{"id":58711,"date":"2025-08-26T05:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T05:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=58711"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:27:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:27:21","slug":"travel-diary-from-the-heart-of-the-congo-basin-voices-and-hopes-of-indigenous-peoples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/58711\/travel-diary-from-the-heart-of-the-congo-basin-voices-and-hopes-of-indigenous-peoples\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel diary from the heart of the Congo Basin: voices and hopes of indigenous peoples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Kinshasa, August 26, 2025<\/strong>\u2014In August 2025, Greenpeace Africa led an exceptional expedition to the heart of the Congo Basin, to the villages of Lokolama and Penz\u00e9l\u00e9, as well as to Mbandaka, in Equateur Province. The objective: \u201cto document local solutions, strengthen ties with communities, amplify their voices, and celebrate International Indigenous Peoples’ Day.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n

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For several days, our team shared the daily lives of local populations, explored their ancestral knowledge, and listened to their aspirations. From community forest management to creative workshops with children, political meetings, and intense cultural moments, this expedition revealed a simple but fundamental reality: Indigenous peoples are the primary guardians of the forests and peatlands of the Congo Basin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

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Through this series of blogs, we take you to the heart of this human and collective adventure. You will discover how the local and indigenous communities of Lokolama, Penz\u00e9l\u00e9, and Mbandaka protect their environment, share their culture, and chart sustainable solutions for the future.<\/p>\n\n

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Because defending the forest also means defending the rights, dignity, and identity of those who live there. And also because no climate solution can succeed without them.<\/p>\n\n

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Contact:

Raphael Mavambu<\/strong>, Media and Communication, rmavambu@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +243 810 679 437.<\/p>\n\n

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BLOG 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lokolama: At the heart of indigenous forestry solutions in the Congo Basin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From conflict to cooperation: when Lokolama and Penz\u00e9l\u00e9 chart the future of their forests together<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A forest on the big screen: when images reignite the flame of conservation in Lokolama<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From Kinshasa to Mbandaka: advocacy that opens doors for Lokolama<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories, songs, and wisdom around the fire: Indigenous youth pass on the spirit of the forest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our forests, our lives: when the children of Lokolama draw the future of the Congo Basin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 7<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A new generation committed: Volunteers serving their communities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BLOG 8<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1,000 voices for the forest: Mbandaka celebrates International Day of Indigenous Peoples<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ HERE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In August 2025, Greenpeace Africa led an exceptional expedition to the heart of the Congo Basin, to the villages of Lokolama and Penz\u00e9l\u00e9, as well as to Mbandaka, in Equateur Province. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":58713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[24,46,47],"p4-page-type":[14],"class_list":["post-58711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspirethemovement","tag-forests","tag-greenpeaceafrica","tag-drc","p4-page-type-press"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58711"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59352,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58711\/revisions\/59352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58711"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=58711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}