Mayumba
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Mayumba is a town of about 2500 people on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Gabon, at the end of the N6 road, lying on a peninsula separated from the mainland by the Banio Lagoon. It is known for its long sandy beach where leatherback turtles nest. The most common ethnic groups are Vili, Lumbu, and Punu,and locals of Mayumba town call themselves 'Mayesiens'. It is home to an airport, several small restaurants, and a market. There are 7 primary schools in the area, and one junior high school of about 500 students. Mayumba lies 20 kilometers north of Mayumba National Park, the only national park in Gabon that is dedicated to the protection of marine species.
To the contemporary visitor, Mayumba comes across as a sleepy backwater town, and the Park as an uninhabited tract of primary forest and untouched coast. However things were not always this way. The land has a long and checkered human history, and many parts that seem wild now, were once thriving villages and centers of commerce. The pre-European colonization human footprint is faint in tropical Africa, but we know from archeological evidence that the coast of Gabon was well populated during the Neolithic period between 5000 and 2000 years BP. Coastal dwellers have left us middens of oyster shells, and many discarded stone tools as proof of their occupancy of the land. The year of 1472 saw the first meeting of African and European in Gabon, followed by the successive and overlapping presence of Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English traders, explorers, and missionaries. The principal interest of the Europeans during this time was the Africans themselves, and the coast in the south of the Park, around Banda Point became a large and thriving slave trading site, with a human cargo from the south and the interior arriving for re-sale and loading onto slave ships bound for the Americas. The eventual abolition of slavery by Western nations did not end this practice in the area, and for many years afterwards salt produced on the coast was trekked into the interior and exchanged for slaves that typically worked for their owners in the plantations, and in any other task required. At this time, many European trading companies set up business in the Mayumba area, and it was not uncommon to come across French, and particularly English trading posts in camps along the Banio lagoon. The principal exports were timber, ivory and rubber. Missionaries came to save souls, and a French colonial administration eventually took responsibility for managing the area, and the country.
During the early part of the 20th century, there was a telegraph link from Mayumba to Pointe Noire in Congo (the old rusting steel pylons can still be seen dotting the Park’s southern savannas, and the post was carried between these two towns, and thus to all corners of the region by fast foot couriers. One of these gentlemen still lives in Mayumba and astonishes listeners with tales of how he made this 440km round trip several times a month for 17 years, sometime carrying mail, and at other times with a sack of coffee on his shoulders. A ruthless approach to managing the local population ensured that resistance to the administration was slight, and many of Mayumba’s older residents tell of how their parents took to living in tiny camps hidden back from the Banio Lagoon, in order to avoid the regular patrols of the militia who rounded up residents for 15 day bouts of forced labor. The ‘fruits’ of this labor included a stone road leading from Mayumba southwards towards the Congo. Remnants of the road can still be seen a few kilometers south of the town.
Reminders of the colonial administration can be found dotted around Mayumba town, including the crumbling house of the one-time governor for French Central Africa. The newly built government buildings on one of Mayumba’s three central hills stand alongside the now decaying French Administration buildings and an old mango tree that was once used as a lookout post over Panga Bay. There are also several unusual graveyards in the area, including one near the Beninois fishing community at l’Office, bearing testimony to voyagers, missionaries and traders from America, Germany, and England who succumbed to malaria or were lost at sea. The most intact colonial architecture is the wonderful Catholic Mission of Sainte Esprit, which perches atop a small hill on the interior side of the lagoon, looking down upon the ferry crossing and the Safari Club Hotel. Established in 1888, it remains the best preserved mission of its kind in southern Gabon, and is still in use today. A boarding school for local children was established here that taught the tenets of the faith, literacy, and trade skills such as brick-making. The life was disciplined and demanding, but gave many local children a chance to move out into the wider community and eventually take prominent roles in society. Schoolchildren still attend classes here, and the charming Chapel still holds regular Mass. A visit is thoroughly recommended.
Mayumba town is nestled among three small hills separating the lagoon from the ocean. Sleepy at the best of times, its two main streets only come to life at twilight when the townspeople meander past the market and a scattered small bars, exchanging greetings and the news of the day. It is a time to catch up, sip a cold beer and enjoy the cool of the evening. Instead of the roar of traffic, you are serenaded by the melodies of southern Gabon’s singing celebrity Annie-Flore Batchielillys, or at least a chorus of ardent local fans.
Much of the life of Mayumba revolves around the Banio Lagoon. Local fishermen can be seen early in the morning or as points of torch-light at night, paddling their dugout canoes in search of a catch or filling up with oysters from the lagoon when the season is right. Piles of empty oyster shells can be seen along the shore of the lagoon before they are returned to the water. Visitors can also try their hand at paddling a dugout and maybe trying their luck with a hand-line or diving for oysters themselves . Alternatively, the lagoon offers a tremendous opportunity to explore the region from a fast sea-kayak or a Canadian canoe. Numerous rivers wind their way inland from the lagoon, traversing wild swampland, mangroves, and forest. Home to freshwater turtles, small forest crocodiles, otters, and even the shy and elusive West African manatee, this is an experience of Central Africa at its most primal and unexplored. Locals seldom venture up these waterways, and your trip is guaranteed to be a memorable one. Your guide will describe the wildlife you see along the way and animate your passage with tales of sorcery, magic and the strange history of the Banio Lagoon.
The Banio lagoon covers an area of 147 km² and stretches south-eastward from Mayumba for 77 km. The water near the lagoon mouth is salty to brackish, becoming fresh as one progresses up the lagoon. With easy access from the beach or Mayumba town centre, the lagoon is an ideal location for many activities. Windsurfers will delight in the freedom these uncluttered waters provide, and dinghy sailing is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, sailing back to your hotel at a leisurely pace as the moon begins to rise above the surrounding hills. For those wishing to really get some serious wind in their sails, the large expanse of what locals call ‘The Sea of Tiya’ offers the solution. The ‘sea’ begins 30 km down the lagoon from Mayumba town, and is over 4 km at its widest point. This broad reach of the lagoon can be sailed for approximately 35 km, and is dotted with small villages and fishing camps where the visitor can pull in and enjoy the local hospitality of the ‘Vili’ fisherfolk of the region. Sailing here will be an exhilarating experience for the experienced inland sailor.
The Gabonese coast is characterized by wild beaches, large waves and strong currents. Not conditions conducive to a relaxing family holiday! By contrast, Mayumba offers one of the only truly safe bathing beaches in Gabon, and by far the most lovely. The broad sweep of Mayumba Beach stretches 8km from the rocky Kouango Point to the mouth of the Banio Lagoon, facing out over the calm, shallow waters of Panga Bay. The sand here is soft and golden with lots of room for picnics, barbeques, and parties, and has a gentle slope down into the sea for bathers. The sea temperature remains at a balmy 26 degrees Celsius for most of the year, while the dry season months of July and August see the temperature drop to around 20 degrees. Local children of all ages delight in taking to the water for a refreshing dip after school, and specialize in performing cartwheels and flips on the soft sand. Frisbee, kite flying, beach volleyball and football are likely to draw quite a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers, and it is hard to spend an afternoon at the beach without making new friends! On many nights of the year, nocturnal bathers are rewarded with the wonder of swimming in bio-phosphorescence. Shimmering green stars will erupt around you with each stroke, lighting up the water, while on land, the sand glows green as you walk or dance across the beach.
On Mayumba Beach, the waves are largely gentle but still great fun for body-boarding. Depending on tide and weather conditions, surfers can also be in for an enjoyable ride. Beyond the point, the beach stretches a full 50km before changing direction and character. This vast sweep of beach is wild, untamed and empty – the preserve of coastal wildlife, wind and seaspray. Swimming here is only for the very confident, and the larger waves are for experienced surfers only. However, this beach is an exhilarating place to blow away the cobwebs and come face to face with the African coastline at its wildest. It is also the destination of more nesting leatherback turtles than anywhere else in Africa! Other potential activities from Mayumba Beach include kite surfing, wind-surfing, and sea- and surf- kayaking. Behind the waves, snorkeling can reward the diver with occasional views of rays and other fish, although the area is not currently renowned for scuba diving. Magnificent shoals of enormous fish populate Mayumba's waters.
Mayumba has a history of exciting sport fishing, with species such as Barracuda, King Fish, Tarpon, Threadfin and Red Snapper reaching good sizes. It has been some time since sport fishing was practiced as a commercial activity in Mayumba, and damaging fishing practices in other sectors have reduced the number of large fish available. However, with the better protection offered by the National Park and management initiatives planned for Mayumba, a carefully planned catch and release sport fishery could become an additional activity for the sporting customer.
Oysters are part of Mayesien life. Each dry season (June to September) salt water floods in from the ocean, turning the lagoon near Mayumba clear and salty. This has two exciting effects. First, the clear sea water cleans the oyster beds near the lagoon mouth, making this wonderful seafood deliciously palatable. Secondly, the greater water visibility permits locals to dive for oysters and take them back for sale at Mayumba’s market. Oysters are purchased alive or already cooked ‘kebab’ style. Visitors can even try their hand at diving for an oyster (the usual depth of the water is only 3 meters) after which the diving party retires to the beach front where the oysters are grilled in their shells on open fires. A star-lit feast of fresh oyster with a cold beer or a bottle of bubbly is a uniquely Mayesien experience!
Mayumba is home to a very relaxed pace of life, but for those with energy to spare after a hard morning of tanning, swimming or sampling the local seafood, there are several good walks to be had in and around the town, with excellent views of the lagoon and the ocean. The seashore itself draws walkers like a magnet, and the wild coast to the immediate south of the town offers hiking limited only by your own stamina. Return home through the savannah for the chance to catch a glimpse of a rare bird or a sitatunga antelope.
