Dicing with Death: Guinea – Life on a Thread

The forests of Guinea Conakry have yet to reveal all their mysteries.

Myths and the beliefs attributed to them by the inhabitants help make an often-difficult daily existence bearable. Clinging to wooden ladders hundreds of years old, men defy 2,500’ cliffs to join their families or reach their fields. At the wheel of their truck, Mamady and his sons confront diluvian downpours that make the track a nightmare. The abundant rain and the 1,300 water courses and rivers that run through it have given their country a nickname: The water tower. A paradox: running water is scarce, even in health centres. The only solution: set up giant water tanks, but transporting them in bush taxis over broken tracks is not an easy task!

The harvest of palm oil provides a minimum income for the population, but the work is arduous and only motorbikes are able to transport the precious liquid. Laden with dozens of cans, they venture onto chaotic tracks where anything can happen.