I have just parked my car at the supermarket, and the face of a young man surges behind the window on my left, his lips move but I can’t hear anything. He’s carrying a plastic bag, out of which the magnificent dark white head of an owl ermeges. In the streets of Libreville, I was offered puppies several times, a chameleon once, but never an owl, one of my favorite birds.
I step out, the conversation starts. The man is called Cedric, he tells me that he usually works here and there but that he is in need of money now, so when he saw this owl in his neighbourhood, he made an effort to capture it in the hope of making money. He heard that high-ranked politicians would give as much as 150 000 francs (more than 200 euros) for an owl. As he talks volubilantly, his arms move swiftly and the poor bird’s head is making crazy circles and getting me dizzy. I have seen owl on the menu of certain local restaurants, besides protected bushmeat delicacies such as gazelle or crocodile. Cedric confirms that indeed, people usually eat them. Alternatively, they may sprinkle gasoline on them and set them on fire as according to popular beliefs, the owl is an evil bird.
After 15 minutes during which I use all my persuasion power, throwing in various arguments such as the usefulness of the owl in nature’s equilibrium, its significance in Greek mythology as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom, the sheer beauty and elegance of this animal that the God we both believe thought of creating, the need for man an animal to share habitat peacefully, and the equivalent of 10 euros, I finally strike a deal with Cedric: he will go back to the place where he found the owl and set it free. And to prove me that he did it, he will send me a film of the liberation.
In the evening, I receive this: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM2hYbe8q/
I never thought that one day I would be so happy with making 1,200 likes and 146 comments on TikTok.
Tanad stories from Gabon 