AFRIKA

Hubert von Goisern and Africa

Talk Spezial with Jane Goodall and Hubert von Goisern

Her engagement knows no bounds. Even at the age of 80 Jane Goodall feels and obligation both to nature conservation and future generations: "I feel a responsibility to fight for the survival of the forests, nature and the animals. We owe it to our children and our children's children, not to leave behind a destroyed world." Courage, motivation and drive prove: a better world is possible. Together with her friend Hubert von Goisern, she spoke in detail on Talk Spezial about her visions for the future, new projects and her uniquely optimistic approach to life.

The Kiahsuacher in Mwangongo

Street children in Dar es Salaam, wild chimpanzees at Lake Tanganyika and the Kiahsuacher.
Hubert von Goisern in Africa - an observation

Africa: The Alpinkatzen are not "far away" - even seen in 3D - but "past". Hubert von Goisern attaches great importance to that. "Far away would mean that it returns. But that is my past."

The present? That is - now at least - Africa. There were no plans and intentions behind the purpose of this journey to Tanzania and into the neighbouring Kenya (even if in the course of the stay, projects take shape and ideas arise). At Lake Tanganyika, the real destination, the English behavioural research scientist, Dr Jane Goodall, began to observes chimpanzees 36 years ago.

The results of her work messed up all theories of the differences between people and animals. Chimpanzees - nearly 99% of their genetic make-up is identical to humans' - are adaptive, make and use tools, can exchange information in their simple language. Over and above that, there is a social nature which was not believed to be possible in the animal world. But chimpanzees are peace-loving as little as people are: they lead wars against one another, Jane Goodall could even observe cannibalism in the chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park. At present, scientists are on the trail of the chimpanzees' use of herbs, expecting conclusions on humans and their usefulness for medicines.

Jane Goodall also had contact with Konrad Lorenz. She also got to know the book publisher Michael Neugebauer from Bad Goisern there, who was able to visit her a few times in Tanzania and published a few books for children with her. In the meantime, Dr Goodall also visited Bad Goisern.

She became acquainted with Hubert von Goisern there - and wakened interest in her work. Then at the beginning of February, the time had come: nothing more stood in the way of a meeting in Africa. First of all, in Dar es Salaam, the biggest city in Tanzania with 1.7 million inhabitants, a meeting in the Dogodogo centre was planned.

Children who would otherwise have landed on the street are looked after in a house. The "Green Band" arose from this organisation. Hubert and his sound engineer had brought along a keyboard and amplifier for them. The gift was gratefully received, the Austrian guests also sang (Hubert) and played (Spani on bass) with the children.

The aim of the band is to make Tanzanian music. The music which is mainly played in their country actually comes from Zaire, report the band members. Michael Jackson is also popular in East Africa. He was once in Dar es Salaam and should have played a concert. Mind you, he left after two hours. "It stinks!" he said.

When Hubert landed in Lake Tanganyika with a seaplane, the whole village was in turmoil. The residents believed that Michael Jackson was visiting. The rumour arose through a misunderstanding. Jane Goodall had announced that "Michael" (Neugebauer) was coming to visit with a singer. The disappointment was limited though as in place of the American popstar, Hubert von Goisern, less well-known in Africa, landed.

He was still given his chance for a big appearance. Jane Goodall did promotion for her project "Roots & Shoots" in the primary school in the village of Mwangongo and began with the youngest, just the pupils. So the young children plant trees by the river. But the awareness that the environment must be preserved is also strengthened with songs and short pieces. The search for firewood has in the meantime become a threat to the National Park.

So many trees are felled up to its boundary, that the natives collecting firewood have to accept a day's march. Furthermore, negative consequences are the heavy erosion of the fields because the fertile soil can no longer find support. The exploitation of the natural landscape is not least a consequence of the over-population. The annual population growth in Tanzania is more than 3%. In the region around the National Park, where the people are largely Muslims, on average a man has four wives. And on average has seven children with each wife!

Around 700 children, their teachers (incidentally, they still use the cane - and heavily, as the frayed end shows) and the village elders had come together to sing, act a sketch and dance for Dr Jane Goodall - "Mama Jenny".

Hubert von Goisern was also asked to sing something. He chose the "Kiahsuacher" from the Pongau. And the background of the yodel, with which the cows are called back from the meadow, was explained to the children in their mother tongue of Swahili. After the first syllables, the children began to laugh and were amused by the exotic singing from the Alps. At the end, there was a "Heeejh" from the throat. "I've never been so nervous," said Hubert after this unusual premiere in Mwangongo.

The street children of Dogodo

A Tyrolean Boy Scout shirt on the market in Kigoma and an amplifier from Goisern in Dar es Salaam.
Hubert von Goisern in Africa, part two.

How would he react if the Tyrolean Boy Scout knew that the shirt he had donated to the textile collection for the poor had passed to Africa? The aforementioned shirt made a journey below the equator and finally landed at the market in Kigoma by Lake Tanganyika. The way for all old textiles - when they land in Tanzania - is mapped out. There is a businessman of Indian origin who buys up the clothes which are collected in Europe for foreign aid, and sells them on with a cool profit in the markets of the land.

So it comes that the man travelling in Africa meets an agricultural worker who is wearing a Boy Scout shirt, with a Tyrolean coat of arms of all things and he is pleased about the fact that the shirt comes from exactly where Sabine comes from.

When you then hear that Tanzania is no longer supplied milk powder by Unicef because it is sold straight to business people, or see how UN limousines drive through the run-down towns, doubts arise about foreign aid. But there are also experiences of another kind: The behavioural research scientist, Jane Goodall's project "Roots and Shoots", which was presented in the last edition of BISZ, searches for the connection of pupils from the USA, England, Japan and Austria too.

Young people can not only give their contemporaries a lot, but a lot is also returned to them through the occupation with a culture which is so completely different. So, with "Roots and Shoots", not just inviting youths from Africa to Europe is imagined, but also making a trip to Africa possible for children from the Salzkammergut.

"Before my old amplifiers are lying around at home, I am giving them to the young musicians in Dar es Salaam," Hubert von Goisern is now certain after the visit to the Dogodo street children project, that part of his musical equipment will be used meaningfully there. Music as occupation for young boys who would otherwise land on the street: Dogodogo takes youths from the street and tries to keep them from wandering into criminality.

The formation of a band, the Green Band, helps the carers with this. Even if the technical equipment is improvised and the electricity is "put together somehow". A keyboard and a simple amplifier signify a huge step in the work with the young musicians.

All these projects go back to Dr Jane Goodall, who began the observation of chimpanzees 30 years ago at Gombe stream - now a National Park. In the course of her work with the research of apes, the connection between the natural and cultural landscape made her famous. In order to preserve the environment, there must be agreement between these two factors. More specifically, that means that the National Park can only be preserved if the people can also find enough firewood outside it.

The exploitation of the forests around Lake Tanganyika has led to erosion, the ground has no more support and the fields slip from the slopes. Floods devastate the villages.

Here another project from the Jane Goodall Institute is put into place, which will be sponsored by the European Community. A German volunteer worker is leading a nursery garden, in which trees native to Tanzania will be planted. In villages in the region, the residents will be shown on the basis of video projections, how the substantial deforestation leads to disasters around the villages.

In order to raise the awareness of the people, George also uses native culture in his presentations. His own choir of workers sing songs which bring attention to the dangers.

Dangers also threaten the team engaged around George from the other side - the other bank of the lake. Pirates are a nuisance on Lake Tanganyika, with their eye on the project's technical equipment. They recently captured and bound George and his people and took them out on the lake. The pirates there might have come from Zaire, on the other side of the lake, because they spoke French - then some fishermen united their boats and removed the outboard motors.

They finally released the prisoners again, who had to then paddle to the other shore with their hands. The expensive equipment for the video projections was certainly gone. It would turn up again later. At a market in Zaire.

To make the connection between with natural and cultural landscape? This guideline in Jane Goodall's work does not only concern the population of Black Africa. People should become more aware in our region too. In this way, one could learn a lot from the Africans.

The actions in the framework of the JGI, the Jane Goodall Institute, opens possibilities, "to do something" simply but efficiently. Or, as Hubert von Goisern puts it: "I am not Mother Theresa. But what I can do, I do too!"

Incidentally, Jane Goodall will visit the Salzkammergut this year, to beat the big drum for her project and also to look for meetings with young people.