Afi Women
Here is a good short video on the women of the Afi forest in south east Nigeria.
“The magnificent Afi forest in Nigeria’s Cross River State is not only home to endangered animals but also a lifeblood for the people living around it – but the Cross River State has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Mary Ofre lives in the nearby village of Olum, where her small-scale farm provides for her family. She is part of a local women’s group that plays a vital role in monitoring and reporting illegal logging. She and the forest women of Afi stand together to protect the mountains, trees and animals of this stunning natural habitat, for everyone’s future.”
One of the animals of the forest are the remaining Cross River Gorillas, maybe 200 - 300, rarely seen.
In 2015, I had the great opportunity to get to the sublime Obudu Plateau, very close to Afi. I couldn’t convince my honorable Bayelsan Barrister traveling companion to go the relatively short distance to the forest.
“There’s gorillas,” I kept advocating.
“That’s history,” he’d reply
If these gorillas are not to be history, along with the rest of us, the women of Afi need to succeed.
