I want to visit this country. Has anyone been here? What are the best things to do? Most delicious food to eat? Do the girls like white guys? Please post everything you know about traveling in the CAR.
>>2889780You have to be absolutely fucking retarded to go there
>>2889880Go on...
There’s nothing to do. You can walk around but you won’t see anything you couldn’t see in any other deeply impoverished African country. The police and government will steer you away from getting yourself killed (they will also shake you down for their effort) and you’ll eventually just get herded into a white westerner silo with diplomat, aid workers and NGO employees. Except as a random tourist those people will all reject you and you’ll just sit in your overpriced hotel waiting to leave.That’s if they even let you in which they almost certainly will not.Just go to Mozambique, Malawi or Uganda. All the squalor and destitution but some actual stuff to do and see. Plus they are actual real countries and not these failed borderless states that don’t even have a colonial heritage.Mozambique away from Ponto d’Ouro and Tofo is not a normie destination. Trust me.
>>2889923>Mozambique away from Ponto d’Ouro and Tofo is not a normie destination. Trust me.Well don't just leave us hanging in suspense, bro. Tell us moar.
>>2889780Hello I had a coworker from CAR he can sell you real diamonds if you are interested please contact me
>>2890310You can practice your Mozambique technique in the country for a fee.
>>2890310Ilha de Mocambique (and its surrounding environs) is one of about a half dozen places I’ve been that was truly astonishing and it’s the only one of them that had legitimately zero crowds and only a handful of other tourists.>basically the only “old city” you will find that is actually lived in and not touristified…complete with the coolest fort ruin you will find and untouched architecture. Free to explore at your leisure.>humpback whales breaching all over>impossibly clear water and abundant marine life>surrounding islands totally deserted & pristine with just the most unbelievable bounty of seashells and interesting things washed up on perfect white sand>dozens of shipwrecks you can dive/snorkel off a local dhow…zero other people there>you can literally watch as it happens Ming dynasty porcelain and china wash up on the beach in the current year from these shipwrecks>the people are genuinely nice and curious, yes some will want money but that’s like everywhereI could go on, it’s a fairy tale. But yeah it’s a royal pain in the ass to get too and ISIS is definitively operating not far away in the N of Mozambique.
>>2890397>it’s a royal pain in the ass to get toHow did you get there? Sounds cool as shit.
>>2890507You can fly into Nampula on Mozambiques awful national airline (about an 50% chance your flight goes) and then take a chapa for $4 or a taxi for $100 about 4-8 hours to the island. It isn’t going to be that simple, the roads in Mozambique are atrocious. Like I said, it’s not far from Cabo Delgado so you have to be careful, but once you’re on the island you’re good. The military has a big presence once you’re there and ISIS stay away.
>>2890606>about an 50% chance your flight goeslmao holy shit. How much is a ticket and if it doesn't go, can you fly on the next one without paying again? You sound like a fun and interesting kind of traveler in any case. I'd love to read more of your stories.
Why don't you just go to Madhya Pradesh instead? It's geographically like C.A.R. but in India.
>>2890873>we have the CAR at home
>>2889780Why would you go there when Based Chad is literally right next door?
>>2889780What happens here?
>>2889780CAR is one of the worst, most dysfunctional, and poorest countries in a region of really poor, dysfunctional, and horrible countries. I think only Burundi is more impoverished. There’s legitimately nothing interesting there that you couldn’t find in at the very least a stable country like Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania.
>>2891962Isn't that part of the fun though?
>>2892063Unless you think poverty sightseeing is fun no not really. You’re not going to get a safari or adventure here you couldn’t get in much more stable African country
>>2892111>Unless you think poverty sightseeing is fun
>Central African Republic General /carg/
>>2892222Holy shit, the general has been blessed.
>>2890397Your insider knowledge is great. Do you post about your travels anywhere?
>>2889780idk, go and find out
>>2893205Want to come with me?
>>2890397Legend, come back!
Geography Now guy went there once, interesting watch: https://youtu.be/h9yTwyWdbqM?si=QvdRqljjDOZq7YKt
>>2890397bro we need more of these posts. You totally sold me on a country I knew nothing about.
More countries should be named like this to help the geographically inept
>>2893759I don't think other people need to bear Americans in mind when naming their cunts.
>>2890397Second this >>2893758This is what makes this board worth browsing.
>>2890397Don't tell them this stuff retard. You're supposed to gatekeep Africa. Everybody should be encouraged to continue thinking the whole continent is a miserable violent shithole and avoid it.
>>2889780Thank God there's finally a general. I was tired of the CAR clutter.
>>2894569The shitty Mozambican infrastructure and severe travel advisories for Cabo Delgado gatekeep it pretty well.>>2890768Yeah they just put you on the next one. Just be ready to spend all day at your departure airport. LAM is a shitshow and by far the world's worst airline...but they will eventually get you to where you're going.
I want the complete Sahel experience.
>>2894569>gatekeep a shitholeLmao at these state tourism groups trying to promote these horrid countries
>>2897637It should remain a kino shithole. Nobody must ever feel incentivized to develop and gentrify Africa. It's all we have left.
>>2897775Its so horrid they have to shill it here
>>2897781>theyMeds.
>>2897804Who do you think is shilling it? No one from /trv/ has been to subsaharan Africa much less this particular groidfest
>>2897987I don't think anyone is shilling. I think this is a thread with people conversing.
>>2897990Organic conversation? On my /trv/?
Bump.
>>2901828Based necrobumper.
lol never expected to see a /car/ general in hereI've been to the Central African Republic many times over the years and have family there. Happy to do answer questions to the best of my ability (I live in Asia now, last I was there was 10 years ago but I still get news through my family).As for the OP's questions:> What are the best things to do? - Hanging out with gorillas near the Cameroon border. Excluding the travel costs, it's super cheap (compared to the prices in like Rwanda where it's a ripoff) and you can physically touch the gorillas, take pictures with them. - Seeing elephants herds getting their salt fix in the morning at one of the many salt marshes (national park next to Cameroon border has them too)- Hanging out with pygmies- Driving around the bush and just taking in the amazing diversity of ecosystems and landscapesThat being said, realistically these days a lot of the country is overrun with roadmen, guerillas and Wagner. Even if you can secure an armed escort, it can be hard to find someone who will rent you a car to go very far. Bangui is generally safe and has some nightlife. It's a fun place to explore for a couple weeks. From there you can drive one hour to Bouali to check out the waterfalls and some nature. These days I think that's probably all you could do.
>>2903758Btw you may be able to ride the buses but I REALLY would not recommend it. When you drive around the country, you see these buses collapsed on the side of the road all the fucking time. They will break down. When they do, depending on how far from the closest city you are, it can take DAYS to WEEKS for the bus to get fixed and ready to move again. During that time, you will be out sleeping in the bush by the bus along with all the other passengers. The CAR is much less practicable than the rest of Africa, especially when you venture outside of Bangui. I've traveled through much of the continent on buses, motorcycles and hitchhiking. None of this is possible in the CAR. The only ride you might get is with NGO workers and there are not many of those left these days. Do not think you'll be able to wing it because you've done it elsewhere in Africa. Ask people from Cameroon or Gabon about the CAR and they'll tell you it's an underdeveloped backwater and they will be right.
>>2903761> Most delicious food to eat?My favorite is chouia, it's marinated/spiced meat that's grilled bbq style. Usually made by muslims. They usually have stalls on the side of the road so it's like a nice travel snack when driving around. Good with chikwangue which is bread-like fermented cassava wrapped in a leaf.Other than that a lot of the food is just peanut butter sauce + greens (usually manioc leaves ngoundja) + some meat. There's some variety technically in the meat with exotic options (monkeys, pangolin, snakes) but most of that is bushmeat which means it really all just tastes like smoke (still good though!). Served with cassava or rice.There are also more adventurous insect based foods. Grilled termites during the season are nice to snack on, crunchy and nutty. As for drinks, I'd recommend palm wine (Kangoya). Best to look for it in the morning when they just get it out of the tree. If you walk around Bangui at dawn and see people queuing up most likely they are waiting for fresh palm wine. The stores usually only have one cup for all the customers so you have to be ok with that. Don't overdo it as it's known to give people the shits. Local moonshine is called Mbako, it's very strong and tastes like fuel. It can make you blind. I would not recommend it.
>>2903766The local beer (Mocaf) used to be okay but I hear Wagner has attacked the factory and is trying to replace it with their moonshine/vodka business instead. I hear the Wagner-made liquor has made MANY people blind, so I would stay clear of it. Bangui also has a few nice cafes and bakeries. The ones that are remnants of the colonial era (Grand Cafe) will have some French pastries (at least they used to). There are other bakeries that are ran by Lebs and they have Middle Eastern type pastries.
>>2903769>Do the girls like white guys?Yes, in general the girls are not very conservative when it comes to sex with anyone. Although they often like to pretend otherwise. But keep in mind the CAR has one of the highest HIV infection rate in Africa. Even mixed/middle-eastern/good family backround girls might have it. Even if she's Muslim and says she's a virgin, wrap it up. > Please post everything you know about traveling in the CAR.Happy to take more questions. Like I said I don't think it's a very good idea to travel to the CAR these days. Especially if you've never been to Africa before, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania or Mozambique are all much safer (and more enjoyable) places to travel to.
>>2903772I'd like to hear about the other countries. Which do you recommend for a first time Africa visit?And where should I go if my primary objective is to see gorillas?
>>2903794For gorillas, Rwanda is much more accessible. It's very safe, lots of English speakers, good infrastructure (by African standards). It is, however, quite pricey (over $1k for the permit only). Rwanda also has safaris and lots of great hiking trails if you're into that. If you're not I'm afraid your options will be a bit more limited. It's a small country, and Kigali is quite boring. No nightlife when I was there, and I don't think that's changed. It just didn't seem to be the vibe. The good part of the country being small (and having decent roads) is that you can be everywhere quite fast, elsewhere in Africa you might need a couple of days or more to move between major spots. Your next best option is Uganda, Kampala is fun and Ugandas know how to party. Lots of weed too. I haven't done the gorilla tours there but I know they are much cheaper than Rwanda. Uganda has more diverse landscapes, much wider parks, there's just overall much more to see and do.Outside of gorillas, my rec for a first time Africa visit would probably be Tanzania and Mozambique. Ilha de Mozambique was just magical when I was there. It might be a bit more touristic/accessible now, but I doubt the vibe would change much. Zanzibar is a unique experience and you can find ancient Kilwa ruins all along the coast.You can start in Northern Tanzania and go down to Mozambique along the coast. I saw more wildlife just popping up randomly along that road than I did in the national park safaris
>>2889923Africa was an amazing experience for me as light skinned mix but honestly if people didn't assume I was african it would've been a shitty experienceIn africa everybody's tribalisticIf you're different race they judge you based on your raceI you're the same race but different country they will judge based on your tribeIf they don't know your african tribe they will be normalIf they like your african tribe they will act normalWhites are whites except russian get sp3cial love especially in countries where ussr fought and while they don't get labeled as racist colonizers they do get the attention and people assuming they're rich for be8ng whiteBlack americans are still americans, they don't get the racial hostility but they are assumed to be rich and foreignersBut they're hated in countries where people know about liberia, you onow, the african country that was colonized by african americans right after the civil war ended so if you're around that region don't be surprised if people view you as a colonialistIf you speak english or french like a non african they will assume that you're a rich foreigner even if you're actually black african, speaking pidgin is basically the equivalent of speaking the local language
>>2903798Thank you anon
>>2903798I cant imagine why anyone would go to Africa unless they were super rich and had a staff to take care of every detail and shield them from everyday Africans. At least in America its everyone's goal in life, including blacks, to move as far away as possible from blacks. What's the appeal?
>>2903910They got great nature, great wildlife and the actual african nigger is as dumb but way more calm and less likely to chimp out than your average american great pavement ape.
>>2903910I was born there and from a mixed family so maybe it's different. I enjoy travelling in Africa very much. If you don't mind roughing it out a bit, it's very fun.Having lived in the US for a couple of years I can tell you there is a world of difference between African Americans and Africans. Most of the recent African migrants I knew in the US avoided socializing with African Americans, very much for the same reasons as everybody else. Also, by a very strange coincidence, I found some pictures from the CAR from 20 years ago (2006!) on an old hard drive earlier today. Will share some here to keep the thread alive. First one is a savannah landscape with a typical red/ochre laterite road. There's maybe like 50 miles of paved roads going out of Bangui, everything other roads looks like that and becomes impracticable during the rainy season. Used to be roads would just be unusable for years until some NGO gave money to fix it. Now the Chinese (and now Russians) are maintaining some of them. There's been plans of a paved highway going to Douala in Cameroon for like 50 years. This would give the landlocked country access to a harbor and greatly improve logistics. Many millions of dollars of foreign aid and development went to the project but not a single mile was ever built.
>>2903956This is what I mean by "roughing it out a bit" btw. Room in trucker hotel on the road to a diamond town. Everybody uses those old oil lamps because there's no electricity. Got a nice far west feel to it.
>>2903957This guy was selling animals he just killed in the bush for meat. Had no idea pangolins were a protected and super endangered species when I took the picture.
>>2903958This is a pygmy woman who helped us hack at a tree trunk that was blocking the road. she was holding her kid with one hand and her machete with the other. insane machete skills. if you zoom in on her mouth, you'll see that she's got sharpened teeth which is very common for pygmies. i think they file your teeth like that as a rite of passage into adulthood.
>>2903959Some elephants chilling by a salt marsh. Only a handful one the morning I took that pic, but if you're lucky you can catch the whole herd of ~100 animals
>>2903960This is the marinated BBQ meat (goat here) I was talking about. The cassava breads are wrapped up in the leaves. Sprint is the local cigarette brand, you could get a cart of 10 for like $1. May not be around anymore as Wagner replaced all the profitable businesses with their own.
>>2903961I thought wagner was killed by putin? Also keep the thread going like that india anon who used to make threads about his travels in india. Used to post daily.
>>2889780>Central African Republic Generalnot even the occasional east africa general survives, which is much more easy to travel to...anyway>Has anyone been here?been to Bangui oncepretty standard, run of the mill smaller central / west / east African citydrove starting from Douala to Bangui, took about 3 days mostly paved, but some parts on the CAR RN1 corridor were (and likely are) still spotty, dry seasonactual destination was Dzanga-Sangha NP but had to some government stuff firstthis was for my work thoughhonestly I don't know why you would travel there, much less without the (expensive) infrastructure my government provides for when I travelDzanga-Sangha is insanely cool, but you get almost the same experience in ROC with much better tourist infrastructureor Gabon / CameroonDRC is a mixed bagbut CAR has barely any redeeming features>Do the girls like white guys?just go to Kampala or Nairobi
>>2903794>And where should I go if my primary objective is to see gorillas?lowland or highland?Uganda is the best for highland (landscape, value and actual gorilla families)but Rwanda (more expensive, boring) and DRC (m23 "occupation") do have them as wellbest for Lowland (eastern or western) is ROC or Gabon, but DRC, CAR or Cameroon have them as wellDRC has objectively the coolest landscape, but again, really difficult to get to (unless you travel on someone else's, aka government money)>>2903798>over $1k for the permit only1,5k precisely, $800 in Uganda, $400 in DRC>rec for a first time Africa visit would probably be Tanzania and MozambiqueUganda is typically best if you want to see animals / nature and have a limited budget, you will see the most diverse stuff on a relatively compact circuitgo in rainy season (climate change fucked up the rain patterns anyway) to save more if you don't mind getting a bit wetpersonally I even prefer everything being green and lush
>>2903956>>2903957>>2903958>>2903959>>2903960>>2903961Thanks for sharing, these are great pictures
>>2903985This basically confirms what I thought, the Uganda is the ideal choice for a first time Africa visit.I've wanted to see gorillas there ever since I saw Karl Pilkington hiking to see them in An Idiot Abroad
>>2903961>1. May not be around anymore as Wagner replaced all the profitable businesses with their own.Thank G_d for the Russians, the last example of masculine white men out their colonizing the primitives
>>2903976Prigo's son still runs the group from the CAR.They took over multiple mines (gold, diamond) as well as businesses. They kill the incumbent/competitors in whatever line of business they get into. They're also running drugs there.https://theins.press/en/news/294783picture from small village somewhere near Bayanga, close to the Cameroon border. The women are carrying bits of cassava roots (staple food).
>>2904109Same village, the kids really wanted to get their picture taken.
>>2904113These two guys were really proud of their jerseys and asked for a picture of just the two of them together
>>2904109>as reported by the wsjAssume thats fake news, the wsj is a front for the CIA, they only print "news" if there is an agenda
>>2904118lol def not fake news, Wagner/Russians are everywhere in the CAR it's really hard to miss. They set up a statue of Prigozhin (father) in Bangui a couple years ago after his plane "accident". I haven't confirmed the part about opiates first hand but it hardly surprises me. My uncle had a brief stint trying to run a diamond mine before the civil war. An important part of the job was securing weed, moonshine and solvents in the middle of nowhere so the workers could get high. They need to be, just so they can keep working with half their body in freezing cold running water and the other half burning under the sun for the whole day. Bangui also has a large contingent of drugged out street kids ("godobes"). Used to be mostly huffing solvents, but I doubt they'd mind opiates.
>>2904125The article is definitely fake news, they dont write an article like that just to inform the plebs. Im sure some information in it is true but read it again they are pushing an agendaLike this snippet>According to researchers, the drug is taken by ....., by participants in pro-Russian rallies to suppress hunger and fatigue, and
>>2904109there's a british series starring fassbender about a cia rogue agent leading a mercenary unit out of the car, it seems like they were very accurate, it also seems like the car being ungovernable is the single most important reason why there's no road or rail link btn east africa and west africa, south sudan too
>>2904060>Uganda is the ideal choice for a first time Africa visit.for sub Sahara Africa, yesbest balance of spectacular diverse nature, safety, infrastructure and affordabilitymy favorite was Lake Mburo because there are (almost) no predators and you can walk around on foot (with a guide)we asked to sit down for like 2h in between Giraffes, water buffalo, impalas, bushbuck etc. and a bunch of birds around, probably was my favorite experience in Uganda (well most of my travel is work, which is easy to beat kek)>wanted to see gorillastry to visit the nearby golden monkeys as wellideally the longer habituationthey are much more playful and the hike up is super cool as well>>2903976not sure if they are still called wagnerbut I largely had the same impression as >>2904109 they never leftthe government is also close to Russiawhich really deteriorated other relationshipsfunnily enough I'm a kraut and speak a little Russian, which somehow made every contact (i.e. checkpoints) so far kinda pleasant evenbut a British colleague (who I travel with regularly) was treated VERY differentlyresearchers are (theoretically) off limits for them, but still
>>2904135>why there's no road or rail link btn east africa and west africaeh, more like corruption and difficult conditionseven the Chinese builders, staffed fully Chinese, paid from China, got greedy or stopped by locals at one point (see Kenya's half finished road disasters)often the local governments are vehemently against some projects and support "riots" by localsleading to right-of-way disputesor the underlying funding cracks and suddenly you have 2 bridges in the middle of no where but no money to build the actual roadalso it's just extremely hard to build large infrastructure in central africaand this is just purely because of the location / weather / climate, the political situation doesn't help, but isn't the only reason, because>gotta import everything>through very long, shitty freight corridors>with no domestic industry to support it>largely lateritic soils and clay, absolutely shit to build on anything permanent>no aggregate aka hard stone for construction, again very expensive to ship>high rainfall Intensity and hydraulic pressureit's possible, but you need high traffic toll roads to finance thisnot just for building but also the expensive on going maintenance (drainage and quickly encroaching vegetation)that kind of money just doesn't exist there
>>2904125>>2904115>>2904113>>2904109>>2903961>>2903960>>2903959Thanks for posting these. It's cool seeing some actual travel here instead of people endlessly talking about just being drunk in Thailand or Japan or some other bland ass place.>>2903957This picture, oddly, makes me want to visit there more than anything. Everything everywhere in third world countries just feels like some plastic wannabe larp of first world countries and there's no soul. Wooden shacks with oil lamps are a true adventure.
>>2904144>This picture, oddly, makes me want to visit there more than anything>Wooden shacks with oil lamps are a true adventure.until you get TBRF from soft ticks in the mattress also there's a reason why latrines are the first thing every country developing replaces, they transmit like every disease imaginablei don't want to discourage you from goingbecause it IS a true adventure!And I loved every trip I did there in the past decadejust would advice you to avoid rural hotels and sleep in your own bed, i.e. (rooftop) tent or, if you can afford it, offroad camperhaving control of your own sanitation and sleeping place takes away like >90% of the riskI know this likely takes away form the "adventure" feeling, but 40°C + fever in the middle of nowhere really sucks (your immune system isn't trained like the locals, so you WILL get hit way harder)
>>2903983>just go to Kampala or NairobiWhat happens there?
>>2904143> it's possible, but you need high traffic toll roads to finance thisyes this is something people often overlooked when talking about underdevelopment in Africa. Have you read Studwell's "How Africa Works" by any chance? He builds on an earlier thesis by Herbst that Africa just never had the demographic density that would allow for economic development. There aren't enough people for large states to sustainably form, to finance large scale infrastructure or to build strong markets. So you end up with pockets of decrepit modernity, tribalism and poor state capacity in defense, taxation, public service. Africa definitely has other problems, but this particular factor of demographic scale somehow doesn't get much attention. Picture: A beauty salon in Bangui named "Areva" after the French nuclear firm. Areva bought mining rights to a Uranium mine in the CAR in the 2000s and people were very hopeful that this would bring prosperity to the CAR. Areva made promises to build a paved highway from Doala in Cameroon all the way to the mine in Bakouma further East from Bangui. In the end, the mine was a dud. The uranium ore there was too expensive to process profitably. Turns out everybody had known that for decades, but Areva bought the rights from a South African company anyways as a way to bribe the South African president. They closed shop after a few years and all the promised infrastructure and jobs never materialized.I visited the mine while it was still up, it was a fun experience in an absurdly post-colonial way. I will check if I can still find the pictures somewhere. I can't remember if I was allowed to take pictures within the compound but I would still have pics of the surrounding region.
>>2904402Africa isn't underdeveloped. Its what you would expect of a continent of retards. >hurr durr Africans are just like Koreans Thats his thesis
>>2904256>just go to Kampala or Nairobi>What happens there?just generally better nightlifeactually kinda the only "acceptable" one in probably all of Africabecause otherwise you either don't have much nightlife to speak of or you have to plan around your (physical) safetyin Kampala you go somewhere around Makerere University for pre party, then Kabalagala for budget and if you're young or Kololo for best bars / nightlifein Nairobi thika road for more student oriented (many universities nearby) or more general Westlands / Parklandssomewhere like Bangui, you might be the only white guy you see all nightand again, way less women go outso it's just a lot easier in Nairobi / Kampala>>2904402>Have you read "How Africa Works"yes. and also "States and Power in Africa" & "African Economies and the Politics of Permanent Crisis"personally I think the climate / geography is the underlying issue of it all, from which the low density, low integration and so on followsI (indirectly) work for the German Government specifically helping research mission / stations and managing foreign aid with focus on central and eastern Africaand just how I have to travel is basically the whole storywe carry like half a pharmacy and travel in a ridiculous 500k€ vehicle just to reliably go places>visited the mine while it was still upoh that sounds really coolcan you still visit it?I only ever visited one of the (now) russian run gold mines there a few years ago
>>2904414What is the status of the French mines since the French were kicked out? I heard the president is trying to get some Americans (family relatives maybe) to open them back up with American/IMF financial backing.
>>2904414I don't know if you can still visit. Back then the mine was still running so there was a bit of security and you couldn't just walk in. I don't know what's going on these days though, I would assume it's fenced but maybe not super secured? It wasn't a very impressive mine because they hadn't started full on exploitation they were just mostly sampling drill cores. Back then we just drove from Bakouma to the mine, asked to talk to the engineer in charge and he scheduled a visit for us. I got the sense that he didn't have a lot to do so was happy to show us around. Told us it was just him + another guy from Algeria who was on leave at the time. They were flown in for a few months then had equivalent time off. They had a cook for the compound which was pretty impressive. Having fresh made "eclairs au chocolat" in the bush off of Bakouma wasn't something I expected but I guess the French take employee welfare very seriously lol. Rest of the employees seemed to be local workers, either working the machines or doing security.Afaik Areva (or their new entity Orano) never sold the rights so they must still own the site. The area was hit hard during the civil war and villages would get raided often by the Lord's Resistance Army (remember Kony 2012 lol), so the mine was deserted then. I don't know what the present status is. The engineer there told us the ore was low quality and said it would be hard to exploit. This seems to have been known for a long time (South Africans had owned the site prior but never exploited it, and the French before knew about it as well).Picture is one of the last houses in Bakouma on the way to the mine. Sorry for low resolution/quality, couldn't find the original pics. Only have some that I uploaded online back then (must have been around 2010). Don't have pics of the mine itself but it was unimpressive.
>>2904635I'm not aware of any plans to sell Bakouma, and unless there's some tech breakthrough that makes it profitable to mine, it doesn't seem like it would be exploitable profitably. I don't really know of other "French mines" besides that one. Gold and diamond mines are mostly local-owned and artisanal operations. You've got some Israelis and South Africans doing business here and there, either as individuals or as part of a some larger mining corp. But a lot of these mines were seized by Wagner. Or Wagner had the government award them exploitation rights. The president is very dependent on Wagner so I doubt he'd fuck them over unless the Americans are willing to commit both money and troops. Maybe for some other minerals.Wagner has two entities, Midas group for gold and Diamville for diamonds. Both took over some of the most profitable mining ops in the country.Picture is Bakouma kids who captured a monkey and sold it to us for dinner.
>>2904407You don't need a lot of human capital to achieve middle development. Technology transfers are much more important. There's plenty of literature too developed nations only had a tiny group of high human capital people driving much of the later development. Such a group you could source in most African countries from either the upper tail of the IQ distribution locally or through the now sizeable Asian, colored, white, Asian, middle-eastern diasporic groups that are present in each country (provided you could get them to stay there). So I don't think that's a good explanation. The relationship to IQ is also likely to be bi-directional (Flynn effect). Picture is a guy getting his mustache touched up at the barber in central Bakouma
>>2904650>You don't need a lot of human capital to achieve middle developmentYou cant do it with retards, 95% of subsaharans are retards and the rest are dullards it will always be a backward shithole only good for extractive industry
>>2904650ignore the retard, keep posting pictures
>>2904899no worries, still have a few more to postthis is the Mbomou river near Bangassou. On the other side of the river is the DRC. People try to avoid crossing the river unless they have to as they feel there is only "trouble" to be had on the other side. The area has a lot of DRC refugees from the Congo Wars. The cooking lady at the place where we were staying was one and had terrible stories to tell.Bangassou is a small town today but it used to be the capital of the Bangassou sultanate. One of four major sultanates in the Eastern part of the CAR. Rafai and Zemio were further East and Dar al Kuti up in the North near the present day border with Chad and South Sudan. They were technically muslim states, but traditional polytheism and witchcraft still dominated, except for Dar al Kuti that was more of a proper Sharia-type sultanate. The Bangassou sultans collaborated with the French, but at some point the French fucked them over, killed the sultan and took over (I forget the exact story, but in the version I heard, the French used some dishonorable/treacherous trick to kill the sultan).Bangassou is mostly Christian now, with a Cathedral. But people still believe in old sort of wild shit. There had been a car accident shortly before we arrived and everybody in the town had an opinion on who had cursed the driver, because, of course, there are no accidental deaths only witchcraft.
>>2904971While we're on the topic of religion, this is the Saint Joan of Arc Cathedral in Mbaiki, about 100km west of Bangui. If you zoom in you can see the statue of Joan of Arc near the entrance in surprisingly good condition. During the most last civil war, which was between Muslims (but really Muslims from the Northern regions) and Christians, cathedrals often offered shelter for local Muslim civilians. Bangassou which I mentioned in the previous post had a small Muslim community that was getting massacred. The survivors hid in the cathedral there for months.
>>2904976One thing I've noticed while looking at your pictures and other pictures around Africa is there doesn't seem to be much litter. Are Africans generally pretty good about cleanliness? I fucking hate how Southeast Asians and Indians just throw garbage on the ground and have no concept of object permanence. It looks like Africans care a bit more about their environment.
>>2905101>It looks like Africans care a bit more about their environment.Bwah ha ha ha haaaah aaaah ha
>>2905130It's hard to be filthier than India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
>>2905141Not hard at all, Africans are so retarded most cant afford to buy things made from plastic >The Central African Republic had a nominal GDP per capita of approximately $531 to $579, consistently ranking among the lowest globally (often 188th). In contrast, the Philippines recorded a nominal GDP per capita between $4,066 and $4,321.
>>2905275What this tells me is that we need to make filipinos so poor that they can't pollute.
>>2905101Ah so funny anecdote about that, when I visited Mbaiki we were staying at this lodge (pic related) that had just received a large group of Chinese tourists. Likely people employed in construction or mining. Anyways the lodge workers (all African) kept on complaining about how much the Chinese were littering. We did indeed find quite a few Chinese plastic wrappers while walking around or swimming in the river that looked like they had been thrown away recently.The workers there may have been a bit more eco-conscious, of course, since their business relied on the area remaining pristine and the elephants not getting killed for ivory. Otherwise I don't think most people outside of the major urban areas have a good sense of what ecology or environmental protection entails. But people do like to keep their house (even the ones who live in mud huts) and its surroundings clean. The wife and/or the kids will be sweeping the house and surroundings twice a day. Garbage is collected in a pile and burnt on the daily.Maybe it's more of an upper class thing due to my family background and the people I've interacted with, but I know a lot of African cleaning freaks, much more than in the West or even East Asia. Middle and upper class houses are very often spotless and people are super anal about handwashing.
>>2905307Now that doesn't mean that towns are litter-free either. This is a picture of downtown Bimbo, on the outskirts of Bangui and it's not exactly spotless. As >>2905275 said, there is just not that much plastic/wrapped products to litter with in the first place. Food will be wrapped in banana leaves. Good quality plastic bags are kept to be reused. Ripped plastic bags are cut to reuse as small wrappers. So a lot of the litter is going to be organic, a portion of which will be eaten by chicken, dogs or goat.
>>2905311And this is downtown Mambele, in the East close to the Cameroonian border. Not spotless, but not Manilla, New Delhi or Bangkok either.Though even in other countries that have higher standards of living and easier access to plastic products (Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria...), urban areas do not have a littering problem on the same scale as South/South East Asia. Population density is a factor, but as I've said there is also a fairly strong cultural attention to cleanliness and tidiness. And there is a lot of free or cheap labor (kids do a LOT of chores and cleaning from an early age on) to keep places clean.
>>2905314Picture of a residential area near Mbaiki. Definitely shabby but not filthy.I guess cleanliness is also partly cultural. People in the CAR might be pretty good at picking up and burning their garbage or be very careful about hand washing, but they do other things that are definitely not very hygienic without flinching.In some parts of the country, it's a customary greeting to spit in someone's hand and blow in their ears (although recently the spitting has become more performative and younger people just make the sound instead of actually spitting). Or roadside stalls will often have a single cup sitting in the sun for all customers (but hey UV rays are a good disinfectant so maybe it's fine). Or if you order really fresh palm wine, it's served with a little sieve so that you can collect and discard the dead insects as you pour it into your cup.On the other hand, Japan has a reputation for being clean but people never wash their hands after coming out of the toilet or before eating (at best they'll use those tiny wipes).
>>2905316>that candy cane watering canCute
>>2905314>>2905314Not sure where you get this idea that Africa is clean because you can Google any of the places you mentioned and the local media says that they are filthy and full of litter. Fact is that every country in the world is like this except Japan, northwest Europe and the anglosphere https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/21774/harare-vendors-blamed-for-rising-litter#
>>2894569ah yes gatekeep from the 100 typically anti-social autists that browse mongolian underwater basketweaving forum at any given time, 95% of which won't actually follow the advice so you're gatekeeping from maybe five people, likely less
>>2905517That's how it starts.
>>2905489Interesting. When I last visited Zimbabwe (~15 years ago), the cities were quite clean. The better parts of Bulawayo reminded me of American suburbia. But looking it up now it seems to have had an increasing problem with litter in recent years: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/comment-bulawayos-litter-crisis-a-mirror-of-fading-civic-pride-and-financial-illiteracy/Anyways, my point wasn't that African cities are litter-free, just they're not nearly as bad as what I've seen in India, Bangladesh or the Philippines. The inside of individual houses are also much cleaner in Africa.Picture is one of the main streets in downtown Bangui
>>2905101>is there doesn't seem to be much litter. Are Africans generally pretty good about cleanliness?uh not really, but sometimesmainly it's just that there isn't much to litter with...like most of the things have some kind of recycling value (e.g. plastic bottles), with very low wages there's always someone who collect what you throw away toin many places there are people acting as garbage collection, that go through the villages and resell the "garbage"also in smaller villages, land usually belongs to someoneand people tend to keep things clean by themselvesin cities you'll find more spots, either owned by the city or abandoned, which are littered badly
>>2905307>people are super anal about handwashingbecause otherwise you get sick quicklythe more money you have (in Africa) the more health conscious you getonce you're accustomed to "western" health standards, you don't want to accept the common sicknesses>>2905311>So a lot of the litter is going to be organic, a portion of which will be eaten by chicken, dogs or goat.or burned for cooking fire>>2905314>NigeriaLagos has awfully littered placesand some clean placesreally depends on how much the government cares about that specific area kekbut yeah it's generally better than South (East) Asia
>>2905551Is that a white guy on the left
>>2905578hm possibly, or mixed. lots of middle-eastern folks in bangui, greeks and israelies too. and then mixed folks from old colonial families. picture is the boali waterfalls, close to bangui
>>2905560ah yeah i have quite a few horror stories there (malaria, typhoid salmonella, worms and just explosive diarrhea that lasts for weeks on). i was young and not very careful though. if you're in a place where you can find antibiotics or get basic care, it's not that bad. but if you're stuck in the bush for weeks it can be very harsh. also the CAR had (i doubt this has improved since) almost zero medical supplies/medicine available outside of a few NGO compounds. even in Bangui, you might have to go to the large market at Kilometre 5 to find medicine, and you can never be sure that what you're buying there is not fake/expired/poison (which it most often is).when travelling, make sure to pack your own antibiotics (ask a doctor to write you a prescription before you go), probiotics, and have all your vaccines up to date (even the "optional" ones like rabies)more pics from boali
>>2905940>also the CAR had (i doubt this has improved since) almost zero medical supplies/medicine available outside of a few NGO compoundsnot sure when you were the last time there, but the larger cities outside Bangui like Berbérati have reasonably well stocked pharmacies nowadaysand for a couple hundred Euro you can always get courier to fly in whatever is needed from Douala / Yaoundé to the nearest airstripoften takes half a day thoughadmittedly I have a contact for this and use established infrastructure / processesmore specialized stuff has to come from Addis Ababa thoughand general advice (by my org) is to fly out immediately when seriously sick anyway>even the "optional" ones like rabiesi think only tourists that stay in Safari resorts skip the rabies vaccinesnever met a european working there who didn't have the 3 (by newer standards 2) pre exposition shotsthough some tourists really baffle me with their lacking vaccine coveragelike generally no Hep A/B or Meningococcal ACWY, sometimes not even yellow fever
>>2906211> not sure when you were the last time there, but the larger cities outside Bangui like Berbérati have reasonably well stocked pharmacies nowadaysoh that's very good to hear. i haven't been back for ~10 years now. last time i visited was shortly after Bozize got kicked out. > admittedly I have a contact for this and use established infrastructure / processeshaha yeah, at a couple hundred euros I would definitely be able to afford it but the idea of using a courier to fly in medicine would never have crossed my mind. just sounds very outlandish. if you get sick out in the bush, you just tough it out or hope there's a missionary around with a first aid kit. > and general advice (by my org) is to fly out immediately when seriously sick anywayyes i think this i would do if i was really close to dying. but so many of these bush pilots in the CAR are alcoholics (i think they end up there after losing their license elsewhere because of the booze), i really prefer to avoid flying.Picture is some kid looking dapper in front of his house in Bambari
>>2906389Friend of mine with his baby chimp.At some point there were a few bars in Bangui that had pet chimps. I don't think it was really a trend, but it was a nice attraction and brought in customers I guess.My uncle also raised a female chimp for many years. She'd greet guests, take baths, steal and smoke a ciggie every now and then. Unfortunately she was taken by DRC soldiers during one of Bozize's first coups and eaten.
>>2906395:(
>>2906389>haven't been back for ~10 years now.things got much better in a lot of central african places in this time frameespecially logistics>just sounds very outlandishi mean it isyou're spending a years worth of income of someone local just to get a specific medicine or even more trivial thingsthat's just the cost of getting Europeans to work thereincredibly enough though the research or foreign aid money is still usually spend very effectively in the grand scheme>but so many of these bush pilots in the CAR are alcoholicsi didn't even know they existed kekwe usually have pilots from Cameroon or RoC and if not available / feasible someone flies in from Uganda or Rwanda (like all DRC flights are handled starting from Rwanda / Uganda)>>2906395>My uncle also raised a female chimp for many years. She'd greet guests, take baths, steal and smoke a ciggie every now and then.had a chimp literally hit me out of nowhere a few years agonow I'm a little scared of them
>>2906211>though some tourists really baffle me with their lacking vaccine coverage>like generally no Hep A/B or Meningococcal ACWY, sometimes not even yellow feverThe way insurance works in the US, you get free vaccines if you are poor, if you have a job they cost $400 each, if you are an NGO commie parasite they are free
>>2906650>if you have a job they cost $400 eachbullshitas if5min doctor + like ~10-50€/$ for the shot itselfeven if your doctor makes a ridiculous $1000/h, paying 400 total would be peak paypig there are some shots that are more expensivelike Japanese encephalitis usually is like ~100€/$ if you buy it outside Asiaand rabies also can be around that (and you need 2 or 3)when I worked in the US for half a year on a projectmy (private) employer health insurance covered like all travel vaccines with copay-onlyand I got injection typhoid during that time which was like ~$40 flat
>>2906661>5min doctori just remembered you don't even need a doctor in the USmy typhoid shot was directly in a pharmacyso you don't even have to pay a doctoralso it isn't just US touristsoften have people from my country (krauts) that are missing basics like Hep A/B when traveling outside the main tourist routes, so a really high chance of getting itand I know for a fact all travel vaccines here are paid by most health insurance fully, like 0€, they only would have to make an appointment...
>>2906663>Hurrdurr yuros get vaccinated free>Pays 55% tax rates
>>2906663Yurotards >Travel vaccines in the US cost between $40 and $400 per dose out-of-pocket, depending on the specific vaccine and provider.Average Prices by VaccineYellow Fever: $250 – $295Typhoid (Shot or Oral): $140 – $245Hepatitis A: $110 – $135Hepatitis B: $90 – $185Cholera (Vaxchora): $365 – $395Additional FeesConsultation Fees: Travel health consultations typically cost an extra $25 to $90.Administration Fees: Many clinics or pharmacies charge an extra fee per shot.Insurance Coverage: Most standard health insurance plans in the US consider travel vaccines elective and do not cover them
>>2906670>yuros get vaccinated freebutthurt muttno where does it say freeit's 0€ out of pocket, which is why it's so baffling why people don't have themmy health insurance premiums are ~1000€/month total (which is the maximum)and unless you live in a low tax US state, your taxes will be pretty much the same retard>>2906672so it's not $400...and you don't need a consultation (unless it's mandatory, idk)you can literally just look at the maps the big medical research institutions like RKI in Germany or CDC in the US publish yourself (travel advisor doctors will do exactly the same)>Most standard health insurance plansmost people don't travel to rural central africajust get a better plani know for a fact that flat copay plans (without deductible or coinsurance) exist, because I literally had one
>>2906642>i didn't even know they existed kek>we usually have pilots from Cameroon or RoC and if not available / feasible someone flies in from Uganda or Rwanda (like all DRC flights are handled starting from Rwanda / Uganda)ha yeah that sounds much more professional and safer. Bangui has this local airstrip not too far off the actual airport. The pilots there will take you anywhere they can land in the CAR or DRC. motley crew of nationalities, lots of Russians though even before Wagner. the "airport" has a decent bar and I went a few times to hang out with the pilots. and by hang out I mean getting vodka shots at 10am with a line up of pilots who are all already piss drunk while waiting to take off later during the day. they all had the craziest stories of flying around diamond traffickers, poachers, deposed presidents/politicians, lybian mercenaries, and all sorts of shady characters. if you're looking for a wild west type of adventure with a high likelihood of death (from getting shot, brutally murdered, a plane crash, eaten by wildlife or a combination thereof) i would highly recommend talking to those guys.Picture is the "Los Angeles coffee shop", definitely not in Los Angeles. Tagline reads "those who criticize me advertise for me". I can't remember where this was specifically but having breakfast with condensed milk with bread and fresh fruits in one of these shops while on the road is always great.
>>2906642>things got much better in a lot of central african places in this time frame>especially logisticsthat's good to hear. feels like the only companies with good logistics back then were coca-cola and pernod-ricard. > incredibly enough though the research or foreign aid money is still usually spend very effectively in the grand schememost of the locals love hating on the NGOs but i always wondered if it wasn't some black tax type of thinking. the reason is always "they don't give us shit when we ask" but when you dig, it's because they once randomly showed up at the World Food Program compound's door, asked for food and weren't given any, then they rage that "they're not doing their job".meanwhile a local politician will hold a rally 2 days before the election, hand out free food, and people will remember him for years as the guy who fed them when they were hungry (doesn't matter if he doesn't give out anything else until the next election). it's like they're salty that the NGOs have stuff but don't immediately give it all away unconditionally. the idea that they're could be a plan and a schedule to the giveaways is unacceptable. just like if you get into some money, you can't tell your family you'll give them a small stipend to help them out every month, they'll just want a share right now. Blurry picture of a guy with a Saddam Hussein shirt. People loved Saddam, Bin Laden and Gaddafi in the early aughts. Then when Obama got elected everybody started wearing "Yes we can" batik shirts and dresses with stars and stripes patterns. ngl they all actually looked pretty good and I regret not buying some to keep.
>>2906835Speaking of NGOs, my friend used to date this Japanese woman that was the head of UNICEF for the country. She once got some order from higher up to go deliver supplies in Birao, a town up North. This was mid-aughts when you had all sorts of rebels, local or from Chad/Darfur, attacking the town, so the situation there was pretty dire. She refused to go or send anyone saying it was too dangerous. My friend thought it was absolutely ridiculous that she wouldn't do anything. But I remember thinking hm maybe it's just the responsible thing to do so her underlings don't get killed. It's true that she was a very cautious and scared woman though. We took her clubbing once and she refused to go without taking her gun. She also admitted she was scared of black people. I guess Japanese people are kinda timorous. Her assignment was for a couple of years, she rarely left the compound and then she was sent off somewhere else. Maybe it's like diplomacy where people take on these assignments in dangerous areas because it gives you an early career boost. So they get the assignment, do absolutely nothing for a couple years, and then get promoted to somewhere better.Picture is a random slot machine outside a bar somewhere near Sibut iirc. I don't think it actually worked
>>2906688>so it's not $400...Yeah it's up to $600 for each shot
>>2906688Yurotrash doesn't realize health insurance is tied to your job you can't just 'get a different plan' and getting a rabies vaccine or yellow fever is not covered because it's elective
>>2889880where do you think you are?
>>2903957how do you sleep there without aircon?>>2903798you dont recommend Kenya for first time africa visitor?
>>2906872I don't really like aircon and I wonder how people manage to sleep with it.That being said nights are cooler so it's not that bad (say compared to Asia where it's also hot at night, it never felt that bad in the CAR)Pictures are crocodiles that some guy keeps as pets on the road between Bangui and Boali. You can buy chickens from him to feed the crocs.
>>2906832>the "airport" has a decent bar and I went a few times to hang out with the pilotsoh that sounds awesomeI'll definitely check this out when I'm back to CARdon't speak (a lot of) sango though, only french, which sometimes can be an issue in there>>2906835>most of the locals love hating on the NGOswhich objectively (most of the time) is stupid>but i always wondered if it wasn't some black tax type of thinking. the reason is always "they don't give us shit when we ask"might be part of the issuesome genuinely bad cases exist thoughin the past, some NGOs crashed local markets because they flooded in imported goods that were also sold by localstextiles is the best example for thisgot so bad that many governments (mostly east africa) banned import of used clothing because local tailors and manufacturers expectedly couldn't compete with free>meanwhile a local politician will hold a rally 2 days before the election, hand out free foodor just moneyKenya and Uganda still have not properly outlawed literally giving mobile money to rally attendees (basically paying for votes)and it happens every electionsome also dislike that the NGOs often send westerns for the well paying jobsusually that's for very practical and rational reasons but hard to explain to outsidersstill a bad imageand of course propagandaNGOs are often used as scapegoats by populist politicians, companies or mercenaries for anything bad (they often themselves caused)not even subtle, just straight up liesbut no one does anything against itand spending donation money for good publicity instead of actual help isn't really viable
>>2907342>and of course propaganda>NGOs are often used as scapegoatsDRC is the worst in this regardgot caught up myself in it because we had a job related to some german researchers in a rural hospital in maniema>local gov fucks up road maintenance, completely destroyed after a heavy rain>deliveries to a médecins sans frontières managed hospital severely limited>local gov blames hospital + other NGO because "they use the road too much">spreads as news>people start stopping trucks they think are from said NGOs and occasional raids happen (which is incredible rare otherwise)>have to hire extra security service to get the electronics and medical devices / equipment there which we were supposed to install because can't risk losing fucking >1mil€ of equipmentroad got fixed a few months laterbut I was told later some people still avoid the hospital
>>2889780Have you watched this?>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ambassador_(2011_film)It's kino and it all happens in CAR, although it's not from the perspective of a normal traveler.
Wow this thread has gotten unexpectedly good. Stuff like this is why I still browse /trv/. Thanks anons.
>>2907292>I don't really like aircon and I wonder how people manage to sleep with it.Why wouldn't you be able to sleep with it?
>>2907342> don't speak (a lot of) sango though, only french, which sometimes can be an issue in therethe pilots are all foreign so they usually speak french or english. most only know enough sangho to get by.> in the past, some NGOs crashed local markets because they flooded in imported goods that were also sold by localsyeah in the CAR there was a similar story about cooking oil and the WFP. WFP sent palm oil that was intercepted by the military, sold to lebanese traders for a fraction of the price, and they then dumped it for cheap on the markets so the traders that sold regular imported cooking oil or local made palm and peanut oil all went bankrupt.Picture is a view of the Ubangui river in Bangui with the DRC on the other side. At some point during the Congo War you could see DRC trucks driving to the river and dumping bodies in it every now and then.
>>2907510yeah it was fun, a bit too dramatic/exaggerated for entertainment. but i guess it's what you gotta do if you want to sell movies.i knew some of the people that appeared in the movie. also the big white chief of security guy who got assassinated (guy-jean) was a good friend of my uncle, although i never met him.since we're on the topic of ambassadors, the current French ambassador to the CAR is in the mid of a big sex scandal. He was appointed to steer the CAR away from Russia and back into the French orbit but instead he got caught fucking a different girl every night in the embassy (they say the total is over 100)
>>2907698noise, LED light, getting air blown in your facealso idk air conditioned air feels weird. a bit suffocating. maybe it's the co2. i prefer opening the window (i also hate fans)picture is another view of bangui, on the eastern side of the city. residential area
>>2907978Bangui looks comfy as fuck. Would it be even remotely practical to live there?
>>2907292Tropical adaptation makes a person hate temps below 25 C. >>2907342Everyone wearing discarded Western rags also looks trashy as fuck.
>>2889780
>>2908133it is comfy in its own way yes, the problem is that you are gonna have to deal with randoms eruption of violence every 10 years or so, and then it's not so comfy. from my family history:- in the 90s my aunt got her house torched by rebels, my then 12 year old cousin and his dad shot and killed the attackers and everybody managed to make it out alive. they fled to Congo ROC after - in the 2000s my uncle's house was hit by a shell shot from the DRC on the other side of the river. fell through his roof and into his living room but miraculously didn't detonate. later his house got raided by a band of child soldiers who were high as fuck and going to execute him but their officer knew him and let him go at the last minute- in the 2010s, my great aunt got killed by a stray bullet when tending to her field during the anti-balaka events. another uncle got so tired of seeing people around him getting massacred with machetes that he moved to europe, despite having lived in Bangui all his life.
>>2908345to be sure its not all badone of my cousins who'd grew up in europe moved to Bangui a few years ago and he seems to really like it and he's doing well there. another of my uncle's who'd move to europe to work decades ago moved back to Bangui to retire. just make sure you have an exit plan.
>>2908346a couple more things to consider before moving theredecent accommodation is NOT cheap. if you want a cylinder block house (maison en dur) with a good roof and modern amenities (shower, non-latrine toilets) in a good part of town (and you do want that), prices can sell for as much as 1 million euros.that's because the only market for those are local well-off families, politicians, expats and NGOs and they're ready to pay big bucks. Plus lots of building materials have to be imported and quality labor is hard to come by (so expensive too). I'm sure you can find cheaper accommodation, but it will likely not be safe or poor quality or both. also most transactions are done through people you know, without connections you are very likely to get ripped off another thing to consider for daily life is all the variations of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_taxit can be exhausting, even if you're local. people will constantly hit you up for money. the strategies you have to deploy to work around it are very emotionally and mentally demanding. you also can't just say no. i told the story of the officer who saved my uncle from the child soldiers in my last post. that happened because my uncle always bought people drinks, lent money, gave shit, etc. social capital is needed to get anything done, so you have to fork out money all the time to help people. but you need to allocate optimally so that you don't go broke.
Excellent thread this lads.
>>2889780They will kidnap you Rape youAnd kill you.
>>2891873It's the definition of when you think about a miserable African shit-hole
>>2908348That's a big NOPEI'd sooner move to a Brazilian favela
>>2908577>>2908643>>2908694Filtered. Go back to Thailand general you boring hylic coward.
>>2908694>>2908577I seriously think you are most likely to get killed in Brazil (not even in a favela) than you are if you visit Bangui during peacetime. - even when there was hardly any police crime in Bangui was fairly low due to mob justice. people will just lynch anyone they suspect of stealing. i've seen pickpockets get beaten to death in the main market (kilometre 5) in Bangui for stealing a few CFA francs- there's not a lot of violent crime in Bangui. no organized gangs and not a lot of firearms like in South America. the worst criminals are the street kids in bangui and they mostly do drugs and petty theft. next would be the politicians, but they have bigger coffers to steal from. - most people are very religious, superstitious and conservative. they fear god/spirits/ghosts' retaliations. they prefer to do scammy stuff ("borrowing" money they'll never pay back, annoying the shit out of you to get stuff, asking for bribes for bullshit reasons) so they can rationalize it as not being bad. - the main violent criminals are rebel groups or ragtag armies like the LRA but they operate far away from Bangui. even then, bullets are rare and expensive. if you get stopped by some guys with AKs on the road, not unlikely that their magazines are empty. tl;dr Bangui and surroundings is decently safe during peace time. Elsewhere is more risky, it's better to hire an armed escort if you want to be safe.
>>2908970the part about bribes and being people superstitious/gullible brought back a couple of fun memoriesif you drive anywhere outside of Bangui you will be stopped every 50 miles or so (less when you get deeper in the bush ofc) by "soldiers"/police who set up roadblocks and ask for a toll. they don't get paid by the state so it's how they make money. the toll is bullshit of course, but they will make up all sorts of reasons for why it has to exist.it's usually "safety", "need a permit to go through", etc. but this one time this old guy just said it was because it was cold and he needed to buy firewood. this was in the middle of a forest in 40 degree weather. he really didn't seem to understand this was a very poor excuse. kept arguing for a while that it was true. eventually let us through.another time this one guy was asking for some bullshit permit and wouldn't budge. told him we were all out of cash but we'd pay for the "fine" once we we got to Bangui. asked for a family contact in Bangui we could give the money to when we got there. he believed us and let us through.
>>2906835> most of the locals love hating on the NGOsNGOs are pointless, corrupt, and stupid white guilt. They shouldn’t exist. Leave the niggers alone and they’ll either get their shit together or just exterminate themselves. The NGOs allow them to continue to exist in an inbetween state for their own benefit.
>>2908970Do the eat albino people to cure aids or murder bald men to steal the gold from their skulls?
>>2897582Just enlist in Wagner
>>2904115>OM shirtslmao I'm from there.There's still a guy playing for CAR (French born) in the team btw
>>2909099ah nice, i don't really follow soccer, is the CAR team any good these days. when was the last time they qualified for the CAN? i don't recall them ever getting qualified lol>>2909006Not really, there's a lot of inbreeding in the villages in the bush which increases cases of albinism so it's not rare to see albinos. I can't really speak for the muslim areas up North, but the Christian CAR is relatively (by African standards) tolerant of disability. People will talk shit/mock a bit or discriminate for formal employment (in the cities) or marriage, but violent targeting or the witchcraft stuff I've never heard of.In remote village, it's common for kids to run towards cars as they drive through since it's a curiosity. They also run away when they see someone white/fair skinned for the first time. I am pretty fair skinned and once I got out of my car in one such village, and of course all the kids ran away screaming. Two of them were albino ones that were whiter than me though lol.More generally on disability and sexual minorities, I have a distant relative with dwarfism and he's got a successful business and multiple wives. One of my cousin is trans and a couple others gay and people's attitude is generally just "how well she/he's like that" or at worse they'll do "tsk" when they hear their name and not talk about it. My one lesbian cousin is very scary and violent so no one will dare talk shit about her.Bald people are fine lol. Norwood reaper claims all the male in my family well before they hit 20 and no one ever mentions it. Most people shave their head or keep hair very short anyways.
>>2909006Now on the topic of anthropophagy though, it has been known to happen. During the war they were many reports of pygmies (picture related) being targeted for cannibalism.Pygmies have some genetic mutations that make them very adapted to the rainforest environment they live in. They are largely immune to malaria and can see in the dark. They also have a very keen sense of smell. Those are fairly well established things scientifically I think. Then on top of that superstitious people will say they have all sorts of other magical powers. Anyways during the civil wars in the 90s and 2000s, there were reports that soldiers were hunting down and killing pygmies because they believed eating them would give them the same powers.I think it has largely stopped but people still take advantage of them and there's a lot of near-slavery shit going on. They are very kind and good nature and naive people. I think because they grow up in a community first type of culture, their first instinct is to help people for free. So people take advantage of that and use them as free labor.
>>2909185It's not just the locals that exploit them. There was an American anthropologist employed by a pharmaceutical company who was living with a Pygmy group for a while and following their medicine men in the rainforest. He would then report that knowledge to his employers I guess for new drug discovery. .I don't know if it ever resulted in successful drugs but I know if it did the Pygmies never saw a dollar from it. Anyways, after gaining their trust the American guy was using the Pygmies as his own personal labor force, renting them for various services around and pocketing the money.The pygmies are really fascinating. One of the few CAR-made movies is about them: it's the story of an educator/modernizer type moving in with a tribe and trying to educate them (of course it doesn't work). It's really nice, might be able to find it on YouTube or torrent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_silence_de_la_for%C3%AAtThey're also well known for their highly contrapuntal, polyphonic singing. Lots of ethnomusicologists have done good quality recordings of their music in the CAR and Cameroon/RDC. If you visit the West of the CAR you can easily find a tribe that will put on a show for you. They will likely do it for free just if you ask, so please try to compensate them if they don't ask. You can give them money or goods like salt, rice, cigarettes, canned food. Pygmy music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BaIE1nsIww
>>2909188Found a central african one (dance after killing an elephant): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MeiJDPymZk&list=PLwxXX3TM2MynSHymg-q9rnamgY6ERt7_p&index=8Most pygmies in the CAR are Aka. Recently there's been a lot of interbreeding with other non-pygmy tribe though.
>>2909184>is the CAR team any good these daysNah at best they qualify for the CAN and get kicked out in the first round
