0:00:02 > 0:00:04We're right on the equator
0:00:04 > 0:00:07at 0.0 degrees, according to this clever gadget.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10We're off the coast of West Africa and about to land on a beach
0:00:10 > 0:00:14in Gabon and begin our journey following the equator across Africa.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Into six feet of water!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Right in the middle of the world!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55The equator, zero degrees latitude.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00It's a journey of nearly 25,000 miles through a unique region of the planet,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04and countries suffering from war, poverty, disease, and corruption.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11I began my journey in Africa, where I had to cross a war zone and came face to face with a killer disease.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Still, it all started rather promisingly.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25At first glance, the capital Libreville looks pretty prosperous, even glitzy.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29My guide Linel, a local journalist, told me Libreville,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33with its miles of sandy beaches, nightclubs and casinos
0:01:33 > 0:01:36is one of the most expensive cities in Africa.
0:01:36 > 0:01:43The reason Gabon is fairly well off is its huge oil reserves, which have made a few people here very rich.
0:01:45 > 0:01:52But critics say Gabon's President, Omar Bongo, has failed to spend the oil money wisely.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57The President has ruled Gabon since 1967, making him Africa's longest-serving leader,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00but he's still very paranoid about how he's portrayed.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06We've been told not to film that building because it's President Bongo's Presidential Palace.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10But the real reason they don't want anybody to film it is that they've spent
0:02:10 > 0:02:13of millions of dollars on it and the architecture is rubbish.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21There's a lot of expensive cars in this car park.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24We've got a Land Cruiser here, a customised Mercedes here,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29we've got a Lexus here and this is just the local supermarket car park!
0:02:34 > 0:02:39Linel took me to buy some provisions as we began our trip across this old French colony.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Now, where are these?
0:02:41 > 0:02:43From France.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Oh, that's ridiculous! You're... You're importing food from Europe.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53From Europe, from everywhere because we're not producing things here.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Look at this! Produce of Chile.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59That's slightly mad to be doing that, isn't it?
0:03:00 > 0:03:04But when you have oil you can do anything you want!
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Gabon's oil wealth has encouraged a flood of imports,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13and over the past 30 years, Gabon's farming industry has slowly collapsed.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17We've got some pate - whole goose foie gras.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22- Does it get more French? £43.00! - £43, yes.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25That's the salary of a worker, it can be the salary...
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- That's a huge sum of money. - Yeah, it's a huge sum.
0:03:27 > 0:03:34- Now hang on, is this... Is this... Have we found something that is made in Gabon?- This is made in Gabon.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- We've finally found something. - It's a kind of um, local spice.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41We should support the fledgling Gabonese agricultural industry.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- Local flavour. Yeah. Yeah.- I think we should get some of this...
0:03:45 > 0:03:46This will be...
0:03:46 > 0:03:51- The fledgling agricultural industry. - What else is this?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I like that Simon, I like that, the fledgling industry!
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Prices are so high in Libreville that this supermarket has
0:03:58 > 0:04:02to have a man with a shotgun just to make sure everybody coughs up.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Bonsoir, monsieur.- Bonsoir.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Merci!
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But the oil reserves are now starting to run out, and without
0:04:12 > 0:04:17much of a farming industry, this spells serious trouble for the 1.5 million inhabitants.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24Linel took me to a more typical street market, just a mile from the supermarket.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27These bananas are about... they're about two British pounds.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30They're still expensive, I would have thought...
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- they would be cheaper in a street market.- Bananas are expensive.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36But we are in Africa! Surely...
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Yeah, we're in Africa but Gabon is not...
0:04:38 > 0:04:43These bananas, most of the bananas come from neighbouring Cameroon.
0:04:43 > 0:04:50Is this the reality of Gabon, or is the reality of Gabon the big supermarkets?
0:04:50 > 0:04:54This is the reality of Gabon, because most of the people,
0:04:54 > 0:04:59the majority of the people live in this kind of conditions.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03There's only one railway line here and trains run just three times a week.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08If you miss one, it's a two-day wait for the next, so Linel and I were in a hurry!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Hopefully, we've made it but we haven't got much time.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Vous etes en retard.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17You are late, but exceptionally...!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20You are very kind! Thank you very much.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22We're going to be the last passengers on.
0:05:22 > 0:05:28With oil reserves starting to dwindle, President Bongo has come up with a plan.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32He's decided eco-tourism could be the new money-earner,
0:05:32 > 0:05:38and recently, almost overnight, he turned 11% of the country into protected national parks.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43It sounded great for Gabon's wildlife, but what about the people who used to live off that land?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I headed east along the equator to find out.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Right now, we're racing towards the equator,
0:05:52 > 0:05:5623, 14, 4... We've just crossed it.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58We've just crossed the equator!
0:06:00 > 0:06:05As you can see, everybody in the train is very excited by this event,
0:06:05 > 0:06:11everybody's up in arms having traditional celebrations for the equatorial crossing(!)
0:06:16 > 0:06:22If the President's eco-tourism plan is to work, he might need to modernise the railway.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26The trains were beginning to show some wear and tear, and then I saw the track.
0:06:29 > 0:06:36This bridge is very dangerous, that's why the train is slowly moving.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39(Is that why you're talking so quietly?)
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Yes, maybe the noise might
0:06:41 > 0:06:43just cause an accident.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- (And the water looks quite deep.) - Yes, of course.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51And I cannot swim.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Sticking to the equator was never going to be easy.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03The train headed north, so we had to hire cars to carry on towards the village of Makougue.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08But even 4x4s struggle on these roads, especially after it's rained.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14The road is really, really bad - we cannot go on in the car,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16we will have to stop and walk.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24I think it'll be all right, we should be able to get out of there.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30These cars don't have winches on them, so if one gets stuck,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33we can't pull the other one out.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53The villagers in Makougue lived off the land until last year, when the president turned the surrounding
0:07:53 > 0:07:59area into a national park and stopped people hunting animals as part of his eco-tourism plan.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19Because the local wildlife is now protected, the villagers have to find a new way of earning a living,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22in this case putting on traditional dances for tourists.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The Chief and his village are making the best of it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- Enchante... Simon.- Simon.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: They banned us from killing animals in the forest.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39So we've stopped hunting and allowed tourists to come and visit us.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42We need you to give us publicity.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45You should say that tourists are welcome in Makougue.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46They must come here.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51SINGING AND DRUMMING
0:09:10 > 0:09:16I'd only been travelling along the equator for a week, and knew it was never going to be easy.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22But the next morning, I discovered it was about to get even harder.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26We have a bit of a problem with our vehicles.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31Last night, the owner of the cars announced
0:09:31 > 0:09:36that we would have to pay over a £1,000, so nearly 2,000,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38if we wanted the cars to stay with us.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It's basically bribery.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The drivers have been told they've got to go back to Libreville,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49and the owner of the cars just seems quite happy just to abandon us,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52completely abandon us, in the rainforest.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05- Well, the drivers are nice guys, but their bosses are complete thieving- BEEP!
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- I mean, what a bunch of- BEEP!
0:10:07 > 0:10:12I wouldn't pay them £1,000 - 2,000!
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Absolutely outrageous!
0:10:17 > 0:10:23We'd been abandoned in a remote area under potential threat from the deadly Ebola virus.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28It can spread to humans from apes, and has killed a third of the world's gorillas in the past decade.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Ebola victims can bleed from every orifice until they die.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Something I was hoping to avoid.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37You've gone immediately for the very lightest one!
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Finally we made it out of the jungle.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Our rescuers ran an ape research centre monitoring the local gorilla population.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48This is a gorilla's head, this is a chimpanzee.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- It's not good touching that. - Oh, sorry, for me or for them?
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Ebola!
0:10:53 > 0:10:57So it's not good for me to touch it because of Ebola.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- Right.- Great(!)
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Luckily, for emergencies like Ebola, I have my special disinfectant.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14He was joking. He was joking.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18I'm not taking a chance, you can't joke about Ebola!
0:11:27 > 0:11:33After trekking for miles through the lush rainforest, all I wanted to do was cool off.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Bye-bye!
0:11:39 > 0:11:43In the end, it wasn't Ebola that stopped me in my tracks.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Where we were planning to go next, the um,...
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Start again, shall I? My brain's not working. I feel so rough.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08After I vomited blood, Linel called in a doctor.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10What do you think it is?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Er...malaria.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16It's malaria,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18according to him.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20He thinks it's malaria?
0:12:20 > 0:12:26I keep getting that rush of saliva into my mouth that you get when you're about to vomit.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30It's horrible.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37HE SIGHS
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So much for travelling round the equator.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45After treatment, I was told to rest until I was strong enough to head
0:12:45 > 0:12:48to my next stop, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51one of the most dangerous countries on the planet.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53First we had to fly south of the equator,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56to the capital Kinshasa, to clear immigration.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I'm just getting ready to fly up north
0:12:59 > 0:13:03into the equatorial bit of DRC,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07going to a town called Mbandaka, but, luckily,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11we're not going in this plane, we're going in this nice shiny one.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22We're off up the River Congo.
0:13:22 > 0:13:29On our right, we've got the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the left is Congo Brazzaville.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34The equator crosses part of Congo Brazzaville, but local villagers blame foreigners
0:13:34 > 0:13:40for recent Ebola outbreaks, and we were told that if we landed there, we might be attacked and killed.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47So instead we carried on along the equator to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It's a country the size of Western Europe.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54A terrible war here has led to at least four million deaths since 1998.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Well, the heat certainly would suggest that we're back on the Equator.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Let's see what the technology says...
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Just got to get a signal first of all.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Actually, when you've been away from it for a short while,
0:14:10 > 0:14:16you start to forget just how... just how hot it is - absolutely scorching!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21There are very few cars on the roads of the Congo,
0:14:21 > 0:14:27but my guide Emery was taking me to a village on the equator that had suffered during Congo's civil war.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30I wanted to see what life was like in the aftermath
0:14:30 > 0:14:33of the deadliest conflict on the planet since World War Two.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41As we drove east towards the village, we passed by a once-famous botanical garden.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46Many of the trees have been cut down, and I soon discovered why.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51How far have you had to carry this?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53EMERY TRANSLATES
0:14:55 > 0:14:57About four kilometres so far.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Nogozi seemed relieved to stop for a chat.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Merci beaucoup.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It was heavy for me.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17It was heavy for me.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Can I ask you a cheeky question?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21How old are you?
0:15:21 > 0:15:2568. I would look much younger if I hadn't had to work so hard...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It's weakened me.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32How much money do you get for the wood that you've been carrying?
0:15:32 > 0:15:36400 to 500 francs a day.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38400 francs is not a lot.
0:15:38 > 0:15:4242p.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45You can't buy enough to eat with 400 francs.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Merci, monsieur, merci.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55To reach the village of Ngamba Kinshasa,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59we had to travel on the Congo River, the second longest in Africa.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05With just 300 miles of paved road in this vast country,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08the river is one of the few ways of getting around.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15The mighty Congo River.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I thought the locals bathing by the river were pleased to see us,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20until their chant was translated...
0:16:26 > 0:16:28If the Congolese want to trade or travel,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33they have to go from town to town on huge barges that moor by the riverbank
0:16:33 > 0:16:35until they have a full load.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Have you travelled on a barge up and down the river?
0:16:38 > 0:16:44- Of course, many times.- And how long have you had to wait when you're on the barge until it leaves?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Um...
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Minimum is a month.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- A month?!- Maximum is three months.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56The conditions are terrible, you can have 400, 500 people, two toilets.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02The Congo has a tragic history.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Up to 10 million people died under Belgian colonial rule.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11After independence from Belgium the dictator Mobutu then plundered Congo's resources.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17Villages like Nganda Kinshasa have suffered further in recent violent conflicts.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But the fighting has now stopped in this part of the country.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The village teacher Jose hasn't been paid for months.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43The Congo is fertile enough to feed all of Africa and provide
0:17:43 > 0:17:47power for much of the continent, but you wouldn't know it here.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51How many children will be in this room, in the church, when it is operating as a school?
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- About 60.- 60 children.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- Yes.- There's nothing to write on, no paper?
0:17:57 > 0:18:01They write on paper, put it on their legs, the paper.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- They write on their legs?- Yes.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06What do you need?
0:18:06 > 0:18:09You need a blackboard, you need books, you need chalk.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13We need everything - blackboards and documents like books.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22Yeah, like books, because you see, the school is broken easily and now we study in the church,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26but we mix all pupils in the same house...in the same church.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32We put third form aside and second form in another side and so on.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39Average male life expectancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo is just 42 years.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Jose invited Emery and me to meet his family.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46He is raising three children of his own, as well as three children
0:18:46 > 0:18:50of family members who have died from malaria and other diseases.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52So this is actually your nephew?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Yes, my nephew, yes.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Do you feel that you've got a lot of responsibility?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I can't refuse, because they are all of them, our family.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Jose's one-year-old son Johnson
0:19:05 > 0:19:07has malaria.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The reality of life in post-war Congo is that
0:19:10 > 0:19:14six out of ten children won't live to see their fifth birthday.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28The west of the country is now relatively peaceful.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32But I was heading to the east, where it isn't...
0:19:32 > 0:19:34So we're now heading east along the equator.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38We're going in the right direction and we're going quickly
0:19:38 > 0:19:40so our journey will speed up a little bit.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45This is our direction of travel, the pink line here,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49and the equator line is just slightly to the side.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Hitching a ride into a conflict zone isn't that easy.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00One of the few people flying there is Dan, a missionary from Colorado.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04It's a cliche really. Do you think you're doing God's work here?
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Do you feel that this is your calling?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Oh, yeah, definitely. If I didn't, there'd be no reason to be here.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I'm not getting paid enough to do this.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16We're heading east now, I mean we're
0:20:16 > 0:20:18going in that direction.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Well, on the east they just have these continual conflicts.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24You know, they have Ugandans coming over,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29you have the Hutus and the Tutsis fighting it out.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35You have the cattle people and the farmers fighting for their land,
0:20:35 > 0:20:41and...it's just a lot of anarchy over there.
0:20:42 > 0:20:49Dan was taking us to the safety of the United Nations main base, just north of the equator.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55The UN has thousands of soldiers here, right at the heart of the conflict.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58We've now just landed safely in the east of DRC in Bunia.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05So for all of us, it's slightly nerve-racking being here
0:21:05 > 0:21:08because of the threat of military activity,
0:21:09 > 0:21:15I suppose, what I really mean is the threat of or risk of any of us getting shot!
0:21:15 > 0:21:22The largest UN peacekeeping force in the world is here trying to disarm powerful local militias
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and prevent the country sliding back into a massive civil war.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31UN forces are also training the Congolese army, but it still has a terrible reputation.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35So those were Congolese army soldiers.
0:21:35 > 0:21:42We are in the middle of the town, so there are so many people - no reason to be afraid,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47but if we met them in the bush, I wouldn't be as happy as I am now.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Why?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Because it's common knowledge that the Congolese army,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57some of them at least,
0:21:57 > 0:22:02do, er...rob the population.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12Behind the conflict in the DRC are some of Africa's richest deposits of diamonds and gold.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I wanted to get to a mine, to see what so much of the killing has been about,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19but with outbreaks of local fighting,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22the only one safe enough to visit was just north of the equator,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and even then we needed an armed UN escort.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I'm trying to get to one of the big goldmines in this area,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33but all the roads are blocked so we're going to travel by helicopter,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37and the Pakistani army has kindly arranged for us to travel on this one.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43At the moment, we're not actually going anywhere - they're just pressing buttons and
0:22:43 > 0:22:46playing with some of the electrical connections.
0:22:46 > 0:22:54We make delay - our radio is failure - ten minutes I will try to repair.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55Good luck.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02A small problem, hopefully, Inshallah.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And then we'll be on our way.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Thankfully, the chopper was repaired
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and we were soon safely on our way to a goldmine in an area
0:23:12 > 0:23:18that changed hands five times during intensive fighting between warring factions.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20The UN now takes no chances here.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Soldiers guarding the landing strip, waiting for us to come down.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35During the fighting that took place in this area, at least 2,000 civilians were killed.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46The fighting was about control of this mine.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Today, it's safe enough for locals to work here again.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57For 12 hours a day, seven days a week, men dig through
0:23:57 > 0:24:01the mud with their bare hands, hoping to strike it lucky.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08This is really what the conflict in the Congo has been all about,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10the natural wealth of the country.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14The mine is now under the control of one of the militias,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17which charges locals a fee just to dig here.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And if they find any gold, the militia takes a cut.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24So we need to keep our eyes open on here.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28- TRANSLATION: - Gold is mixed with mud.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34We use a bucket with holes in the bottom to get rid of the mud, and keep the stones.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41We purify it over this waterbed, which is padded with carpet, on which the gold stays.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44We then empty the carpet in clean water to get the gold.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Do you think the gold has been
0:24:48 > 0:24:51a benefit to this area, or has it been a bit of a curse?
0:24:51 > 0:24:55It's really a blessing, as there's no other work for us except digging this gold.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59If it weren't here, our suffering would be unbearable.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00For us, it's a blessing.
0:25:03 > 0:25:09But gold, which fuelled the war, has definitely been a mixed blessing for the Congo.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15The mine provides work for locals but they earn a pittance, and it's not just men who dig here.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19You've got kids working here!
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Children just behind us here.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Do you work in the mine?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- Oui.- Yes.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31How long have you been working here?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36- Deux ans.- Two years.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39That's quite a long time. How old are you?
0:25:39 > 0:25:4113.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43And you how old are you?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- Douze.- 12.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And you?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- Dix ans.- 10.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59During the last war, the Congolese people had to put up with seven different foreign armies invading
0:25:59 > 0:26:03their land, killing them and plundering their natural resources.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13Now there are 17,000 UN soldiers here not just as peacekeepers, but peace-enforcers,
0:26:13 > 0:26:18authorised to fight warring factions and militias that refuse to disarm.
0:26:18 > 0:26:25Dozens of UN soldiers have been killed in the Congo, and they take no chances when out on patrol.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29We're now travelling in the back of a Pakistani armoured personnel
0:26:29 > 0:26:34carrier and they're really just trying to show the local population
0:26:34 > 0:26:40that they're here and they have a lot of force with them, so they've got no reason to be subtle.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Apart from deaths caused by warring foreign armies, much of the
0:26:44 > 0:26:49slaughter in the DRC has been the result of local tribal conflicts.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55It was shocking to discover how often ethnic groups here have been massacring each other
0:26:55 > 0:27:00in battles between those who want land for crops, and those who want it for cattle.
0:27:02 > 0:27:0450,000 died in this district.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08And in this village, called Nizi, locals from the Hema tribe
0:27:08 > 0:27:12said they had been attacked by the nearby Lendu tribe.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16This gentleman here is the village chief
0:27:16 > 0:27:22and he's just taking us...it sounds as though he's taking us to see a mass grave, actually.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30We buried 114 people here.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It's mostly women and children in there.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41They came very early in the morning with machetes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44They came from where the Lendu tribes are
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and just massacred people in the village.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52What do you think they were trying to achieve?
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Nizi was well known. We were a prosperous village.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01People were doing well, that was why they came here.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Survivors here bear the scars.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14This man's whole family was slaughtered. He was left for dead.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18You can see the machete mark on
0:28:18 > 0:28:24his hands, look at all the scarring... My God!
0:28:29 > 0:28:35TRANSLATION: During the attack, they tried to kill me by hacking at me with a machete.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40How many members of your family did you lose?
0:28:40 > 0:28:44My wife and family were all killed.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52And I suffer - I am alone.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54All I live in is a hut.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59They took all the people who could have helped me.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02This is the life that I have been left with.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11But there is hope.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14The UN have upped their presence here to try and keep the peace
0:29:14 > 0:29:18in the run-up to the country's first democratic elections in over 40 years.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23A whole generation of Congolese were about to get their first taste of democracy.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29So, this is the rather glamorous hotel bar -
0:29:29 > 0:29:30shall we get a drink?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Yes, let's go.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34Tell us what this is, Emery.
0:29:34 > 0:29:42This is my voter registration card, it allows me to vote during the elections.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46- Are you excited about this? - I'll very soon turn 30,
0:29:46 > 0:29:51- and I've never been to any ballot box.- You've never voted?
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Never voted, and I think that these people that we're going to vote are
0:29:54 > 0:30:00going to be accountable and they're going to do the will of the people.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02So I'd better keep it.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Keep it safe! Keep it safe.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Until the D-day arrives.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Cheers.- So, here's to Simon.
0:30:09 > 0:30:16Thank you as well for travelling across the Congo and good luck for the rest.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Thank you, mate. Thank you.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30I left Emery and the war-torn DRC, and continued along the equator
0:30:30 > 0:30:32towards the relative safety of Southern Uganda.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39We've just arrived in Uganda
0:30:39 > 0:30:41and over here is Bart.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Bart, come and say hello!
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Hi, how you doing? Welcome!
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- Thank you very much. - It's nice to see you, good.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Actually, at first glance Uganda looks a lot nicer than
0:30:53 > 0:30:56the Congo where we've just come from -
0:30:56 > 0:30:59the shops are open, people are out and about...
0:30:59 > 0:31:01HORNS BEEPING
0:31:01 > 0:31:03..the traffic is pretty crazy.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Look at this... Look, arrgh. !
0:31:08 > 0:31:13This is the first time in many years I've enjoyed been in a traffic jam
0:31:13 > 0:31:17because in the Congo the only vehicles were really United Nations vehicles
0:31:17 > 0:31:25or cars belonging to aid agencies - here in Uganda it's just people moving around, it's normal life.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30We left the capital, Kampala, which is just north of the equator,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and made our way back to the magical line.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Three,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42two...one
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and...zero!
0:31:45 > 0:31:47Just about round here! Shake my hand!
0:31:47 > 0:31:50We've just made it to the centre of the world!
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Before we get run over, let's get over here!
0:31:52 > 0:31:57In Uganda, the equator seemed to operate as a business opportunity.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00I think we should have the experiment, really.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04An enterprising man had set up a demonstration of one of the great
0:32:04 > 0:32:09myths about the equator - that it can affect how water goes down a plug hole.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12On the north side of the equator, the water went clockwise,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16and on the other side, it appeared to flow anticlockwise.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20And sure enough on the equator line itself, it went straight down the hole!
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Although it does look impressive, I'm not entirely convinced.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33Whatever my doubts, I was still awarded a certificate of authenticity.
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Thank you.
0:32:34 > 0:32:40I've officially crossed the equator! I haven't just crossed it and
0:32:40 > 0:32:44I've been awarded this geographic certificate by the equator Club!
0:32:44 > 0:32:49We left the monument and headed further along the equator line,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51towards the main source of the Nile River.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00In Uganda, the equator runs through Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world.
0:33:00 > 0:33:06And the water from here is the starting point for the 4,184 mile long river.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14It will take about three months, apparently, for the stick to travel all the way down the Nile
0:33:14 > 0:33:18and reach Egypt and then come out into the Mediterranean.
0:33:20 > 0:33:26Bart had arranged for us to go out on part of the Nile known as Rafter's Paradise.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Initially, it didn't look too threatening.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Well, here it looks OK.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35But we know it's not going to be all like this, don't we?
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Here you go, I am making it tight.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45If you can't breathe, it means you're not gonna drown, OK?
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- What are you doing? - I am trying to learn.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55- He's learning how to paddle. - Practising.- Yeah, he's practising.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00You need to worry more about this - "I'm over here, I'm drowning."
0:34:00 > 0:34:01Team equator!
0:34:01 > 0:34:04THEY CHEER
0:34:47 > 0:34:52As we began celebrating, none of us noticed Bart drifting down the river...
0:34:58 > 0:35:00However, Rafter's Paradise is under threat.
0:35:00 > 0:35:06The Ugandan government plans to build a massive hydro-electric dam here.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08They already have two dams on the Nile,
0:35:08 > 0:35:13and Egypt downstream has threatened dire consequences if Uganda further
0:35:13 > 0:35:15interferes with the flow of the river.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18But Uganda wants to use the Nile to create more power,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22and they are the ones who control the source, as we discovered
0:35:22 > 0:35:25when Bart and I were shown round one of the dams.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29Do you have the power to cut off the water here?
0:35:29 > 0:35:31We can do it, but not the power, because
0:35:31 > 0:35:35it's an agreement, whatever, but you can cut off the water if you want.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39So if you wanted to, you could turn off the taps on the Nile.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Yeah, you can, but why would you do it?
0:35:44 > 0:35:50Back in the car, Bart was still upset about his unscheduled swim earlier in the day.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51What did you say then, Bart?
0:35:51 > 0:35:53I'm still being troubled...
0:35:53 > 0:35:57bothered by the water which entered my nostrils
0:35:57 > 0:36:00when I fell into the rapids.
0:36:00 > 0:36:06- Do you think you might have suffered some long-term damage?- Yeah!
0:36:06 > 0:36:10- Do you need urgent medical attention?- Nah.- Are you sure?
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Africans don't need much medical...urgent medical attention like you do.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19How can you suffer from a bout of malaria?!
0:36:19 > 0:36:23I've had malaria about 50 times and I'm fine.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29This is from a man who's been complaining for the past
0:36:29 > 0:36:32eight hours about the fact that he got some water in his nostrils!
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- Water and malaria are different things.- Well, which is more severe?
0:36:36 > 0:36:38You can fight malaria, you can't fight water!
0:36:40 > 0:36:45We headed east again, with a short stop to look for some wildlife.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Just heard this crashing in the trees and now we're...
0:36:54 > 0:36:57We're realising there's monkeys all around us, but, of course,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01since we've tried to film them the little buggers disappear.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02Banana!
0:37:05 > 0:37:09The producer has just thrust a banana into my hand - somehow I'm
0:37:09 > 0:37:13supposed to attract these monkeys out of the trees with one banana.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14Come on, monkeys!
0:37:21 > 0:37:23In the end, the banana actually worked!
0:37:25 > 0:37:32What's great about travelling around the equator - you're never far from wildlife.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Soon I was surrounded by dozens of vervet monkeys.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40They don't like being far from a tree because of predators...
0:37:40 > 0:37:44..but visitors with bananas are just too tempting.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48So this is like the equivalent of feeding the ducks in England.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Come and bring some bananas and feed the monkeys!
0:38:00 > 0:38:02What have you got? New Vision?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06I'll have the Red Pepper, please.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12This paper just shows immediately two of the big problems
0:38:12 > 0:38:15in Africa at the moment - but particularly in East Africa.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19Corruption - "A corrupt official cried before me."
0:38:19 > 0:38:23And Museveni, that's the President here, to rule for life!
0:38:23 > 0:38:28This is President Museveni who was seen as the great hero of the independence movement
0:38:28 > 0:38:32and once said that the big problem with African leaders
0:38:32 > 0:38:39is that they don't want to give up power and now he's become what he always said he wouldn't.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Museveni's held power for 20 years.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46He's failed to stop a devastating conflict in
0:38:46 > 0:38:51the north of the country, but he 's had some success tackling HIV/AIDS.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55I was shocked to see just how many coffins are on sale in every town,
0:38:55 > 0:39:01but things are getting better - a massive public awareness campaign has had a dramatic effect.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05Everybody in this country knows about AIDS and the dangers -
0:39:05 > 0:39:10you walk into any of these shops and ask for a condom, you'll be shocked - you'll find everyone has a condom.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13And is that... Is that a major change?
0:39:13 > 0:39:16In 1988 the...
0:39:16 > 0:39:22the level of the growth at the rate at which AIDS was developing was 35%.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27- 35%?!- 35%, and today Uganda has been able to reduce the level,
0:39:27 > 0:39:32the rate of growth of AIDS from 35% to currently 6%.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34That's quite a unique achievement really.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38I lost my sister to AIDS, and she died and...
0:39:38 > 0:39:42and today I would find it difficult for my younger sister to die
0:39:42 > 0:39:47out of ignorance because they know, they know the dangers.
0:39:54 > 0:40:00My next stop on the equator line was Kenya, one of Africa's major tourist destinations.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05This was meant to be a fairly relaxing stop before I finished my journey in war-torn Somalia,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08but on a trip like this, of course, nothing goes to plan.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Travel the world, they said,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15meet interesting people...
0:40:17 > 0:40:20push your trolley for miles across the hot tarmac.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26It's all right, Brian, don't help, it's OK.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28I'll do it on my own, no problem!
0:40:35 > 0:40:41My Kenyan guide, Michael, wanted to take me to a village famous for its traditional circumcisers.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45For boys aged around 12, it's part of becoming a man.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49But as we approached the village, there was chaos on the streets.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03We just saw a lot of activity by the side of the road,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07so we've just stopped, Michael do you know what's going on?
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Yeah, it's bullfighting.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12They're on their way for a bullfighting session.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16- And is this why everybody's gathering over here?- Yes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- Let's go and have a look.- Yeah, OK.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Basically, what they do now is... they are prepping the bulls,
0:41:27 > 0:41:31preparing them, you know, psyching them up.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34There's a pretty fearsome-looking bull in there.
0:41:37 > 0:41:44Local tradition means each bullfight is attended by people dressed in animal skins or as animal spirits.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Follow me!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- Follow me! - I'm following a man dressed up as
0:41:54 > 0:41:58a woman wearing a gorilla outfit towards two fighting bulls.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Come! Come!
0:42:09 > 0:42:11How do you decide who wins?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13- Yeah?- How do you know who wins... Who wins?
0:42:13 > 0:42:18- When... When one of them goes faster. - So when one bull races off.- Yeah.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Oh, right.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25Oh! And there they go, whoa!
0:42:26 > 0:42:28I think the black and white bull has won
0:42:28 > 0:42:31and now everybody's celebrating around it.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Presumably, this is the owner of the winner - he looks very happy!
0:42:40 > 0:42:42He's got the strongest bull.
0:42:45 > 0:42:51- Congratulations! Well done!- Very... Very, very good, I am happy!
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Do you win a lot of money, oh, be careful!
0:42:56 > 0:42:58The winner gets quite a lot.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01And even the loser gets something small.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06In the old days, a winner would be given a sheep, and the loser, a cockerel.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Amid all the chaos, I was on the lookout for
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the circumcisers I was supposed to be meeting.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21See that guy over there moving through the crowd?
0:43:21 > 0:43:23He's a circumciser.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Would you trust him with your todger?
0:43:27 > 0:43:29I wouldn't!
0:43:32 > 0:43:36As the bulls became more aggressive, I realised that bullfighting in
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Kenya is dangerous for the crowd as well as for the animals.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47What's happened here?
0:43:47 > 0:43:50He's broken his leg.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56I don't know how we're going to get him in!
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Oh, dear.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Michael volunteered our car as a makeshift ambulance.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06OK, so we're now...
0:44:06 > 0:44:09I think we are now going to the hospital.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13We've got a bloke who's fractured his leg. Are you his cousin?
0:44:13 > 0:44:17- Yeah.- Cousin, OK, and we've got two circumcisers here as well.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21I'm a bit scared to be in the back with you.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Don't go practising on me, please!
0:44:26 > 0:44:29We were the only ones who had a vehicle,
0:44:29 > 0:44:35which is why we've brought Magnus to the hospital.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38He's the son of, actually, the son of the Chairman of
0:44:38 > 0:44:42the Bullfighting Association, so it's a little bit ironic, really.
0:44:45 > 0:44:50Despite appearances, Magnus was fine a few days later.
0:44:53 > 0:44:58With the hospital taking good care of him, I had a chat with Thomas the circumciser.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06That looks really painful!
0:45:06 > 0:45:11TRANSLATION That's how he becomes a man. He can also sit with the other men.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16We can circumcise around 100 boys in an hour.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22You can circumcise 100 boys in an hour!
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Do they mind you working so quickly?
0:45:25 > 0:45:27I mean, don't they want you to take your time?
0:45:27 > 0:45:29I mean, that's sort of...
0:45:31 > 0:45:33that sort of speed?
0:45:35 > 0:45:38It's a must. You can become crazy.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43What? What do you mean you can become...you can become crazy?
0:45:47 > 0:45:51There is normally frantic singing that gets into your head.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56You go into a frenzy and just continue to cut, cut, cut!
0:46:01 > 0:46:03By this point, I'd heard enough.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10The next day, and another early start
0:46:10 > 0:46:12for Michael and me, as we headed to Lake Nakuru.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16This national park is famous for being "the most fabulous bird
0:46:16 > 0:46:19"spectacle in the world," and it didn't disappoint.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31Steve, our guard, the ranger, has allowed us to get out.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Can you see the hyenas over here?
0:46:48 > 0:46:51It's just an amazing sight,
0:46:51 > 0:46:53it leaves me slightly...
0:46:53 > 0:46:55slightly lost for words almost,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57it's so beautiful.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01- Like a plantation of flowers, you see.- That's a nice one - I like that.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07- How many do you think there are here now?- I can say there are about...
0:47:07 > 0:47:11- about one million.- About one million. - About one million.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16But the flamingos here at Lake Nakuru are threatened by bird flu,
0:47:16 > 0:47:21which has already struck in a number of African countries, including neighbouring Sudan.
0:47:21 > 0:47:28So far we have not detected any bird flu in this park, and we are very much monitoring them.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32How are you monitoring them, in what way?
0:47:32 > 0:47:36By daily patrol, coming around and if we found any...
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Any dead, we take it...
0:47:38 > 0:47:45We don't take it, we call the veterinary department, but so far we haven't had cases at all.
0:47:45 > 0:47:52I imagine, if you did get bird flu in the population here, it could be devastating.
0:47:52 > 0:47:53Yeah, really devastating.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59But not all the animals here are quite as charming as the flamingos.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Well, this one doesn't seem to be going away,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06I hate to mention this, but he looks a little bit excited as well.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Oh, dear.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Yes, he is quite excited.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Put it away!
0:48:13 > 0:48:18I mean, we don't want to have to watch that, it's half past nine in the morning!
0:48:21 > 0:48:24My God, come up! Come up, there's a rhino!
0:48:28 > 0:48:31They've been trying to secure all of them from poachers
0:48:31 > 0:48:35so they've built an electric fence all the way around the park.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39It's the only park in Africa which is enclosed in that way -
0:48:39 > 0:48:45it means that animals like this huge beastie are well protected.
0:48:51 > 0:48:57The solar-powered electric fence runs for 74km and encloses the whole park,
0:48:57 > 0:49:02protecting hundreds of species from gangs of poachers who still operate in Kenya.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11This is just a spectacular view.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16It's just... Just awe-inspiring, really.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21There's a giraffe just out for a stroll.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27People in the park are saying that their great problem now is
0:49:27 > 0:49:30as the population of Kenya increases, who uses the land?
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Is the land here in Kenya for the wildlife in the park that we
0:49:34 > 0:49:39see here, or is it for the people in the city just over to our left?
0:49:42 > 0:49:49Nakuru is only 4km from the park and is home to nearly 300,000 people.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54We've just had to leap out of the car because we've got to get
0:49:54 > 0:49:56a new one of these, a sort of adaptor for the cameras.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Now this is Nakuru, this is the town, you can see how many
0:49:59 > 0:50:04- people are living here - it's quite chaotic.- Where are you going?
0:50:04 > 0:50:07Well, what is interesting about this place is how busy
0:50:07 > 0:50:11the town is now, and how close it is to the park, to the wildlife park.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Don't touch me now!
0:50:15 > 0:50:18He's threatening us now.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22He's a bit...He's a bit intoxicated.
0:50:22 > 0:50:27Off we go. Poachers and pollution are a constant threat to Kenya's parks.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30But outside the parks there are still wildlife surprises.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Can you just slow down for a second?
0:50:32 > 0:50:37All the zeros - we've just crossed the equator line again,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40but this time I don't think we are going to stop.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Stop! Stop! Stop!
0:50:44 > 0:50:48In Britain, if you take a drive out into the country
0:50:48 > 0:50:53and go down a dusty road you're lucky if you see a fox -
0:50:53 > 0:50:57here in Kenya you get to see elephants!
0:51:04 > 0:51:06The further east you go in Kenya,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09the more people you see chewing miraa -
0:51:09 > 0:51:13a natural stimulant derived from a shrub that flourishes here.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Miraa is so popular it has become one of Kenya's chief exports,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19even ahead of coffee.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23I came to meet a local farmer who grows miraa right on the equator.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30- Simon.- Yea, I'm Simon - my name also.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35I'm Simon as well then, that will make things less complicated.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37We'll just leap up into the tree.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Yes, and then you start harvesting now from all the branches now.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44- Do you harvest it by hand? - It's just harvested by hand.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- So you are just plucking them off. - Yes.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51So here we go this is miraa, they call it here in Kenya -
0:51:51 > 0:51:55in Somalia this is known as khat.
0:51:57 > 0:51:58You just chew this?
0:51:58 > 0:52:03You started chewing, yeah. It's very sweet, it's not nasty.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07How much will I have to chew for it to have an effect on me?
0:52:07 > 0:52:11- Oh, just a bundle, a small bundle.- As much as that?
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Yeah! Lots of it, you must eat a bigger bundle.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18I'm not sure we've got enough time to chew all that!
0:52:18 > 0:52:25Miraa has been grown for centuries in this part of Kenya, and has become part of local traditions.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29If you want to marry my daughter, I'll let you bring this one.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33I will not give you my daughter before you bring
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- as the first dowry to open the speech.- So I...
0:52:36 > 0:52:40If I want to marry your daughter, I need to bring a lot of miraa.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Not so much, just a small bundle like that one.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46Come on your daughter must be worth more than that!
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- No, just to open the negotiation. - Open the negotiations, right, OK.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Then other things follow later.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55- What else will you expect? - That's a ram, five cows.
0:52:55 > 0:52:56- Five cows!- Yes!
0:52:56 > 0:53:00Simon, you are striking a hard bargain, I haven't even met your daughter!
0:53:02 > 0:53:05But there is a serious downside to the drug.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Regular use of miraa can lead to insomnia and anxiety.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13Often, it can make people feel more irritable, and even violent.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23- You can see everybody's got... They've got miraa to sell, basically.- Yeah.
0:53:23 > 0:53:29There's a slight edge here, because you can sense that people
0:53:29 > 0:53:34feel a little bit uncertain about whether they should be filmed holding, what in many countries,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38is a drug.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Miraa passes through this market on the way to Somalia,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45where local warlords control the lucrative trade.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48So we're now being told we should get out quite quickly.
0:53:48 > 0:53:53We've been told we should leave the market. So I'm going to go that way and you're going to follow.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07Kenyans chew miraa occasionally, but I was due to head for chaotic
0:54:07 > 0:54:12Somalia the next day, where most men chew it incessantly.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15The drug has helped to destroy the country.
0:54:21 > 0:54:27We've just had some bad news this morning - the equator line runs through southern Somalia
0:54:27 > 0:54:31and our plan was to travel across Somalia and then get to the coast,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34where we would finish our journey across Africa,
0:54:34 > 0:54:40but there's been an outbreak of quite serious heavy fighting in Somalia, just in the last few days.
0:54:43 > 0:54:49So I decided to fly as close as I could to the border between Somalia and Kenya.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53Somalia has no proper government, and years of fighting between
0:54:53 > 0:54:58rival warlords has forced Somalis to flee into the Kenyan desert.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Smack bang on the equator lie the Dadaab refugee camps.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13We're now going to try and find some of the new arrivals in the camp.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18Because of the situation in Somalia now, there's been fighting there very recently,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21people have been coming into the camp just even in the last few days.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28I passed a weary group who had just made the long trek to the camp
0:55:28 > 0:55:32and were still waiting to be processed by UN workers.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Where did you come from, and why did you come to the camp?
0:55:36 > 0:55:39I came from Mogadishu because the fighting was so bad.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44- Are your children here with you? - I was forced to leave two of them in Mogadishu.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48Do you know what's happened to them? Have you been able to make any contact with them?
0:55:48 > 0:55:50No, I lost them in the attack.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55The group walked for 20 days through the desert to reach the camp.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58After their food ran out, they survived on rainwater.
0:55:58 > 0:56:03People have forgotten about the chaos, the crisis in Somalia.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08You look into their faces, and you just realise that they're hoping and waiting
0:56:08 > 0:56:12for the rest of the world to come and give them some assistance.
0:56:12 > 0:56:16This camp was opened 25 years ago.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21For the people who arrived in the early years this is the only life they know.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25Fatima, who is now 23, has been here since she was six.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32When you think of the future, do you feel positive or negative about the future?
0:56:32 > 0:56:37I am always positive about my future, always positive.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Do you think you will go home to Somalia?
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Would you like to go home to Somalia?
0:56:41 > 0:56:45No, I will not. For that one... I will never go back to Somalia.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47- Why not?- Will never.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49- Why not?- Because I know the problems I faced,
0:56:49 > 0:56:54I know more people have been killed there. Even if there is peace,
0:56:54 > 0:56:58better I stay in Kenya and integrate with these people.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02But the refugees cannot integrate with the Kenyan population, because
0:57:02 > 0:57:08the Kenyan government won't let them go more than 20km outside the camp.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10I can travel anywhere in the world.
0:57:10 > 0:57:16I have this magical thing called a British passport and it means I can just travel around.
0:57:16 > 0:57:21Are you're confined here in this, it's almost like a prison,
0:57:21 > 0:57:24it sounds like, does it feel like a prison?
0:57:24 > 0:57:29We say the "open prison", that's what we normally tell people.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32What would happen to you if you just kept on walking,
0:57:32 > 0:57:36if you wanted or tried to go to Nairobi or a local town?
0:57:36 > 0:57:40You can't go to Nairobi or even the nearest, 90 kilometre town,
0:57:40 > 0:57:43which is called Carisa - because to go there you have to use
0:57:43 > 0:57:48a vehicle and in between Carisa and here there is police patrolling.
0:57:48 > 0:57:53They will stop the vehicle they will ask everybody, "ID card".
0:57:53 > 0:57:55We don't have that ID card - we are refugees.
0:57:57 > 0:58:02Fatima was knowledgeable and well-educated thanks to the staff who run the refugee camp.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05And there were many more like her.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09It was depressing to see them all stuck-out in the middle of the desert.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13Thanks to an accident of birth, I was lucky enough to be able to
0:58:13 > 0:58:16leave, and continue my journey around the world.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21So here we are - 00.00.000.
0:58:21 > 0:58:26Right on the equator now - the line runs "thattaway".
0:58:26 > 0:58:31This is the end of my journey across Africa now...
0:58:31 > 0:58:34and my next stop is Indonesia.
0:58:37 > 0:58:39And I'll walk all the bloody way!