Equatorial Guinea : Days 4 & 5
Bioko forest soundscapes & the incredible music of Opalón
Last Sunday I took my first trip out to further explore Bioko. The island measures a little over 2000km2, mostly accessible by one main road which circles the island.
The inner heart of Bioko contains dense forests, and three basaltic shield (and active) volcanoes — though they are only accessible with the obtention of difficult to come by government issued permits. Despite being an island so sparsely populated outside of its capital, Malabo, it’s really not very easy to just get out and wander about in nature here.
Speaking with locals, I’m very surprised to hear that it’s not common for people to leave the city to enjoy the beautiful landscapes, or hike in the national parks and nature reserves — but I understand that both a lack of accessibility and safety are the key factors in this.
The further out from the capital Malabo you go, the sketchier the road surfaces seemingly become — frequent potholes and odd pieces of debris keep you on your toes behind the wheel — add to that regular police and military checkpoints verifying your identity and purpose for travel — and the pleasant scenery you encounter when looking out your window becomes somewhat diluted by the overhanging importance that exercising precaution needs to be taken here.
Leaving Malabo, the next settlement you arrive at is Luba. A small port village on the Western coast with beautiful scenic views out toward the Atlantic.
We make a turn here to cut across the island along a road which takes us deeper inland. We pass through rural Fang villages, the wildlife and foliage diversifying.
Rolling down my window I listen to the sounds of the forest intensifying as the shift from day to night approaches.
We pulled up in a spot to record in the remote, late-afternoon stillness…
Here, deep in the forest, time is forgotten.
Songs of the singing fauna tell the dawn from the dusk,
As droplets trickle from the misted palms.
Opalón
Opalón Kasiry Mmoz is of Bubi origin, an indigenous ethnic group native to Bioko.
Considered a local legend, certainly amongst the music crowd here in Malabo, Opalón’s ancient voice is as captivating as it is enchanting. Accompanied by a drummer and bassist, he plays a style of guitar that sits around the same two/threee major chords — a simple, uplifting African style of playing complimented by his wonderful voice hiding deep beneath his wide toothless grin.
A beautiful character, a charming encounter and a timeless recording…
“Sound as a gateway to the spiritual world is very present among the peoples of Equatorial Guinea. The diverse sounds produced by the elements of their natural environment are captured and interpreted as the language of invisible beings and spirits that animate all things.”
— Izabela de Aranzadi (Instrumentos Musicales de las Etnias de Guinea Ecuatorial)
This short series will be documenting traditional and contemporary music and examining how this culture interweaves with the sounds of Malabo — the capital city of Equatorial Guinea, located on the island of Bioko off the coast of Central Western Africa.
I’m here for the next 3 weeks for a field recording project on behalf of The British Library Sound Archive and with the much valued support and co-operation of the Institute Français de Guinéé Équatoriale.
During my stay I’ll be posting stories, sounds and captures from my time here. Any questions, reflections or suggestions, please get in touch via the comments section below.
Our world seems to me to be growing too frail, too fragile and too disconnected to not make an effort to listen just a little more closely…
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Thank you for being here with me.
Mat
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