Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
salongo monkey (
Cercopithecus dryas
). With the people of Kokolopori, he discussed the possibil-
ity of protecting the salongos—only two hundred are thought to remain, and Kokolopori is the only
place in the world where they are known to exist—and making them a resource for ecotourism. He
wouldn't say that hunting the salongo was wrong. Rather, his discourse was indirect, presenting in-
formation so that the people could come to understand how they could save a vanishing species and
make their own decisions.
“And there are animals that the state protects legally,” he said. “So we need to make sure that
the protected animals aren't eaten. We discuss where the animals can be protected—so, 'In this area
they can't be protected, because that's where we go hunting.' You have to listen carefully. You can't
push or question, or the agreement will fail. You have to listen and discuss which zones will be for
conservation and which for hunting. Once you have established these laws, you can begin to study
the free land. They discuss what they need in their schools, the need for a clinic—all the things
people need and want. Once all of this is done, you call the ICCN. The ICCN puts together the doc-
uments to make the reserve and this gets shown to the minister, who then helps create the reserve.”
But just as Albert had to work closely with the people of the thirty-five villages within the re-
serve, he had to be the liaison with BCI, accompanying them in the field, supporting their work, and
providing them with the documents they needed in order to secure further funding.
Albert told me that from early on in his friendship with Sally, he guessed that she must have
studied psychology. “You can't fight against someone who is not fighting with you. She never takes
credit for her work or says that she is the one paying. She says it is Albert doing everything. And I
tell people that Sally is a good person whom they should respect.”
He described how she would often stay in Kokolopori two months at a time, meeting with
people in the villages, getting to know their goals and struggles.
“She is a person who draws others to her. She achieves this because she's not conflictual. She's
a
maman
. Michael will sometimes take one step too far. Michael's greatest strength is the quantity
of work he can do. He can write four or five projects. I appreciate his capacity for work. Where he
can be weak is in diplomacy. Each person has a weakness. She is very strong in diplomacy. I would
make her the American secretary of state. You can argue with her now and three hours later we let
it go. What is her weakness? She pardons people too easily. She forgives people their failures too
quickly. She is led to understand the good side, though this is also an advantage. But if she were
more cautious, she wouldn't draw as many people. Michael will push at times. Sometimes Michael
and I, we are like . . .” he hesitated, “
deux elephants dans une casserole
”—two elephants in a sauce-
pan.
“Is this a Congolese expression?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “
Jo cu mi balene na jocu moko
.” Then he laughed for a long time.
When speaking of Albert's broad base of experience, his willingness to make sacrifices and live
in the forest villages when he could be in Kinshasa, Michael confesses that he has at times become
frustrated with Albert's tendency to take on too much. Albert was already overloaded with com-
mitments—methodology trainings that BCI helped finance, a course on conservation in Costa Rica,
and the Wild Foundation's World Wilderness Congress in Alaska—when he decided to do a second
degree in science, this time in biology, in Kisangani, so that he could be better equipped as a con-
servationist. As a result, he struggled to be as available as BCI wanted. Conversely, Albert told me
that one of Sally and Michael's flaws was that they often worked in states of emergency, and that
he found this distracting when he was busy. Still, the three of them, along with the BCI and Vie
