This video shows Dr Alan Goodall's return to Karisoke in December 1987, following the murder of Dian Fossey. He first went to Karisoke to work with Dian Fossey in 1970 - when her fledgling research centre in the Virunga Volcanoes of Rwanda was then called "Camp Moshi' It was only later she changed the name to Karisoke - despite what she later claimed regarding it's founding in 1967! Alan's next visit was in December 1979 while conducting WWF Project 1731 - a survey of the distribution of all eastern Gorilla populations throughout Kivu Province. This was an update of the survey done by John Emlen and George Schaller twenty years earlier. Alan found Dian in a state of paranoia in 1979 - as she feared her camp would be taken away from her - and even stocked petrol and threatened to burn it all down!
Alan's own comments.
"I was appointed the first Director of Karisoke in 1987 - following Dian's brutal murder. Her own cabin had been closed by the police until just before I arrived in December. For some time the camp had been under the control of Dr David Watts as interim Director. You will see how horrified I was at the appalling state of everything! Nothing had been done to clear the essential water drainage channels, the store rooms were a shambles and each cabin was filthy - especially mine! I found this ironic in a way as Farley Mowatt, in his book 'Woman in the Mists,' had made up a story that Dian Fossey on her return to Karisoke in 1971 said that I had left her camp 'in a mess!' Anyone who knows me would never believe that - as I am dedicated to good organisation and order. In fact my cabin was so clean and well organised that Dian moved out of her own cabin and into mine when I left in 1971! You can see this in some later videos.
Thus, I was furious that David Watts could have allowed everything to become so bad. How could anyone live like that? Unfortunately, he only stayed over for one day after my arrival and so I had to organise the whole cleanup myself! As you will see the Karisoke staff were wonderful - as usual. Tragically many of those you see here were later killed during the Genocide, war and later turmoils in 1994.
This footage is rather unique as it shows how Karisoke was in the time of Dian Fossey herself - for she had allowed the cabins, and especially the store rooms to fall into a terrible state. Unfortunately this may have been due to her heavy drinking during her later years.
As you will see - I had big plans for many improvements. Sadly, after the big cleanup and a lot of work during my stay until mid 1989 - I was not allowed to stay and see the fruits of my half million dollar grant from my appeal to USAID.
Of course, none of these cabins exist today as they were all destroyed during the 1994 war. So this will give you a glimpse of what life was really like to live at Karisoke during this time.
My apologies for the poor camera work! This was my first time with a video camera - and you will see that I soon discovered the 'joys' and 'perils' of a zoom lens! It was filmed in 1987, on a small Sony 8 camcorder - rather than a modern digital version or even an iPhone. I wish they had been invented then - Sorry!
As you will realise this was initially meant to be a video diary of my activities at Karisoke - for my wife Margaret, my daughter Fiona (who had both been there with me in 1970, when Fiona was only four months old!) and my younger daughter Marisa who was now fifteen. You will see their visit in 1989 on other videos here."
2 окт 2024
