1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:06,480 I'm travelling around the most exciting continent on the planet - Africa. 2 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:20,280 With more than 50 countries and hundreds of cultures... 3 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:21,320 Look at you guys! 4 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,560 Don't switch over, you are watching the right channel. 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,200 ..it's the fastest-growing, most dynamic... 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,440 Everybody here is crazy! 7 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:34,480 Come on! 8 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,920 ..and most epic place on Earth. 9 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,760 Oh, man. I'm gonna have to pinch myself in a minute. 10 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,040 On this leg of my trip around Sub-Saharan Africa, 11 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,800 I'm in central Africa. 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,640 I'll be travelling from the coast of Gabon through the giant 13 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,880 Democratic Republic of Congo and on to Uganda. 14 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,560 CAR HORNS BEEP 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:03,960 Whoa! 16 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,960 It's a region of chaos... It's a crazy place! 17 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:08,240 ..and colour... 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:09,760 Look at that toilet! 19 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,520 ..where Africans are fighting to protect their environment... 20 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,560 No tongues. No tongues. 21 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,240 Wow. 22 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,520 ..and people are struggling to overcome corruption and conflict... 23 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,600 It's ramping up. 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,360 Soldiers patrolling in front of us and behind us. 25 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,840 ..and decades of dictatorship. 26 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,440 We are the young generation of Uganda 27 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,240 and we are turning things around. Peace. 28 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,280 of the South Atlantic, 29 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,200 and we're only a few miles away from the equator. 30 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:08,120 Now, land is over in that direction, and somewhere over there I'm hoping 31 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,120 to see humpback whales. 32 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,640 The coast of Gabon is one of the best places in Africa 33 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:16,400 to see humpbacks. 34 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,520 This part of the ocean is a marine sanctuary, 35 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,560 which means they're completely protected. 36 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,680 We've slowed down a little bit because we've seen something 37 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,440 in the distance, and we're hoping that it's humpback whales. 38 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,160 Whoa! Yes! 39 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,440 That was incredible! 40 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,920 Just this huge whale just leapt out of the ocean. 41 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:47,320 The splash that it made. 42 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:49,960 That was fantastic. 43 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:57,080 These amazing creatures come to the warm waters off Gabon 44 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,640 every year to breed. 45 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:01,960 That's got my heart pumping. 46 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,200 That was incredible. 47 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,800 The government here has created 20,000 square miles of marine parks. 48 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,600 If you love wildlife, Gabon is a bit like paradise. 49 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,280 Starting to get a sense of just how green and lush Gabon is. 50 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,720 This just looks beautiful, and untouched, as well. 51 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,480 This country's bigger than the UK, 52 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,840 and more than 80% of it is covered in tropical forest. 53 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,240 This looks so nice. 54 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,680 The population is tiny - less than two million people live here. 55 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,040 The nice thing about this place is that it feels 56 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:48,840 like it's just us here. 57 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,720 It's like it's our own personal paradise. 58 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,640 This is one of the most unspoilt countries on the continent. 59 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:01,880 It's been called Africa's Eden. 60 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,360 Oh, man. I'm going to have to pinch myself in a minute. Look at it! 61 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,120 But Gabon's pristine forests are under pressure. 62 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:38,200 Around the tropics, millions of acres have been cleared to make way 63 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:43,120 for one of the biggest crops of the 21st century - palm oil. 64 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,160 It's in everything from pizzas to ice cream, 65 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,200 even soap and shampoo. 66 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:53,480 In fact, it's in around half of all products sold in supermarkets. 67 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,560 Palm oil is big business. 68 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:04,440 Proper hub. 69 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:09,040 Just so many people coming in, truck after truck. 70 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,200 I'm getting out of the way, this guy's coming towards us. 71 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:19,240 This one sounds lively. 72 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,560 Thousands of people work on Gabon's oil palm plantations. 73 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,480 This one is owned by a multinational based 74 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,320 in Singapore, called Olam International. 75 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,120 Gilene is one of the managers. 76 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:38,560 Gilene, this is so busy. 77 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,000 And what do you do here? 78 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,160 So, you're in charge of a lot of land and a lot of workers. 79 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:51,160 Yeah, yeah. 80 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,800 IN FRENCH: 81 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,280 It is amazing how quickly she switched from being really 82 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:00,360 friendly and chatting to me to being a boss. 83 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,200 She's running this place. 84 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,600 Am I going the right way? 85 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,880 The oil comes from the fruit of a palm tree native to Africa. 86 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:13,360 Marcelo. Yeah. 87 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,120 I'm Ade. Nice to meet you. 88 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,360 Can you show me what to do? 89 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,280 That looks like tough work. 90 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:22,360 So, he removes the leaf. 91 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:26,520 It's come back... And then that's it. 92 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,800 It's quite heavy, as well. 93 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,960 So, this is the fruit that they squeeze to extract the palm oil. 94 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,080 Try it. 95 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,120 Come on, you...palm tree. 96 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:41,560 Ah! It's stuck! 97 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,280 He made this look so simple. 98 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,520 I can hear him laughing behind me. 99 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,000 THEY LAUGH 100 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:57,640 Come on! 101 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,600 This is a proper workout. 102 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,520 You take the hook and then you just... 103 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:08,560 Tough old fruit. 104 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,400 Yeah! Yes! 105 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:12,640 Success! 106 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,080 How important is this job for you? 107 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,440 IN FRENCH: 108 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,240 Thank you. Thank you for helping me out, and showing me how to do this. 109 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,480 More than 60 million acres of the Earth's surface are now 110 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,480 covered in plantations like this, 111 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,560 but to make way for them, tropical rainforests have been destroyed. 112 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,200 It's been an environmental disaster. 113 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,080 They've clearly got a really impressive operation going on here. 114 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,120 It was really good to see how it works. 115 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,480 But, you know, the thing that still sticks in my mind 116 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,000 is the destruction that palm tree 117 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,680 planting is causing in other parts of the world. 118 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:12,320 And I just want to see how they're making it work here. 119 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,600 Gabon claims to have one of the greenest governments in Africa, 120 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,800 and the company running this plantation, Olam, 121 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,200 says they're doing things differently. 122 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,560 I met up with their head of sustainability, a Brit called 123 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,280 Dr Christopher Stewart. 124 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,920 I can't help but think about the fact that palm oil 125 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,120 has got a bad reputation in the world. 126 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,800 I mean, how have you dealt with that? 127 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:43,760 Our vision for this place was that we could grow palm oil in a 128 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:48,080 sustainable way, in a way that's going to be good for the planet, 129 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,640 good for the wildlife, and also good for the many people who rely 130 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,800 on palm for a job. 131 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:56,960 And so it's all about the planning. 132 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,720 It's where you put it and how you protect the natural environment 133 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:05,760 around the plantations and within the plantations so that species that 134 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:10,040 live in this landscape can coexist with economic activities. 135 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,720 What is it exactly that you're doing to make this work that's different 136 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,160 from other plantations around the world? 137 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,720 We've kept all of the most valuable habitat 138 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,360 within this landscape, and it's more than half of the actual, 139 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:27,080 the whole concession, is kept as habitat for animals and plants. 140 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:28,720 So I think that this is actually, 141 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,000 you know, it's exceptional on a global basis 142 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,960 to have this amazing plant which produces so much goodness 143 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:41,560 and wealth, and we're having it in a natural landscape 144 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:45,120 where you still have all of the main species still thriving 145 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:46,640 in the natural forests. 146 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,240 You know, it's the only plantation in the world that's been shown 147 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,720 to be climate-positive. 148 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:55,920 So, we're bringing more carbon into the landscape 149 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,360 than was here before. 150 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:00,760 An NGO called Mighty Earth... Yeah. 151 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,280 ..you know, basically took you guys to task 152 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,520 about your sustainability. 153 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,800 What are your thoughts on that? 154 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,440 They said that we hadn't done a good job, that we weren't transparent enough. 155 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,000 So we invited them to actually come to Gabon 156 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,960 and come and see for themselves. 157 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:22,960 We've received 30 or 40 different NGOs who've come with us 158 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,840 to visit the plantations and speak with the people, 159 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,040 and see for themselves how, you know, 160 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,720 a sustainable palm plantation would look. 161 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,080 The pressure for sustainable development in Gabon 162 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,080 comes from the very top of the government. 163 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,680 I was on my way to the country's capital city, Libreville. 164 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,280 I've just seen a poster of Ali Bongo. 165 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,440 He's the president of Gabon, and from what I've seen 166 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,320 since I've been here so far, it looks like he's trying to make Gabon 167 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:02,440 one the most eco-friendly nations in Africa. 168 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,840 He may be green, but Ali Bongo is a controversial character. 169 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:13,960 His father, Omar Bongo, was the dictator here for over 40 years 170 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,760 after the country became independent from France. 171 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,640 The family has been accused of massive corruption and stealing 172 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:23,480 Gabon's vast oil wealth. 173 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,160 People opposing Ali Bongo have faced persecution. 174 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:33,480 This looks like the guy. Bonjour. Bonjour. 175 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:37,040 Guy Pierre Biteghe is a journalist and opposition activist. 176 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,320 Ca va? Ca va. Ca va bien. 177 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,560 What's life like here, living in Gabon? 178 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:47,440 IN FRENCH: 179 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,200 Is there a way you can show me, around Libreville, 180 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,000 the wealth distribution here? 181 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,800 So this is the president's house? 182 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,680 Yes. This is Ali Bongo's house. 183 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,320 Hide the camera, hide the camera. Yes, we have. We have. 184 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:36,840 Why did we have to put the camera down? 185 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:53,080 Gabon's oil wealth means its people 186 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,120 should be some of the richest in Africa. 187 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:01,000 But instead, around a third live on less than a few pounds a day, 188 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,680 and it has one of the worst employment rates 189 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:05,440 on the whole continent. 190 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:13,000 Definitely a noticeable difference in the way this area looks. 191 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,920 It's got more of a shantytown look. 192 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,120 This is an oil-rich nation. 193 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,640 This is a nation with an abundance of resources, 194 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,240 and yet they have this massive discrepancy 195 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,760 between the rich and the poor. 196 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:57,480 President Bongo says that he's fighting corruption, 197 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,040 and that he's introduced new laws to tackle the problem. 198 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,000 This way? 199 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,640 He also says the elections that returned him to power were free 200 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,520 and fair, despite questions raised by international observers. 201 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:19,120 Guy Pierre wrote an article about the violence 202 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,240 that followed those elections. 203 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:56,160 Has anything ever happened to you after criticising the government? 204 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:18,520 Why did you come back? 205 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,360 What do you think of Ali Bongo's current policy 206 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:38,400 to make Gabon an eco-friendly country? 207 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,120 A lot of Africa is still dominated by dictators. 208 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,400 Real democracy is rare. 209 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,640 But things are improving. 210 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,880 In an age of social media, young Africans are more and more willing 211 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:11,600 to challenge dictators. 212 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,400 The next stop on my journey across central Africa was one 213 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,720 of the most cursed and corrupt countries of all - 214 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,320 the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC. 215 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:37,120 I'd come to the capital Kinshasa, one of Africa's biggest megacities, 216 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,560 with a population of more than ten million people. 217 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,720 Everywhere you look round here, there's something crazy going on. 218 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,320 Kinshasa is just... I don't know, it's so vibrant. 219 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,440 It's a crazy place. 220 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,520 HORN SOUNDS Whoa! 221 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,120 Expect the unexpected when you're driving here. 222 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,440 What did that guy...?! He just pulled out from nowhere. 223 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,040 Did you see that? 224 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:06,920 IN FRENCH: 225 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,400 Regine has been a taxi driver in Kinshasa for the past five years. 226 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:22,440 We are sandwiched between cars. 227 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,680 I don't know who has got right of way. 228 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,400 You need to have nerves of steel when you're here. 229 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:36,320 It's quite unusual to see women taxi drivers. 230 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:41,640 What's the reaction that you've received from other taxi drivers? 231 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:51,840 How do you deal with it 232 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,960 when the men make life difficult for you? 233 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:17,680 I don't know what's going on, 234 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,920 but we've been stopped by some traffic cops. 235 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,480 We're getting our fixer to try and translate. 236 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,400 But I think they wanted something off of us. 237 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:41,560 For money? Yeah, for money. Yeah. You OK? Yeah, I'm OK. 238 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,520 Corruption is a way of life in DRC. 239 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:52,520 Low paid traffic cops are grafting like everyone else. 240 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:54,640 What is that? 241 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:56,080 Look at it! 242 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:59,520 There's like a robot sort of thing in the middle of the road. 243 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,400 We'd arrived at one of the busiest junctions in the city, 244 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,280 policed by Kinshasa's real life RoboCop. 245 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:29,080 Can you explain to me exactly how this robot works? 246 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:55,920 It's moving again! Look at it! 247 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:03,560 Feels like it's got a personality. 248 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,240 This place is basically being run by a Transformer. 249 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:07,960 It's a Decepticon. 250 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,680 OK? Yes. 251 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,040 It's OK, it's OK. It's OK. 252 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,240 You seem very calm. It's very chaotic here. 253 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,960 But you're not fazed or worried at all. 254 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:42,680 Feels like... HORN BLARES 255 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:44,920 Whoa! Check the robot! 256 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,040 The robot says you can't go! 257 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:52,080 Even the robot struggles to keep Kinshasa's drivers in line. 258 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:55,280 But at least he's not trying to get his hands on people's cash. 259 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:13,880 I love that - the robot's efficient, doesn't take bribes. 260 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,960 You know, it respects everybody. 261 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:28,800 The DRC is one of the poorest countries on the planet. 262 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,440 It's pretty much bottom of the list. 263 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,760 In Kinshasa, people need to make a living any way they can. 264 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,520 And some are doing it in style. 265 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,320 I've never seen anyone dressed like this before. 266 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,320 Hello. Bonjour. 267 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:55,160 Look at you guys! Wow! 268 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:56,480 HE LAUGHS 269 00:21:57,840 --> 00:21:59,880 Those are the shiniest shoes. 270 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:07,480 My name is a Karitosa. Karitosa. Karitosa. 271 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:11,400 So, tell me, why do you dress like this? 272 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,920 In such a poor country, there's a surprising number of people 273 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:30,760 who call themselves sapeurs. 274 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,200 Dressing up in outrageous catwalk clothes, 275 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,480 these guys are the coolest dudes in Kinshasa. 276 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,640 And it can earn them some extra cash when they turn up at weddings 277 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,360 and parties, or even the odd BBC TV shoot. 278 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,120 OK. Merci. 279 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:47,840 But at least as part of the deal, 280 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,280 Karitosa agreed to give me a sapeur makeover. 281 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:54,960 Feel like I'm being blessed. 282 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:00,400 HE COUGHS 283 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:03,040 Like this? 284 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,040 Yes! All right, let's do this. 285 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,560 I didn't know you were going to wear a cape! 286 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,360 Oh! That chapeau! 287 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:39,320 HE CALLS OUT 288 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:45,920 This is mad. I'm in one of the poorest countries in the world, 289 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,000 and I'm here with people dressed in haute couture. 290 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:02,560 Bravo! Bravo! 291 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,040 What do you think of how he dresses? 292 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,240 What do you think of my outfit? 293 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,960 A night out in Kinshasa with these guys can only end one way - 294 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:28,560 rumba music. 295 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,960 Now that's how you make an entrance into a nightclub. 296 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,640 Rumba music is the beating heart of the Congo. 297 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,000 But it isn't just the rhythm of the crazy nightlife, 298 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,640 it's also the soundtrack to DRC's even more crazy politics. 299 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,960 Which way are we going? 300 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,600 This way? Yeah, yeah. OK. 301 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,880 It's here? Yeah. This guy's got some security. 302 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,480 I was being taken to meet one of the country's biggest rumba stars - 303 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,280 Felix Wazekwa. 304 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:28,320 I think you can always tell the quality of a place 305 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,160 by the entrance and the door. 306 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:32,800 That's what I'm talking about. 307 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:35,400 Oh, wow! 308 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,480 Hello, bonjour. 309 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,720 You look incredible! Thank you. 310 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:44,840 I mean... I'm... 311 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:48,600 I need a few seconds to take this in. 312 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,840 Wow! Wow. 313 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,160 I'm loving the shades. The whole outfit. 314 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,200 This is great. Can we have a look around? Yes. 315 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:09,960 Can they help me, your bodyguards? Yes. Perfect. 316 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,960 Felix is one of the kings of rumba... 317 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,400 Look at this place! 318 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,400 ..and he has a throne to match. 319 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,480 Your toilet! Look at that toilet! 320 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:24,800 This is the one! Who has a toilet like this? 321 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,400 Look at the design! 322 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,640 Bling like this doesn't come cheap. 323 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,120 Felix makes some of his money 324 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,320 working for some pretty important people. 325 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:13,520 Do you think there have been politicians or parties 326 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,560 that have won or come into power 327 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,360 because of your influence and because of your music? 328 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,680 Wow. Seriously? 329 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,400 Seriously. That's how influential you are. 330 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,640 Felix even used his music to promote 331 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:36,480 DRC's former president, Joseph Kabila. 332 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:48,640 Do you ever worry that it could affect your standing 333 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:54,160 amongst the public when you make music for certain politicians? 334 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:08,160 Felix, why is it OK for a musician, a popular musician, 335 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:13,440 to create propaganda for politicians? 336 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:27,400 If I was a politician and I was running for president, 337 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,640 how much would you charge me if I was to... 338 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,160 ..to ask for your services? 339 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,320 $200,000?! Yes. 340 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:45,360 Can you... Can you sing for us? 341 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,160 Could you do a song for me? 342 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:51,200 SINGING: 343 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:09,280 That's it - I'm going to be president! 344 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,640 Yes! I'll be elected tomorrow. 345 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:15,200 OK. 346 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,920 Just like in Gabon, the long-serving president, Joseph Kabila, 347 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,720 was the son of the previous president. 348 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:27,800 And, just like in Gabon, 349 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:31,120 the presidents get rich while the people stay poor. 350 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,720 This has been a country in chaos. 351 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:41,000 As well as the corruption, there's been constant conflict for decades. 352 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,080 Some of the worst fighting has happened in the far east 353 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,720 of the country, where I was headed next. 354 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,560 It's 1,000 miles from Kinshasa to the city of Goma. 355 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,280 This is very, very different from Kinshasa. 356 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,080 Looks far more underdeveloped. 357 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:16,480 A lot more hard work in my chair! 358 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:20,400 I've made this schoolboy error of not bringing my chunky tyres. 359 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,240 Right now I feel like I've got a pair of stilettos on. 360 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,920 Hey! Children everywhere. 361 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,240 Over the last few years, Goma has seen a big increase 362 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:32,160 in its population. 363 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,640 I'm Ade. What's your name? 364 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,920 Denise. Can you tell me where you're from? 365 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,560 Why are you here? And why are you not living in Kibirizi? 366 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:48,440 SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 367 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,520 Can you tell me what happened to you and your family? 368 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,120 It's awful. It's just an awful situation. 369 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:14,640 Most of these people are here 370 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,080 because they've been fleeing for their lives. 371 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,640 There's been conflict here for more than 25 years. 372 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:34,040 Millions died at the peak of the fighting, 373 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:37,160 more than in any war since World War II. 374 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,840 trying to keep a lid on the violence. 375 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:56,680 Just arriving at Sake base. 376 00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:59,920 There's soldiers, there's tanks. 377 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:02,760 This is a proper massive base. 378 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:11,920 All this firepower, and more than 15,000 troops, 379 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,760 costs the UN over $1 billion a year. 380 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,600 THEY SHOUT IN UNISON 381 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,280 Wow. Feels like they're going to war. 382 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:25,720 They call it Area Domination, 383 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:29,160 which is quite an intense way to describe it. 384 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,680 You can travel with us in one of these, these cars. Yes. 385 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,280 I think I'll have a go. 386 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,400 It's not every day you get to travel in a tank. Sure. 387 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:41,560 OK. 388 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,160 I tell you what, I've done some strange things in my time, 389 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,400 but this has got to be up there. 390 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,120 More than anywhere else I was visiting on my journey, 391 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,880 the DRC sums up so much about what's gone wrong in Africa. 392 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,360 This country should be rolling in cash. 393 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:18,320 It has huge natural resources - diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt. 394 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,560 All the stuff we need to make everything 395 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,800 from cars to mobile phones. 396 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:28,800 But over the centuries, foreign powers have raped this country. 397 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:33,640 Today, militias and warlords, often backed by neighbouring countries, 398 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,040 fight to get their hands on all the riches. 399 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:41,960 Major Chhabra heads up this force of 120 Indian troops. 400 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,800 Why do you think it's necessary to use these tanks? 401 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,880 Is it that dangerous around here? 402 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:52,160 It's basically to show the presence of UN in this area 403 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:57,120 and to give across this idea that the UN is a force here 404 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:03,360 wary of us and should not trouble the locals. 405 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:07,240 We were on our way to a village that's been caught in the crossfire. 406 00:34:09,240 --> 00:34:11,560 Everything's starting to get a little bit more serious. 407 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,800 It's ramping up. 408 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,240 Soldiers patrolling in front of us and behind us. 409 00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:18,440 I mean, look at that. 410 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:25,160 All stations, move. Move out. 411 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,520 Half the population of this village have fled because of fighting 412 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,560 between different militias. 413 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,160 What do you think of this military presence 414 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:43,880 that the UN have here? 415 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:48,120 In the former time, the situations were bad. 416 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:53,160 You couldn't walk in this area without being attacked or killed 417 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:58,080 or arrested with the unknown people. 418 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,520 When do you think things will change here 419 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,440 for you guys in this village? 420 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,840 You know, do you see a time where you will no longer need the UN 421 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,200 for your security? 422 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:08,440 HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 423 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:33,400 You need Congo to come together, for the DRC. Yes? 424 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,040 I really hope that one day you have peace. 425 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:50,080 It actually breaks my heart, cos these are young kids. 426 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:52,160 And it feels like all their lives, 427 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:54,520 all they've ever known is this - war. 428 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,280 I mean, they're just giving me thumbs up and smiling. 429 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,640 But this isn't normal. It's not normal. 430 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,840 Children have been some of the biggest victims of this conflict, 431 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:17,520 killed, maimed, or turned into refugees and orphans. 432 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:25,120 Thousands more have been forced to fight as child soldiers. 433 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,520 They've been traumatised, and they need help. 434 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,560 I'd heard about a local legend doing something about it. 435 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:36,760 Kibomango? 436 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:39,880 OK. 437 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,880 Nothing like good old-fashioned two-leggers to help me out. 438 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:44,720 Merci beaucoup. 439 00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:48,560 HE CALLS INSTRUCTIONS 440 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:57,320 I'd come to meet Congolese boxing champion Kibomango. 441 00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:03,200 Hey! Great to see you. 442 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,240 You are in good shape, man. Are you still fighting? 443 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:07,480 Oui. 444 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:09,280 Tell me about your gym. 445 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,800 You were a soldier fighting in the war. 446 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,440 It's hard to know what to say to that. 447 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:02,520 The fighting here is so chaotic, 448 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:05,440 it's hard to know how many child soldiers there are. 449 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:10,000 But the best estimate is around 30,000. 450 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:16,320 That's 30,000 kids carrying guns and killing people. 451 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:19,760 Kambale used to be one of them. 452 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,200 What were you fighting for? 453 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,600 Wow. 454 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:36,640 How did you escape? 455 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:56,320 Wow. 456 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:02,640 And how much has Kibomango helped you? 457 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:46,720 The kids here have been caught in the middle of a conflict 458 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,360 fuelled by foreign powers. 459 00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:53,000 International peacekeepers are trying to sort it out, 460 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:56,080 but the sheer energy and passion of Congolese people 461 00:39:56,080 --> 00:40:00,760 like Kibomango seem to me to be this country's best hope. 462 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:05,560 Is it possible for me to do some boxing with you? Deal. Yeah? 463 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,040 OK. 464 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,480 I might regret this. 465 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:11,440 BOTH SHOUT AND GRUNT 466 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,640 It's not often you have the Congolese champion sparring with you. 467 00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:31,120 Thank you very much. Thank you. Merci. 468 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,200 The DRC is one of the biggest countries in Africa, 469 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,280 almost a million square miles. 470 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:52,520 Huge areas of it are covered in pristine forest. 471 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:59,040 The only way to get a real sense of it is from the air. 472 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:02,760 Hi. How are you? Good, thanks. 473 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:04,720 I'm Ade. You made it. 474 00:41:10,360 --> 00:41:12,800 I was on my way to one of the most famous 475 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:15,800 national parks in the world - Virunga. 476 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:20,000 My pilot was the director of the park, Emmanuel de Merode. 477 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,400 We're getting quite close to the crater rim. 478 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:26,240 So, you can see the top of the crater there. That's the crater! 479 00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:28,080 Look at it! 480 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:31,520 The park is dominated by an active volcano. 481 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,840 Inside it is the largest lava lake in the world. 482 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:42,360 Can you see it down there? Look at that! 483 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,960 Look at the lava flow! 484 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,680 About 1.5 square km of just erupting volcano. 485 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:50,680 Oh, my days! 486 00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:58,320 You can even smell the sulphur inside the plane. 487 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:00,360 It's mind-boggling. 488 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:02,400 Never seen anything like that before. 489 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:07,640 This vast park covers 3,000 square miles, 490 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,320 and it's home to some unique wildlife. 491 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:14,600 But even this place hasn't escaped conflict. 492 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:18,120 You see the fires there? Yes. 493 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:21,920 That's been set by Rwandan militia who came across the border. 494 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:27,800 They clear the forest for charcoal, and that makes a lot of money. 495 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:32,040 About $35 million a year is turned over from the charcoal industry. 496 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,280 But it's also destroying the forest. 497 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:37,520 So that's really where we are in confrontation with them. 498 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:39,960 What would they do if they saw us flying over? 499 00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:42,600 If you got too close they could shoot at the plane, yeah. 500 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:43,840 And they could reach as? 501 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:45,880 If you're too close, yeah. 502 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:50,320 But we'll keep a safe distance. Yeah. 503 00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:02,120 Just touched down in Virunga National Park. 504 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:08,440 This is an interesting welcome committee. 505 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:10,440 It's kind of learned from hard experience. 506 00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:14,920 Because it's an insecure area, 507 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:19,000 and, you know, when you've got insecurity you have to manage it. 508 00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:31,400 I was being taken to meet Virunga's most famous residents. 509 00:43:33,080 --> 00:43:37,080 I guess you are calling this the trunk road, are you? That's right. 510 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:39,280 Let go, let go. C'est bon, c'est bon. 511 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:42,960 They're here! 512 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:44,520 Look at that! 513 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:48,120 What type of gorillas are they? 514 00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:49,440 They're mountain gorillas. 515 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,720 Their families were attacked in 2007, 516 00:43:54,720 --> 00:43:58,120 so they were three months old when we recovered them 517 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,000 on the bodies of their mothers. 518 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:01,640 So it was pretty rough. 519 00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:06,880 They are a critically endangered species. 520 00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,800 A few years ago there were only 250 left in the world. 521 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:11,600 In the world? Yeah. 522 00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:14,640 And since all the effort that's gone into protecting them, 523 00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:18,840 the numbers have gone to over 1,000. That's still low. 1,000. 524 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:23,640 It's still very low, yeah. They're still very vulnerable. 525 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:26,840 But they are showing signs of recovery, which is encouraging. 526 00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:31,280 Can you imagine talking about a gorilla in 10, 15 years' time, 527 00:44:31,280 --> 00:44:35,360 and saying, "Yeah, there was once this creature called a gorilla." 528 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:39,040 It wouldn't bear thinking, cos it's such a spectacular species. 529 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:43,920 If they were to die out, what does it say about us? Exactly. 530 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:47,160 They're our family, and we haven't even been able to protect 531 00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:48,560 our own family. 532 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:57,080 The wardens here are doing everything they can 533 00:44:57,080 --> 00:44:59,120 to protect these iconic animals. 534 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:04,000 This is the only facility in the world that cares for orphaned 535 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:06,040 mountain gorillas. 536 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:10,160 ADE LAUGHS 537 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:13,000 The keepers spend years looking after the young gorillas, 538 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,200 pretty much bringing them up in place of their parents. 539 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:20,240 Wow! They're playing pattycake with gorillas. 540 00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:26,120 The most important thing is to have a lot of physical contact with them. 541 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:28,560 I mean, that does your back in! 542 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,680 ADE LAUGHS 543 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:35,520 Our carers stay with them all the time, 24 hours, 544 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:38,320 and always playing with them. And it keeps their morale up. 545 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:39,880 I could watch them for hours. 546 00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:49,080 What's the main threat to them? 547 00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:51,880 So, the biggest threat at the moment is 548 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,080 the destruction of the habitat for charcoal. 549 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:57,640 So, the wild gorillas up in the mountains, 550 00:45:57,640 --> 00:46:01,360 they need their ecosystems to survive. 551 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:06,360 But those same ecosystems, those same habitats, have enormous value. 552 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:10,320 What it does is it draws in the militias 553 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:12,360 because there is so much money. 554 00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:16,240 And that means that our rangers are under threat. 555 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:22,400 The rangers are also in a constant battle with poachers, 556 00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:24,360 who hunt gorillas for their meat. 557 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:27,480 Hello, guys. 558 00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:30,240 And the poachers here are often armed to the teeth. 559 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:33,200 Bonjour. Bonjour. 560 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,280 Look at you! You just slobbered all over me. 561 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,200 We've only just met! Oh, no! 562 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:43,240 No, no tongues! No tongues. 563 00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:44,800 What's her name? 564 00:46:46,480 --> 00:46:48,960 Dodi. Yeah. Dodi, down. 565 00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:50,880 I know I'm irresistible. 566 00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:52,080 So, tell me what you do. 567 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:00,800 So, you are training Dodi to find poachers? 568 00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:03,840 So, you've got someone hiding in the forest at the moment. 569 00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:09,840 How far can she trace the scent from? 570 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:12,840 20 km! 571 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:18,720 She's got a sensitive nose. 572 00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:20,920 Shall we go and look for the poacher? Yeah. 573 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:24,760 Dodi... 574 00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:26,800 She's really let herself down. 575 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:29,360 OK. Go. 576 00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:32,440 She's off. She's off! 577 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:38,160 Poachers often use traps to catch wild animals. 578 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:39,880 But they leave their scent on them, 579 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:43,200 which means Dodi can track them down in the jungle. 580 00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:45,400 Dodi has got some pace. 581 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:49,320 When she is being trained, they set her off on the trail of a ranger. 582 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:52,720 She's off! She's into the bushes. 583 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:55,040 It's a poacher! 584 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:03,160 Come on, Dodi. 585 00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:04,800 Yes. 586 00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:05,800 Brava! 587 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:10,800 That's how Dodi gets paid - in liver pate. 588 00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:12,200 Is it a dangerous job? 589 00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:30,160 To shoot back. Yeah. Thank you, guys. 590 00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:38,880 More than 170 rangers have been killed here 591 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:42,000 in the last 20 years protecting gorillas. 592 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:46,000 They are heavily outnumbered 593 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:49,080 and outgunned by the militias who operate here. 594 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:52,000 It's not easy for the wheelchair here. 595 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,560 Angel has been a ranger for four years. 596 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:00,560 Do you ever worry about the dangers? 597 00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:05,120 Because I know rangers have been killed working here. 598 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:06,920 IN FRENCH: 599 00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:18,120 Do you know any of the rangers that have lost their lives here? 600 00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:44,000 How difficult was it to deal with when you heard about it? 601 00:49:55,160 --> 00:49:58,320 I think you're all very brave people... 602 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:04,000 ..to risk your lives to protect the animals in this park. 603 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:05,640 It's an amazing job you do. 604 00:50:05,640 --> 00:50:07,080 Merci. 605 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:12,760 From the coast of Gabon to the jungles of the DRC, 606 00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:16,400 I'd met so many young Africans fighting to make a difference. 607 00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:25,000 And now I was headed to neighbouring Uganda to meet 608 00:50:25,000 --> 00:50:28,600 one of Africa's bravest and most famous campaigners. 609 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:44,480 It's Friday night, and I'm in central Kampala. 610 00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,600 I'm going to go for a night out on the town. 611 00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:49,600 Oh! 612 00:50:49,600 --> 00:50:51,880 Where is the ramp to get in? 613 00:50:51,880 --> 00:50:54,520 How do I get up there? Have you got a ramp? 614 00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:00,920 That's the thing when you're in a wheelchair, 615 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:03,720 they're always sneaking you in through the back entrance. 616 00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:05,440 You can see it's obviously a big gig. 617 00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:08,400 I mean, look at all this stuff here. Thank you. 618 00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:11,080 I'd come to see Bobi Wine. 619 00:51:11,080 --> 00:51:15,120 He is a Ugandan musician, and he was performing at an award ceremony. 620 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:17,320 HE SINGS 621 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:35,200 That's Bobi Wine up there, one of Uganda's biggest stars. 622 00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:43,360 Bobi has a huge following among young people here and across Africa. 623 00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:46,200 But it's not just his music that's got their attention. 624 00:51:59,040 --> 00:52:02,840 Uganda's population is one of the youngest in the world. 625 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:05,480 The average age is just 15. 626 00:52:05,480 --> 00:52:08,640 But its ruler, Yoweri Museveni, is in his 70s, 627 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:11,320 and he's been in power for more than 30 years, 628 00:52:11,320 --> 00:52:14,200 backed by Western governments. 629 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:16,680 Ugandans are ready for change, 630 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:21,280 and in 2017 Bobi Wine was elected to parliament. 631 00:52:21,280 --> 00:52:25,200 Since then, he's become one of the president's biggest critics. 632 00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:28,040 He still lives in the poor neighbourhood where he grew up. 633 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:30,160 Yo, yo, yo! Yes, yes, yes! 634 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:32,520 Good to have you, man. Thank you. 635 00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:37,240 Welcome. Here we say karibu. Karibu. Come with me, man. 636 00:52:37,240 --> 00:52:39,600 Guys, we go to the barracks. 637 00:52:39,600 --> 00:52:41,240 Which one is your car? 638 00:52:41,240 --> 00:52:43,880 You should have noted with the number plate. 639 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:45,600 Ghetto. Ghetto. Straight up. 640 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:47,320 LAUGHTER 641 00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:50,560 So, I mean, what is it about you and the ghetto? 642 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,440 Why did you feel you still had to stay here? 643 00:52:53,440 --> 00:52:55,080 This is where I belong. 644 00:52:55,080 --> 00:52:59,120 And we have a belief that we work hard not to leave the ghetto 645 00:52:59,120 --> 00:53:01,560 but to make the ghetto a better place to live. 646 00:53:01,560 --> 00:53:04,120 That's why we are here. These are my peeps around. 647 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,440 This guy is at home here, man. This is his place. 648 00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:15,200 Bobi's latest campaign was against a new tax which made people 649 00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:19,200 pay around 40p a day to use social media. 650 00:53:19,200 --> 00:53:20,880 That's big money here, 651 00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:24,320 where many people struggle on just a few pounds a day. 652 00:53:24,320 --> 00:53:28,000 And these days we are fighting against the social media and mobile 653 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,400 money tax, and that's why we have the writings on all our cars. 654 00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:35,120 So, here it says, "I reject mobile money and social media tax. 655 00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:37,880 "Hashtag - this tax must go." 656 00:53:37,880 --> 00:53:41,640 Exactly. All right. Come on, Ade, man. It's a busy street. 657 00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:44,200 I know! I like it, I like it. 658 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:48,280 The government of President Museveni has passed laws meaning police 659 00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:52,520 can stop any political meeting, even just a few people chatting. 660 00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:55,160 So, here's a place we are going to. 661 00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:57,320 Bobi and his crew were taking me somewhere 662 00:53:57,320 --> 00:53:59,840 we could speak away from prying eyes. 663 00:54:01,720 --> 00:54:03,280 Is this an illegal gathering? 664 00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:06,440 Yes, this is an illegal gathering. And guess what? 665 00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:08,400 Because we are talking politics? 666 00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:11,440 They just don't want people to come together, 667 00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:14,080 and those are some of the laws we decided to defy. 668 00:54:15,320 --> 00:54:18,320 Just like we are defying the social media tax. 669 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:20,200 Tell me about this social media tax 670 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:22,400 and the impact that it is having here in Uganda. 671 00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:25,160 The social media tax was... 672 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:30,600 ..a direct attack on the young people of Uganda by the president. 673 00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:33,240 You see, our president is a dictator. 674 00:54:33,240 --> 00:54:37,000 He has been in power for 32 years. 675 00:54:37,000 --> 00:54:38,640 Is that Museveni? 676 00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:41,520 That is Museveni. He does not tolerate any voice of dissent. 677 00:54:41,520 --> 00:54:45,200 Every time he uses social media, he gets negative comments. 678 00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:48,240 Ugandans have gotten confidence to tell him straight. 679 00:54:48,240 --> 00:54:51,840 Our ultimate goal is to kick Museveni out of power. 680 00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:56,880 And social media is one of our biggest weapons. 681 00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:00,800 Our people are actually testing the real blind sword of oppression 682 00:55:00,800 --> 00:55:02,400 and censorship. 683 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:04,240 Who do you think should be in power? 684 00:55:06,880 --> 00:55:09,080 A servant leader should be in power. 685 00:55:11,760 --> 00:55:15,600 A Ugandan who is answerable and accountable to Ugandans 686 00:55:15,600 --> 00:55:17,240 should be in power. 687 00:55:17,240 --> 00:55:22,120 And if I should be more precise, a young leader should be in power. 688 00:55:22,120 --> 00:55:25,760 A leader who is connected to our generation. 689 00:55:25,760 --> 00:55:28,640 What has happened to you since you've started protesting 690 00:55:28,640 --> 00:55:30,440 against this social media tax? 691 00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:36,400 When I was elected to parliament, I got attacks from the government. 692 00:55:36,400 --> 00:55:39,080 Bombs were thrown at my house. Bombs?! Yes. 693 00:55:40,480 --> 00:55:42,800 We've been blocked from protesting. 694 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,520 Recently our friends were brutally arrested, 695 00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:49,600 and some of them are still incarcerated in the prisons. 696 00:55:50,960 --> 00:55:53,080 Are you afraid for your life? 697 00:55:54,840 --> 00:55:56,840 I must be honest and say yes. 698 00:55:56,840 --> 00:56:01,120 I actually thought I would be dead long time. But I'm still here. 699 00:56:01,120 --> 00:56:04,560 I'm scared for my life. I have a very young family. 700 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:09,440 We were taught by Mandela that, you know, 701 00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:11,680 courage is not the absence of fear, 702 00:56:11,680 --> 00:56:15,320 it's the ability to overcome that fear. 703 00:56:17,040 --> 00:56:20,360 This is the shirt. This tax must go. 704 00:56:20,360 --> 00:56:22,520 In the face of the protests, 705 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:27,080 the Ugandan government has now put the social media tax on hold. 706 00:56:27,080 --> 00:56:30,200 But the political repression hasn't stopped. 707 00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:34,840 And I'm here to ride in the baddest wheels. Look at this, man! 708 00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:36,480 Keep your eye on Uganda. 709 00:56:36,480 --> 00:56:40,560 Don't leave us to fight alone and don't leave us to die in the dark. 710 00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:42,960 Keep your eyes on us. That's all you can do for us. 711 00:56:42,960 --> 00:56:45,000 And the rest, leave it to us. 712 00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:47,840 We are the young generation of Uganda 713 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:50,600 and we are turning things around. Peace. 714 00:56:52,640 --> 00:56:54,760 Man's got a lot to say. 715 00:56:54,760 --> 00:56:59,680 Remember. Freedom comes to those who fight, not to those who cry. 716 00:56:59,680 --> 00:57:03,440 The more you cry is the more your people continue to die. 717 00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:05,600 So rise and defend your rights! 718 00:57:05,600 --> 00:57:07,960 Take it easy, brother. 719 00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:13,840 Whoa! 720 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:19,040 I think he needs to get some parking sensors on that. 721 00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:22,680 Where do I start with that? 722 00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:27,040 I mean, the guy's got so much charisma, and so much flair. 723 00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:30,680 And he's from the ghetto, and he's really, you know... 724 00:57:30,680 --> 00:57:32,320 He's hit on something. 725 00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:34,960 And I think the people here will follow him anywhere. 726 00:57:34,960 --> 00:57:38,240 But I'm just wondering, how is he going to do that? 727 00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:40,840 You know, when there is so much oppression here. 728 00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:45,560 Even that gathering we had, that meeting, that chat, was illegal. 729 00:57:45,560 --> 00:57:48,960 So it's going to be really tough. But the funny thing is, 730 00:57:48,960 --> 00:57:54,080 it's taken the social media tax to really spark and change things here. 731 00:57:54,480 --> 00:57:58,120 And if anyone is going to make a difference, I think it's Bobi Wine. 732 00:58:02,200 --> 00:58:04,960 HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE 733 00:58:04,960 --> 00:58:08,480 A few weeks after I met Bobi, he was attacked. 734 00:58:08,480 --> 00:58:12,560 His driver was shot dead. Bobi was arrested. 735 00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:16,240 He says he was beaten with iron bars and nearly died. 736 00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:18,080 He was charged with treason, 737 00:58:18,080 --> 00:58:21,040 but he has vowed to continue the fight for freedom. 738 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:25,800 Next time, in East Africa... 739 00:58:25,800 --> 00:58:28,160 This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. 740 00:58:28,160 --> 00:58:29,680 ELEPHANTS TRUMPET 741 00:58:29,680 --> 00:58:32,680 ..I'll head to the hottest place on Earth. 742 00:58:34,200 --> 00:58:36,720 Wow. Looks like the camel train has arrived.