Not all caves in the Ngounié Province of Gabon are as comfortable to navigate as this passage in Grotte de Bongolo. Caves are challenging and alien environments, so we asked the team how they have found working underground.
The team explained that, to many Africans, caves are “mysterious”. “In our tradition, the cave is more spiritual than any other natural place – mountains, waterfalls, soil, atmosphere. You can only visit caves if you are initiated [by ritual].” Alexis explained. “As a PhD student in France, I would sometimes find a cave during my fieldwork, but I was afraid and didn’t go too far inside. Bongolo cave [the first cave visited with the team during the 2023 expedition and again this year] was easy and this reassured my mind that I was okay.” Of the caves we explored, Nguedi na Duma was the most challenging for the team. “According to tradition, “there are three genies in the cave - a big snake, a siren, and an armadillo. People must be strong to visit this cave.”, explained Alexis. He admitted praying before our first visit to that cave. “I wished to have good work and I hoped everyone [would be] safe in the cave.” Spotlights were used during the first cave visits to acclimatise the team. “As soon as we flashed the big lights, I got less scared, so I started to do science and I forgot all about the genie”, said Alexis. Now the team are comfortable in caves and are looking forward to all they can learn from them. There is beautiful geology inside [and] I have many new [research] ideas.”
