Equatorial Guinea

The movie or the book? This universal question applies also to Palm Trees in the Snow, a multigenerational novel by Luz Gabás based on her family’s experience in Equatorial Guinea. The book gives details of history, motivation, and character. The movie gives powerful visuals and a simplified narrative. The book emphasizes the tangled personal and political relationships of colonialism and the difficulty of unraveling the threads with independence. The movie immerses us in the emotion of a well-acted story. The book’s diverse characters, including those from the Bubi and Fang groups, show a multiplicity of opinion even within the same group. I don’t think I have previously read a book that so carefully pays attention to people not in the ethnic group of the author. The movie is largely a Spanish story with a supporting cast. I picked up the book at the library and watched the movie on Netflix (available as of November 2020). Which did I like better? I always like books better than movies, but if you only have a few hours, the movie is interesting. Just don’t show the kids.

The movie you can show the kids is Where the Road Runs Out at https://tubitv.com/movies/557836/where-the-road-runs-out and on Amazon Prime. This is apparently the first feature film from Equatorial Guinea and it is mostly light and fun – the story of a man who gives up his academic position to move to Equatorial Guinea, do research, and support an orphanage.

How else can you travel to Equatorial Guinea while staying at home? Musicians available include:

· Nelida Karr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQi_1qbe1yY

· Anfibio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPvBCNpBa8Q

Art includes:

· The annual body painting festival: https://www.egbodypaintingfestival.com/en/home-2/

· Drawings and the story of the artist behind them, Ramon Esono Ebale: https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2018/08/ramon-nse-esono-ebale-drawing-to-create-change-in-equatorial-guinea/

Recipes include:

· A variety of foods: http://globaltableadventure.com/category/countries/equatorial-guinea/

· Akwadu (baked bananas with coconut): https://www.196flavors.com/equatorial-guinea-akwadu-african-banana-coconut-bake/

Options for a great trip to Equatorial Guinea can be seen at https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-equatorial-guinea/ When the pandemic is over, you could plan travel to Equatorial Guinea using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Equatorial Guinea and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Adrien Sifre https://www.flickr.com/photos/adriensifre/50509637398/