
with him as a child.

I guess that's why I
like them so much now.

Colobus are big monkeys

and live in family groups
high up in the trees.

One big male with
some wives and babies.

Most monkeys love fruits.

Colobus, however,
eat lots of leaves.

They have stomachs like cows.

And when they're full,

and they need to let
all that food digest,

they sleep.

Sound asleep in the branches...

That takes proper forest skills.

♪♪

We leave the monkeys
to their afternoon nap

and find another of
my favorite creatures...

Weaver birds.

The Republic of Congo
has 16 different kinds,

including the black weaver,
with his golden eyes...

the village weavers... So named

because they always
nest together near people...

and then there is the
orange weaverbird.

♪♪

I just love the fact
that, you know,

they're always busy
and quite cheeky.

They steal off each other.

The males do a funny,
flapping wing display

underneath their hard work,

to try and attract a female.

She will then decide

if the nest is good enough
for her to lay her eggs in.

♪♪

It seems, not this time.

At the end of the day,

it's time to get
on the road again.

♪♪

Just northeast of Odzala
Park is the land of my ancestors

and my father's
hometown... Ouésso...

A place I visited
when I was very young.

Apparently, this is
where I took my first steps.

♪♪

And just beyond the town,

the wild equatorial
rainforest begins.

This is what the
Congo is famous for.

A long time ago, the Bantu
tribe conquered this land.

My great-grandfather,
Sokondi, a Bantu warrior himself,

lived here 100 years ago.

But the descendants
of the clan they defeated

are still in this jungle...

Some of the last
true forest people.

I hear some
drumbeats right there.

I think we made it.

It's been eight hours of hiking,

and my apprehension for
our welcome has grown.

Africa has a bad history

in its treatment of
indigenous people.

But I am in for a surprise.

So, he say his
name is Baseladini.

He's the chief and
then he is greeting us.

You know, he's
welcoming us here.

They have all
gathered to greet us.

And he tells me about my family.

Wow.

So, he just said, basically,

"This land here is
the Sokondi land...

Your great-grandad's land.

And since he's gone,

we always wanted to
keep our tradition alive."

Sokondi, my great-grandad...

He wanted to protect those guys,
have them as family members.

You know? And I
am extremely proud

of my, you know, my
bloodline, my great-grandad.

He just basically said

he's extremely excited
and extremely honored

that I'm here to visit them

and that they're going to put
on music of welcome for me.

I can't help but
get carried away.

At first, I wasn't quite sure
whether I should join in,

because, obviously I'm
not very good at dancing.

But then, when the
energy just kicked off,

I thought, "I'll
take this moment.

It's now or never."

And I just went and just danced.

And I feel so great
about it! You know?

Especially, I feel
so great about it.

I know my daughter always
laugh at me when I'm dancing,

but this time, she's
going to be wrong.

We have formed
a real connection,

and in the morning,
they invite me on a hunt.

It's a rare privilege.

♪♪

The forest people hunt

with many different
traditional techniques.

One way is using nets..

Like fishing on land.

♪♪

In the hunting party, there
are lots of different jobs.

And everyone seems
to know what to do.

There are path makers...

net fixers...

and beaters.

It's amazingly organized.

But if they want to
eat, this is what it takes.

The reason why they're
making all the noise

is to scare the animals
from their perspectives

so they will be running
towards the nets.

And once they get here,
they stand ready to catch it.

They have to work as a
team and stay focused.

But at 104 degrees
and 100% humidity,

it's exhausting.

They have seen something
else just running through.

It is going that way.

These people get everything
they need from the forest...

Food, shelter,
medicine... Everything.

In my short time here,

I've learned a lot
about these people

and discovered that my own
great-grandfather was a hero.

Forest people were
usually enslaved

by those who
took over their land.

But my great-grandfather
rejected this terrible practice.

Here, these people
have always been free.

I was so worried
about meeting them,

and now it's so moving to learn

they remember my
great-grandfather

with such esteem.

The Republic of Congo
was the first country in Africa

to give the indigenous
people legal rights.

And I am so proud

to think that my ancestors
maybe had a part to play.

I wanted to meet
the forest people

and see their
traditional way of life.

I wasn't expecting to learn

that I have such a
legacy here to live up to.

We still have more to see,

and where we are heading next

is even deeper in this
vast equatorial jungle.

♪♪

The Congo rainforest

cover 700,000 square
miles, across six countries.

It's larger than the
entire state of Alaska,

and much of it
remains unspoiled.

We still don't know how
many species are living here,

but we are looking for just one.

These creatures are not human,

yet they are perhaps
our most famous relatives.

Meeting them is worth
another difficult jungle trek.

Finding gorillas,

you're going to be a
little bit adventurous.

The trackers have just
located where the gorillas are,

so that's why no time to waste.

We need to get there
as soon as possible.

But, thankfully, the family
of gorillas we are looking for

have been followed
for more than 10 years.

♪♪

And suddenly, they
are walking along with us

through the forest.

I feel so lucky!

We are in the best place to
see western lowland gorillas

in the wild, anywhere on earth.

♪♪

It's really easy to
see the gorillas close.

But one thing is, to film
them, is a different story.

♪♪

I wear this mask because
gorillas are so like us

that they can catch
the same diseases.

And we don't want that.

♪♪

They're going deeper
and deeper in the foliage.

And then, there he is...

the silverback.

Even though I know
he is used to people,

it doesn't mean
he's not intimidating.

I just got close to the ebobo.

"Ebobo" mean "gorilla"
in the local language.

I know he's a gentle vegetarian,

but my heart is racing
to be so close to him.

He is huge.

He's really close.

His name is Buka.

And though he
pretends to ignore us,

he is actually keeping
a very close eye on us

to protect his family.

I can't get over how big he is.

His hand, if you
look at it close,

it's like three times my hand.

And his arm is like that.

I've got a big arm,

but his is four...
Four times my arm.

Huge.

These guys are
unusual for gorillas,

in that they spend a lot
of time up in the trees,

looking for fruits.

And climbing is not
just for youngsters.

I never realized a silverback
can climb a tree that fast.

First time I've
seen that in my life.

Obviously, I've got
a big smile in there.

♪♪

No film can compare with
a real personal experience,

and the great thing is you, too,
can come to see these gorillas.

My guides also bring
tourists here to Mondika.

♪♪

I've had a glorious time.

Now the gorillas have all gone,

and it's time for
us to go, as well.

We are heading to
our final destination,

and instead of a hard
trek through the jungle,

I think we've earned
an easier route.

The rivers here
are natural roads...

Open highways
through the rainforest.

And all the architecture
in this jungle is alive.

It's just so peaceful here.

I can spend the entire day
just floating on this river.

Just sit,

and admire beautiful
trees and the dappled lights.

It's such an old world,

yet it feels always young,

like it's born anew
each morning.

I think whoever wrote the
"Heart of Darkness" was wrong,

and this is definitely
not the heart of darkness.

This is lush... pure.

I don't know if you
can say this in English,

but it's, you know,
gorgeously gorgeous.

It's just amazing. You know?

I'm so excited for what
I'm going to show you.

A remote and wild place

deep in the heart
of Nouabalé-Ndoki...

For me, our most
iconic national park.

Misty morning.

I love the mist.

I'm just going to set up
my hide on the platform

and see what comes along.

This is it... Mbeli Bai,

the wildlife jewel in
my country's crown.

If you come to just one
place in the Republic of Congo,

make it here.

It is the best
place to see wildlife

in the whole of Africa, I think.

Soon, the
performance will begin,

and I have the best
seat in the house.

♪♪

The first animals to
appear are forest elephants.

They are famous
here and guaranteed.

A bai is a big natural clearing,
an island in the sea of trees.

Mbeli Bai is more
special than most.

It has a secret in the water...

Minerals which
the elephants love.

They stick their whole
heads underwater

to dig the minerals
up from the bottom.

For the past 20 years,

these elephants have been
part of an ongoing study

by the Wildlife
Conservation Society,

identifying some 500 individuals

by their distinctive
ears and scars.

Some are easier
than others to spot.

This big bull elephant
has got a hole on his trunk.

I don't know why,

but you can notice that
because when he's blowing water,

there's water also popping
out of that little hole.

It's likely a battle
wound from another bull.

That will give
him a special scar.

♪♪

Joining the elephants
are sitatunga,

delicate swamp antelopes,
with hooves that splay out

so they can run across
the marshy ground.

The big male sitatungas
are darker than the females

and have impressive antlers.

♪♪

Forest buffalo have
come out to graze,

and I catch a glimpse of the
rare slender-snouted crocodile.

My favorite bit about this
place is the diversity of it.

You know? It is
such a busy place.

You know, and busy bai.

And as the heat
goes out of the day,

the last stars to arrive
on the stage emerge...

western lowland gorillas.

Now our cast of
characters is complete.

♪♪

Several families feed here
on the stems of the reeds.

Who knows how long they've
been coming to Mbeli Bai...

how many generations
have lived in this forest,

oblivious to our presence?

♪♪

I love the fact

that the youngsters don't
want to get their feet wet,

and so spend their time
sitting on their own platform...

In this case, their mother.

I feel like I'm witnessing
paradise on Earth,

just seeing these
glorious animals...

You know, seeing
elephants and gorilla

sharing the same
environments. You know?

The fact that, if I
look, you know, left,

I've got elephants wading,
digging into the water holes.

And to the right, there
will be a fish eagle flying,

and I will see
sitatungas and stuff.

It's just beautiful and
diverse. You know?

Seeing that in one day,
it's... You know, I wasn't...

I wasn't prepared for
that, but it's just incredible.

And no day at Mbeli Bai is
complete without some rain.

After all, we are in one of the
greatest rainforests on earth.

♪♪

This journey was
meant to show you

the country of my
childhood and of my people.

It is almost like we've
been visiting an earlier time

in the history of the world.

That powerful, original world
is all still here in the Congo,

in our time.

For me, it's been like
meeting an old friend

after a long time apart.

♪♪

"Connect with the
spirit of your ancestors,"

the old chief told me.

They are everywhere,
helping me remember who I am

and why I became a
wildlife camera man

in the first place.

♪♪

I didn't expect this trip
to change me, but it has.

I feel like I'm
really back home...

to my Congo.

♪♪

To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,

♪♪

♪♪