Boké and the Lowcountry Donald West For most people who identify with the Lowcountry’s connection to Africa, all too often Sierra Leone is the place they have marked as their ancestral home. This is why the Fulbright trip to Guinea was necessary and important. Sierra Leone was also included in this Mano River study abroad, but it was not the primary target. Like the Lowcountry, which consists of more than one state, the Mano River Region is made up of four African states (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire). Côte d’Ivoire has recently joined the Union of West African nations committed to economic cooperation. Though Guinea-Bissau is not a member of the Mano River Union, it does share many of the same cultural and historical characteristics of the other four nations. It is not just Sierra Leone, but also the entire African coast from Senegal to Angola that made a profound impact in the Western Hemisphere. Equally significant to this little-known chapter in US history has been the retention of Africanism in the form of religion, music, art, storytelling, language, architecture, agriculture, as well as culinary traditions, and the contributions of the Mano River Region to the Lowcountry. After nearly one week in Sierra Leone, the group of thirteen educators who made the journey together to West Africa would spend the rest of the five weeks in the French-speaking country of Guinea. So much of Guinea, like Sierra Leone, is a striking reminder of the coastal region of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Northern Florida. First of all, both regions of each country can point to a common history, including the Atlantic Slave Trade, European colonialism, and the existence of well-established ports and local industries with a global link. In addition, each region also has its own unique historic chapter in the struggle for human rights and self-determination. Lastly, the world-renowned artisans of both areas were the other common threads connecting Guinea, as well as Sierra Leone, with the Lowcountry. From the very beginning, I was looking forward to making the comparison between Boké, Guinea and the Lowcountry. Although there were many similarities throughout the country, the Boké Province, located on the Atlantic coast of Lower Guinea, reminded me most of all of the Lowcountry. After a few days in Conakry, we left the peninsula, making stops in Fria, Farrenya, and Boffa before a four-day stay in the city of Boké. All four places are part of the Boké Province. Fria is an industrial town where the oldest bauxite plant in Africa is located. As we approached the city, I thought about the similarities between Fria and Georgetown, South Carolina. Georgetown is also a small industrial city, with its largest employer a steel and a paper company. The processing of bauxite into alumina has been done at the Fria plant since 1950. The town is dominated by the plant, which contributes heavily to the diverse businesses, accommodations, restaurants, and recreational services. The plant is currently operated by the Russians, and mining is done in the surrounding areas and several other places throughout the Province. This was a very timely visit; it was preceded by an excellent conference by students, faculty, and governmental officials addressing the state of Guinea’s natural resources and minerals and whether changes should be made between Guinea and foreign inventors. I referred to the situation as the Chavez effect spreading around the world. The day before we arrived in Fria, the Fulbright group attended a daylong conference held at the Université de Gamal Nasser in Conakry. The bauxite industry is Guinea’s principle export. After one day in Fria, we left for our other destinations. A fork in the road afforded us a brief stop in Boffa before going to Farrenya. Once known for its involvement in the Atlantic slave trade, Boffa sets on the Fatala River and is a small fishing town. The river was the main artery that connected the coast with the interior for the slave trade. Over the years, because of a newly constructed bridge over the river, the town is no longer a popular stop-over. Its better days may be in the past. Farrenya is about a two-hour drive from Boffa on the Rio Pongo, aka the Fatala River. Farrenya, a small village like Boffa, is also famous for its past connection to the slave trade. Decades after the Atlantic Slave Trade had ended in the United States, enslaved Africans were still being procured by Queen Niara Bely, a notorious trafficker, and her white husband from South Carolina, Stiles Lightburn. Later, Queen Niara turned to legitimate trade, the making and selling of soap. This was a very interesting and enlightening experience. After passing through Boffa again, we were on to the city of Boké for a few days. In Boké, our educational excursion started out with morning meetings with some of the regional officials, including the governor of Boké and the mayor of the city. A number of community people were present as well. They shared with us some history of the area, discussing the great Mali Empire, as well as the rivers of the Province and how they were used during the Atlantic slave trade. The mayor also stated that the rivers helped to develop trade with the Portuguese, French, and English. This trade resulted in Guinea having more contact with the Europeans than other parts of West Africa. Incidentally, about fifty years ago (during colonial rule), Boké was where Sekou Touré organized workers, women, and young activists to achieve independence. After the meeting, we went to the Museé de Boké. There was a nice display of artifacts, but one very shocking surprise was the archives at the museum and the poor conditions of the records. The staff recognizes the state of the collections; however, money and resources are needed to rectify the problems, and Guinea has so many other pressing issues.

French explorer René Caille, whose travels into the interior of West Africa took him to Timbuktu, visited Boké in 1827. Boké was occupied by the French two decades later in 1849. What is now the main museum building was once the offices and residence of the French commandant. It was built in 1878. We were told that the basement was a prison to keep slaves brought from the interior. Of course, there are some questions about whether or not the museum, once a fort, was indeed linked to the slave trade. Smuggling and illegal activities in the slave trade certainly included the area, if not the building itself. Later, before we left Boké, the Fulbright group and the museum’s director visited another location, near the Rio Nunez Port, with a link to the slave trade. This location included a nearby French castle standing in ruins and covered in overgrowth. On the river — stuck in the mud, half-buried — was a vessel from the period. Unexpectedly, at a rundown, abandoned brick building along the river, we were shown where Amicar Cabral, the charismatic Guinea-Bissau freedom fighter, conducted his operations for a time. While in the city, we also visited a regional training/trade school, where everyone, including S. Mohamed N’Daou, who also translated for us, briefly spoke to students and faculty about our teaching philosophies, our various classroom styles, and the subjects we taught. Curtis Franks and Elaine Nichols talked about how the many cultural and historical topics are used to exhibit, display, and educate the general public at the museums where they work. The students and faculty in Boké have none of the resources and equipment of the average American classroom, but their efforts to get the most out of their education is inspirational. Before leaving for Conakry, we traveled west in the Province to the Atlantic coastal town of Kamsar, where another bauxite plant is located. The Kamsar plant is currently the world’s second leading bauxite producer. Back in Boké that night after dinner, we were guest at the community center where a traditional Baga mask ceremony was held, including dance and drumming. At one point during the program, women from a local co-op gave each of us a bag of dried mangos. When I finally got around to eating it, I recognized their efforts to start a growing new industry in Guinea, dried fruits. It was a great treat and pleasant surprise. The Baga of Guinea and Guinea Bissau are among the best known rice cultivators of West Africa. It was their ancestors — the Mende, Temne, Kissi, and other ethnic groups from the Mano River Region — who brought their expertise of rice to the Lowcountry. Like the Gullah of the Lowcountry, the Baga artisans of Boké are also well-known. Their traditional wood carvings and masks are found in a variety of markets throughout the world and in numerous museums. The contemporary iconic “thinking man,” a particularly favorite item among many West African artisans that can be found throughout the entire Senegambia and Mano River Regions, is one of the more popular art pieces. Baskets are made in Boké, too. They are different in design and style from the ones in Sierra Leone. Other items from the area demonstrate the resourceful and creative abilities for which Africans are known, as scrap pieces are turned into toys, jewelry, and other marketable articles. Leaving Boké for the rest of Guinea, I kept thinking about the similarities of the two regions of the Atlantic, the coastal connections, especially between the people of the Lowcountry and Boké, and the strong sense of pride each group has in their heritage and traditions that make both places quite unique. References Brown, Timothy D., Donald West, Katharine Purcell, & Roger West. “Incorporating West African Culture into the Curriculum: A Teachers Guide,” Charleston, SC: Trident Technical College, February 25, 2006. Culture Grams, World Edition 2008 (See the chapters on Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Liberia, and Republic of Sierra Leon). Ann Arbor, Michigan: ProQuest CSA, 2008 Krabacher, Thomas, Ezekiel Kalipeni, & Azzedine Layachi. Global Studies-Africa, 12th edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. O’Toole, Thomas, with Janice E. Baker. Historical Dictionary of Guinea, 4th edition. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005.