Maun is the dusty gateway to the Okavango Delta. It’s a little city with a one-desk airport and lodges and camping sites for all budgets. I arrived and met my sister with her family and friends, and we camped under the winter stars. In the morning, with their two 4-wheel drive vehicles, we drove to the Moremi Game Reserve. This is elephant land, Botswana has the most elephants in Africa, and it seems that the total mass of the pachyderms far exceeds the weight of the human population. Add the hippos, zebras and giraffes, and you have a thriving untouched ecosystem. It is a relief to know that this place still exists.

Along the road, we first saw a giraffe, and then zebras. When we reached a watering hole, we saw a lone leopard; a rare sighting. Four hyenas then arrived and harassed him, forcing him to leap into a tree. The hyenas stayed there the entire day, lounging in the water. A herd or elephants looked like ships sailing in the tall grass. Crocodiles sunned themselves, and hippos exposed only their ears and eyes; and an occasional yawn.

The next day was perhaps even more spectacular, with an all-day boat trip along the river. This is far from a zoo or Disneyland: this is all spectacular reality, as if we are starring in a nature documentary. My favorite birds were the Openbill Stork, Southern Ground Hornbills and a mating pair of rare Wattled Cranes. A bubble appeared nearby and a hippo jumped out of the river like a dolphin, and attempted to attack us, but we were safe in the swiftly moving boat. It was a clear defense of his territory. The highlight here was four young male lions sitting under a tree next to their kill; a water buffalo. They were satiated and sleepy. On the way back, we drifted quietly next to two elephants in the river, just a few meters from the boat. The Botswana government is ruthless against poachers, with an unspoken death sentence for the possession of ivory. But even here there are stories of corruption and hidden warehouses full of tusks.

We slept in bed rolls under big sky in the desolate Makgadikgadi Pan. Ostriches were nearby, as well as some meerkats. Complete darkness exposed a bright red Mars, Mercury, and the Southern Cross, along with distant galaxies and the International Space Station gliding like a slow shooting star. Too cold to sleep well, but too beautiful to sleep. It’s a hassle to be a vegan in Africa, so I always bring along spaghetti and sauce, and ask the kitchen to make it for me, or make it myself. Everything was organized: I just showed up and enjoyed the friendliness, spaciousness and wilderness.

I have been to a lot of places in Africa, and my work focuses on destruction and disease. I fear that the great rainforests don’t have much chance. But just a few days in Botswana revealed the resilience of nature. The elephants will survive here, as will the lions and leopards. On the other hand, we did not encounter any rhinoceroses. Europeans and Americans bring big money to the economy, and it is clear that the animals here are worth far more alive than dead. Botswana is also the land of diamonds and mining and it is unclear how the exploitation of the land will that affect the economy, population and nature. It is obvious however that the low human population density allows for a greater biodiversity and more space for the elephants and leopards. Unforgettable.

It is Monday here in Buea. It is a “Ghost Town” day, but this one is particularly bad. I am safe at the Mountain Hotel this July 9th, 2018, viewing the grand Mt. Cameroon from my room. But people in the center of Buea are being terrorized. There are gunshots in the air, and the clash between the separatists and the police has turned deadly. Some, no one knows how many for sure, have been killed. My friend happened to be at the hospital, and saw the casualties. But all the rest of the students and the whole community of Buea have locked themselves in their homes. We wonder if things will return to normal tomorrow. Most likely, yes, but there is always the threat of more violence. A message has gone out to all administrators at the universities, that they must stay away, or face punitive measures, after the 7^th of July.

What is going on here?  Last year, I was in this region, and there were only the underpinnings of threats. We traveled very happily to the village of Manyemen to do our field work, and study the birds and the forest. However, in January of 2018, the students traveled to the same site, and were immediately threatened by separatists and urged to leave. They did, and if they had stayed just some minutes longer, they would have witnessed a shootout. The buildings at the palm plantation, our field site, were burnt down a couple days ago. The villagers who helped us in the forest are now missing. Now all the villages in the region have been abandoned, and thousands of refugees are streaming into Nigeria, or else making their way to Douala or Yaoundé where things are safe. Kids have not gone to school for nearly two years now. And now the violence has reached Buea, which will be the future capital of the independent Ambazonia.

More stories from my friends here: One student was on a bus where they arrested everyone on the bus, except him and his sick mother. Another student heard that the militia went into his village, just north of Buea, in the middle of the night, and everyone fled except one older man who was crippled.  They killed him.  I have one colleague who was kidnapped and taken to the forest and blindfolded: he had to pay a high ransom. I usually stay at a different hotel, but that place is not safe now, with the shootings going on nearby. The situation in Buea escalated after the visit of the French ambassador, when the separatists blocked the roads and tried to disrupt the event. Then the mayor of Buea provoked the situation by saying that residents should ignore the Monday “Ghost Town” and work as normal. That is when things got worse.

Here at the Mountain Hotel there are only a few other guests. Some of them are officials of the government who fear that they will be targets for kidnapping if they venture outside. I could not take photos of all the armed guards. There are a couple Norwegians, and one representative of the UN. For some reason, the Embassy of Cameroon in Stockholm readily gave me and the Norwegians visas to enter Cameroon, but these days, people from other countries are having a more difficult time gaining entry.

This all stems back to the times of colonization. The South West and North West Regions of Cameroon were governed by the British, and the population speaks English. The rest of Cameroon was held by the French, and the majority of Cameroonians speak French. Here is an article in the NY Times that provides history of the “struggle” that the English speakers call this civil war.  I was definitely nervous while driving to Buea from Douala, and passing through the checkpoints, but luckily, we were never stopped. I could be kidnapped, and held for ransom to gain international notoriety. The separatists want more press and publicity. There are also accounts of stray bullets killing innocent civilians. We stopped to pick up some avocados (which are called pears here), and had no problems reaching Buea.

The students of my project can now never go back to our field site. We are salvaging the project, focusing on writing manuscripts, and discussing new areas of research. They impress me with their dedication to the work despite the difficult uncertain times. It seems that prices have gone up, and gasoline is certainly more expensive here than the USA.  Electricity goes out almost every day, and for three months last year, there was no internet. Salaries are low, and corruption is high. Paul Biya is still the president: he was inaugurated in 1982. Watching the world cup, it was obvious who was from Yaoundé: they were routing for the French, and the people from Buea favored the Belgians.

My concern is for the remaining wildlife of the forests. The people have their problems, but it is affecting the environment. Sure, now they have stopped cutting down the forest to create more palm plantations, but on the other hand, the separatists and many thousands of villagers are now living in the bush; eating bushmeat. I just heard a story of a Colonel in the army who was caught driving a whole truckload of elephant tusks. The ecoguards who arrested him now fear for their lives and retaliation by the army thugs. There is just not much room left, and the many years of inequalities suffered by the people are finally seeding rebellion. Will Ambazonia be the world’s newest nation? I think not for a while, and not before more people die. But Cameroon is suffering and it is time for a change. I see my students here suffering, but still committed to their work. They are intelligent, resourceful, intelligent and motivated. Their struggle really highlights the privileges that we take for granted every day.