Deadliest Journeys - Cameroon, Birds and Lizards

[Music] [Music] hey [Music] [Music] the forests of cameroon are an ideal refuge for wildlife away from man and modern civilization well more or less did you could at least try not to ruin other people's luggage you're the one who wanted to go on top you were below before after almost two hours on the road the passengers in this communal taxi have had enough of the driver and his uncomfortable vehicle and those who complain about having to sit on their luggage admittedly with 15 people crammed into one van there is a lot to moan about although the driver doesn't let it get to him now you don't know me i can give you your money back and leave you here that's how i am come on get on we're leaving if anybody wants to stay here that's fine come on we're going staying here in the middle of nowhere it provides a good incentive to get on [Music] put your feet down [Music] come on everybody on board with 15 passengers certain rules must be adhered to the lightest sit on the heaviest the largest go into the trunk [Music] and there's always the roof for those with claustrophobia come on everybody on board it's like in war we make do travelers in cameroon usually have little alternative to taking these over crowded taxis outside of the big cities it's the only form of public transport [Music] in the town of lorodorf the taxis in poorest condition face the same challenge each time before leaving namely will oscar even manage to get his old vehicle to start [Music] the aged japanese car is probably more suited to the scrap heap and to the roads it takes all of oscar's resourcefulness to keep the vehicle ticking over [Music] well the battery no longer has the fixtures to to keep it into place so we use these wires for when it gets bumpy it keeps it still and this here you see is to this is to stop the water getting into the carburetor if you drive through the bogs and the marshes the young mechanic undertakes most of the dirty work you see he's sucking up the petrol and into the carburetor so when i start it it makes the engine start this is what's left my car prefers this kind of surface to a paved one [Music] and the vehicle bears the battle scars of 20 years of fighting through these tracks hello so this here you see has several parts missing now we have to tie it all up to make it still look like a car uh on the road as the bonnet is loose it sometimes flaps up and down hitting the windscreen boom apparently that happens often this door doesn't even close anymore i have to pull this string and tight uh okay now it's good getting the passengers safely to their destinations would appear to be a remarkable feat for this vehicle all the more so as the exhaust pipe is inside the car itself luckily for his clients the poisonous fumes are offset by oscar's habit of driving with all windows and even doors open in cameroon these kinds of taxis are known as clandos as in clendersteins the police chase them not because of the condition of the car but because the drivers have no taxi permit or even a driving license like oscar the clandos reigns supreme in cameroon a country in central africa's equatorial region [Music] only the major towns have regular public transport the roots that crisscross the country pass through areas known for their magic and ancient beliefs [Music] but cameroon is also a major economic power known as the bread basket of central africa neighboring countries rely on its harvests to help feed their own populations [Music] and the clandos play their role in acting as the means of delivery the tremendous economic value of its agriculture is not reflected in the dreadful condition of cameroon's roads 90 of them are barely dirt tracks during the rainy season the mud turns every journey into an endless struggle hey the others back there they're not pushing to make it through these roads you must have a lot of stamina and each trip is like a car rally yeah that's a problem here the tall grasses the trees the bushes they really can cut you the condition of the roads paralyzes the national economy but things are starting to slowly improve the authorities have undertaken a massive series of road works oh we've never seen anything like that here it's well managed a good road network is being built but the clandestine taxis can still look forward to a healthy future hey abel over squeeze in here oscar the clando has managed to drive his old jalopy to the bus station you're going to able over it's five dollars for the trip and uh more for the luggage that's an extra dollar so that's uh six dollars six dollars but we need our luggage listen i'm not a travel agent yeah i'm a clandog luggage always costs extra mirai has just arrived from yeonde the capital where she lives and where there are no clandos their methods surprise her all on board come on all the passengers so where do we sit oh here or there just keep your balance madam um we are used to traveling like this come on please quickly i'm in a hurry no no don't worry you can lean against it lean back go ahead no problem murray has little choice oscar is the only driver in lolodorf going to eberloa it's 80 kilometers along one of the worst roads in the country the journey time is almost seven hours the road goes through the region of the little men the pygmies [Music] mirae works for an ngo that fights on behalf of these tribes threatened by the exploitation of their forest homelands usually she travels in one of her organization's air-conditioned four-wheel drives but this time they had all broken down [Music] i think this will be hard my joints and bones are already hurting and we've only done a few kilometers i wonder what state i'll be in by the time we get there hopefully in one piece anyway what's that oscar immediately knows the source of the noise in the front of the car what's up it's one of the wheels inevitably the wheels hadn't been fixed on properly so the wheels might fall off is that it yep so you could tell when you were driving there are some bolts that need tightening up in fact they're not tight at all are they uh no and that one wasn't tight either yep hardly a surprise as most have no screws are there no more nuts isn't that a risk that they'll become loose again no we know how to manage at all do you feel reassured me ray or not i'm not sure because we've done what if just a few kilometers and it seems to me it's already broken down in fact oscar never travels without an assistant and a mechanic the wreck marks where the pygmy forests begin and where the real difficulties [Music] start [Music] we'll need to push well it's really just his team that does the pushing [Music] come on push [Music] follow this way this way along the tracks [Music] [Applause] the fact the bog is so deep might not just be a matter of luck neither can the presence of the two farmers willing to help them for a fee you have a problem it's the slope uh we'll put down some stone so you'll be fine going up murray is asked to go paddle a little way off in the mud and as they set to work they produce small stones and rocks from behind the shrubs seemingly well prepared in advance [Music] come on use the gears a few minutes later oscar has lost part of his clutch and more importantly his profits so every time you help someone you want them to give you something in exchange oh yes yes they have to give something and we must thank them for the work that they did in this bog they're the ones who dug out the drains so when you hear a car approaching out you come to help it oh yes we're here to help and there are trucks that also use this road oh yeah it's a national road national [Music] now that's going back a year or two the germans colonized cameroon between 1884 and 1918. they weren't there long but long enough to scratch out several roads across the country luckily what germans make is built to last the wooden planks have been replaced but the basic structure of this bridge is unchanged in over a century [Music] the state rarely maintains the roads and it's up to the villagers to take care of them they profit by charging a toll they've come to fix the road and before we pass them we'll need to give them something in the village the plan has been set in motion amongst the school kids every day after class they play at mending the road he's one of the bosses he's the one that will collect a few coins from the vehicles while the others are working on the road the car has to wait while the work to fill the holes continues before the road can be opened up again you see the barrier cars motorcycles everything that travels along here has to contribute something to the work that the kids do because the state certainly won't do anything it's all done by hand there's no fixed charge you pay what you can i'm here i've got something for you oscar hands over the equivalent of a dollar and are people quite happy to pay in some parts of cameroon the village survives on income from the roads and provides even more sometimes but that's not for the kids the crowd has gathered around the truck and the atmosphere is somewhat heated what's going on oh there's been an accident a local truck carrying beer and its trailer has ended up in the ditch the driver is unscathed but now has a huge problem on his hands the locals have shown up and taken all the drink there's nothing i can do they can't arrest all the people that are here it's a race between the looters and the beer company that are sending reinforcements to save what it can they they called to say they'd been an accident and we had to save as many crates as possible is everybody helping themselves oh yes everybody the whole village is having a party look they're all happy we drink the beer but leave the bottles the brewer agrees they can have some of the beer so long as they return the empties everyone then fills as many canisters as possible the gods or possibly the demons of the road have given the villagers a welcome present hundreds of liters of free beer it doesn't happen every day here it's usually liters of sweat that buy a living in the open air mines a beer will cost you some heavy lifting a strong volcanic rock used for the foundation of buildings humans have replaced machines the biggest rocks weigh close to 100 kilos they're called the loaders he's very strong he's the best loader in this quarry good no i'm not tired one man in the group sticks out it's michael who is the only one who's taken some protective measures by no coincidence he's known as the prof what i want to be is a professor of psychology i already teach and i'm studying at the faculty of literature and human sciences i'd like to be a professor of psychology so for now you're you're working here yes but only on the weekends the rest of the week michael teaches and you're paid for the work you do during the week [Music] if i work hard all month i can make about 20 000 francs it's hardly much that's about 325 a month when he closes his school books and puts on his hard hat he makes about 60 for the weekend for once braun pays more than brains they because i can use my two hands and feet going to school is expensive in cameroon secondary school can cost several hundred dollars it's the reason why teenagers and youngsters invade the quarry on the weekends [Music] the youngest are not allowed to dig but what they do is equally grueling [Music] like convicts the young break up rocks to make gravel you know i i don't think a child should be breaking stones just to go to school oh yes to be able to grow up like the others what would you like to do when you're grown up become a doctor okay okay stop stop the truck's already too heavy it's uh the state of the roads the truck can't handle them properly that's it see it's all screwed up now it's the road you see it's rubbish when were these roads built no more than a month ago yes go ahead film that road there he's the head of the commune hey why don't you maintain the road properly while he avoids answering the question the municipal employee doesn't forget the important issue which is collecting the toll fees and about 100 trucks load up here every day so with all the money they make city hall could easily fix up the road but they don't [Music] foreign in the meanwhile oscar has to cope with one breakdown after another his ancient vehicle is about to give up the ghost it seems to be the end but every time oscar and his team bring it back to life it's the suspension arm that's given way effectively the vehicle has lost its control of the road it's a major problem but all the clandos need is a bit of wire do you think that'll hold up oh yes well we have no spare parts so it'll help it's just for now you sure hope so anyway because now that's three times already still the main thing is to get to ebola the car is now not just a picturesque wreck but also a coffin on wheels the smaller shock could send the car spinning out of control and into the bush it won't stop the driver taking on new passengers though there's another woman she's going to collect her luggage presumably the woman has not been told of mechanical difficulties but like a perfect gentleman oscar's two assistants give up their bench and its wooden backrest the woman appreciates the gesture and is delighted that having found a ride up front miray cannot relax she's worried about the windshield i still don't see how it can hold up i mean the entire windscreen it's not exactly safe for the driver or the people on board if there wasn't a stick the windshield would be blown back inside you see the stick is there to keep it in place for her part the village woman has no concerns her only worry is to sell her bananas in town i have backache so i can't carry all the bananas to the market i can only travel if a car happens bye [Music] taxis are crucial it's the only way villagers can get help we if it wasn't for them well here's a lady whose fruits if it wasn't for this vehicle would just go to rot [Music] assuming of course the clando makes it to its destination to the worn out car it's a massive challenge this will give the front wheels added grip so we can get over the hill [Applause] the idea may be a good one but it's still not heavy enough [Music] the engine seems about to fall apart and the air in the cabin is unbreathable [Music] it's getting hot that's choking more like and next the brakes almost failed to work but there's worse still oh god damn it the fuel seems to seep out even faster when the vehicle's on an incline a few thick leaves and problem solved now we have to raise the funnel and put this where the hole is here [Music] [Music] they still need to get over the hill he's gonna go for it [Music] and they're in the clear at least until the next obstacle always get through as the motto of the clandos whatever the state of the roads and whatever the size of the vehicle the minibus ranks as an xl on board about 30 passengers it's handy for when the truck gets stuck [Music] [Applause] i don't there's no sexism here men and women both with a common task [Music] oh yes we're pushing happens a lot but not all the passengers are pitching in where are they [Music] there aren't enough people pushing everyone needs to help so we can get going again otherwise we'll end up sleeping here oh i see you've got backache i want to get there soon if we don't push we might sleep out here come on then push everybody [Music] the truck brings some bad news down there it's no good you'll be pushing right till the end pushing by day is one thing the night comes suddenly in cameroon at 6 pm there's barely one hour left for ahmed to get to the village where he can spend the night the slope though does them no favors mechanic up front ah the road is blocked have we had it no no no we'll be fine it'll be all right we'll get going the driver is definitely an optimist it'll take a while for just five people to deal with a 15-ton truck something not lost on the passengers and it's all hands on deck [Music] do you think he'll get there by tonight maybe tomorrow if that's the case where will you sleep well sleep in the car what else can we do come most would rather not spend the night here [Music] it's a waste of effort they all stop on the other side of the hill none of the drivers want to be on the roads at night it's too dangerous the passengers will sleep in the truck all squeezed together it's a nightmare murray will not have to endure the young woman has found something to smile about finally we've made it from 11 30 in the morning to seven at night after seven and a half hours she's arrived the next morning she has a meeting scheduled with the forest pygmies [Music] has been keeping track of the triad for many years as part of her work for the ngo in keeping with tradition she first greets the village chief the news she has to tell him is not good pygmies live in harmony with nature to them it's a matter of survival but the delicate balance is on the verge of collapsing [Music] a popular local fairy tale tells of how god first created the earth the elements rivers and forests as living beings which were to be feared and respected it's something the cameroonians have long since forgotten [Music] only the pygmies seem to have remembered the territory of these hunter-gatherers extends over the entire equatorial forest over the centuries their bodies have adapted to the hostile environment their small stature allows them to easily move through the jungle [Music] today however the tribes are being forced out of their homelands by both the timber and palm oil industries solely but surely the state has relocated the estimated 40 000 strong pygmies far from their hunting grounds despite a day spent tracking game this hunter returns empty-handed [Music] why didn't you get anything not even a porcupine it's not that difficult he could have killed something he can't kill anything he's still learning how to kill for me the villagers tell me ray that living alongside the neighboring bantu's is not proving to be easy in fact they feel threatened [Music] the state didn't give them any land rights so the bantu's think they shouldn't be here the pygmies are nomadic people now no longer know where to turn their traditions are being worn away and many seek solace in alcohol some become slaves to the bantu's who at least admire their ability to hunt we use arrows spears so you hunt animals for the bantu's yes and what do they give you in return about four dollars sometimes less and we have children who want to go to school so you have to buy them books and things and you tell them listen my child needs to go to school give me money i hunted for you so you pay me but then he starts hitting you and insulting you they say we're animals that we're not cameroonians because we're animals if a bantu kills a pygmy he won't get arrested tonight and he's here living happily the police aren't even looking for him [Music] the man in the blue cap is one of their bantu neighbors he's a farmer and says he has no problems with the pygmies even trades with them he adds do you know them well oh i know all of them so your neighbors yes so how are things between the bantu's and the pygmies oh we get on fine we give them work they don't need much money they make do with our leftovers because they're not really farmers we have vegetables and they have meat it'll cost you three or four dollars but he said everything was fine between the bantu's and the pygmies he's lying he's lying keeps note of all her conversations she will use them to make a case for the pygmies with the authorities in yonde the capitol but their new non-nomadic lifestyle has some advantages for the first time the pygmy's children can go to school they will be the first generation to learn how to read and write all the better to later be able to defend their rights in the heart of the equatorial forests are some forgotten cities and their inhabitants ignored by the rest of the country due to their inaccessibility for the four months of monsoon some 30 000 people are virtual hostages to the weather and nature it's almost impossible to leave this region unless you have a motorcycle the only way to get through the endless mud at the main transport terminal at yoko it's easy to spot the fearless motorbikers officially they have to wear a yellow vest it's a matter of safety helmets though remain optional of them are farmers or herders for eight months of the year for the three or four months of the reigns they stand to make as much as they do the rest of the year keeping the motorcycles in working order is a matter of improvisation if you have a problem you solve it if you break it down you fix it so you can fix everything with that oh yeah with no garage in town the gas station provides a basic seven day a week service oh this is super this you know it's nice and clear the other one's diesel you know we make do we get by what's the quality like it's fine fine for the engines no problem six bikes have filled up at the pumps they've been requisitioned by two young noblemen who are members of the region's most powerful family the father of clovis the one who's driving is like a king and behind him and just as important is his cousin they're heading for their fiefdom at linte kilometers southeast of yoko it's a day-long journey and requires the support of the best motorcyclists road has disappeared due to lack of maintenance [Music] [Applause] and yet it used to be one of the most important roads in the region the metal bridge serves as a reminder of the many cars and trucks that used to use this track you could say it's a miraculous bridge there's never been any problems with it it was built by the german or french occupiers no one is really sure anymore [Music] hovis though doesn't forget he belongs to the family as does the entire forest so you're the son of one of the chiefs yeah and one day all of this will will be yours well actually there are many of us so i'm not sure uh there may be 30 of us i know my father has a lot of children has the family ruled here for a very long time oh yeah since the germans were here my grandfather founded the village beyond the bridge the road becomes a track gradually swallowed up by the jungle [Music] so unless you're flying it's the only way to get there [Music] there's just one wave so it's difficult you need a good horn it won't work without a horn that's tough there's a layer of wet clay that's out to get me it's tricky tricky but that'll be okay it'll be fine [Music] gotta go for it [Music] before tapping forward even more dangerous are the locally built bridges a crossing that scares even the most experienced bikers [Music] and it's one reason why the son of the chief and his cousin didn't want to travel on their own okay an accident could happen any time and there's no one to help if it's a serious one [Music] [Applause] no one's hurt [Music] it's clovis next the son of a chief his reputation is at stake he has to get his motorbike over himself on this road or track rather there are obvious dangers but also some hidden ones that can cause some damage any time the grass the the small trees and then the bushes they can really whip you it really hurts you can injure your eyes and it really stings a lot what [Music] come on get up the son of the chief had had enough a long way back nobody hurt the tall grass has stung his eye what was it a branch yeah it hurts is the capital of the region's chieftainship it took seven hours on the road to get here the capital resembles a ghost town [Music] half the population has fled and those that remain past the time quietly [Music] with few provisions arriving the bars and the shops have closed and there's no way to keep food fresh even though there are electricity [Music] the pylons are there but there's no power source there's nothing it's just there to look good for the locals so nobody in the village has any power there's none no just a few small generators electricity had been an election promise but after the vote the pylons were never connected to the central power plant the regional chief clovis's father seems to be at a loss of how to improve conditions in his kingdom isn't that a problem for the village that your roads are in such a terrible state sin of course it's our battle we want to get the road fixed if someone falls sick or is very old it's not conceivable that they should still have to ride on the back of a motorcycle and if a villager dies in yoko or elsewhere then the driver has to tie the body to his back and bring them back here pull down you seem to worry about the young people as well yes the youth is the driving force apart from in linte where there's no teachers for the children it's a worry because teachers don't want to come here there's no infrastructure there's no roads there's no electricity [Music] there's much to rebel about it's true here if i was still young i i would incite the young to become troublemakers i can come and arrest us and throw us in prisons we suffer it is bad and and that's why the young are leaving this place they can't stand it they can't it's too hard but there might be light at the end of the tunnel for linter gold has been found in the surrounding mountains cameroon is crisscrossed with roads it's a country that's full of energy and resources that's been asleep too long the nation's youth asks just one thing of the government to provide the means to wake up and revive the country [Music] you

Channel: Best Documentary

Views: 1,052,663

Keywords: documentary, roads, National Geographic, waterways, travel, Deadliest Journeys, most dangerous roads, free documentary, dicing with death, ADVENTURE, DISCOVERY, Deadliest Roads

Id: T5FUlrD1izc

Length: 53min 19sec (3199 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 05 2021