Mynyddoedd y Byd: Y Rwenzori Mynyddoedd y Byd

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-Mountains.

-The upper reaches of the world.

-A challenge and inspiration

-for humanity.

-The people of the mountains

-are tough and inventive.

-They've learnt how to live here

-and maintain a culture.

-Below, the world is getting warmer.

-The climate is changing.

-The mountains are not separate from

-the fate of the rest of the planet.

-From the peaks of Korea to the hills

-of the Rwenzori in Africa.

-From the Alps to the Andes.

-From the Rockies to the Himalayas.

-This is the story of living

-on the high parts of Earth.

-The mountains of the world.

-The Rwenzori

-Uganda, central Africa...

-..challenging terrain,

-even for an ex-Royal Marine like me.

-I've worked for the Army

-to strengthen links with Afghans.

-I've learned more about conflict

-in these mountains.

-A fight for freedom...

-..has led to the establishment of

-this unique kingdom in the Rwenzori.

-There's also a physical challenge

-for me - a high climb.

-High enough so I can see the summit

-of Mount Stanley.

-We've been walking

-for almost 12 hours.

-Here, 3,500 metres up, you can feel

-that the air is less dense.

-I have to work a bit harder

-to keep up the pace.

-It'll be quite a challenge.

-Three hard days of walking...

-..with the weather against us.

-It is raining cats and dogs today!

-But I'll have to get on with it.

-Higher, higher and higher.

-One of the guys said

-we have two hours of climbing to do.

-My pants are wet

-and everyone's tired already.

-It's not quite midday yet.

-We'll reach a valley that's almost

-4,000m above sea level...

-..where some of the strangest plants

-in Africa grow.

-This is a giant lobelia.

-It's the king of the jungle

-in the Rwenzori.

-I'll be lucky if the ancient gods

-of the mountains lift the mist...

-..to let me see

-the upper part of their kingdoms.

-It is the palace

-of the king of the mountains.

-While I'm here,

-I want to do something else as well.

-I want to spend time

-with the mountain people.

-Get to know them and how they live.

-We own the houses.

-We own the cattle.

-We own the money.

-We now have possessions,

-thanks to the coffee.

-The locals

-have a long and interesting history.

-The Bakonzo are the original

-inhabitants of the Rwenzori.

-Our forefathers have lived here

-for thousands of years.

-Half a century ago,

-they had to take up arms...

-..to gain recognition

-from the Ugandan government.

-As a former soldier, I have

-a special interest in their story.

-I'm always keen to learn what drives

-someone to fight for his people.

-The bond between these old friends

-is familiar to me.

-The type of friendship

-that only exists on a battlefield.

-I want to meet the soldiers...

-..who fought for the freedom

-of the Rwenzori...

-..and learn what it was like

-to fight in the highlands.

-The mountains were our support

-during the fight for freedom.

-When the enemy attacked us,

-the mountains were our escape.

-This is the story of my two journeys

-in the Rwenzori.

-A climb to the top of the mountains.

-The weather, mud

-and the very steep slopes...

-..make it a really tough trek.

-The second journey

-is just as stunning...

-..into the hearts and minds

-of the Bakonzo.

-I'm free to jump high.

-I can celebrate

-exactly how I want.

-The chains that bound me

-have been broken.

-Western Uganda.

-It's misty, there's no tropical sun.

-It's not savannah, but mountains.

-High and remote mountains.

-The Rwenzori mountains.

-Until the late Victorian Age,

-no European had seen them.

-They rise steeply

-from the Ugandan lowlands...

-..and fall just as steeply

-to the Congolese jungle to the west.

-The lifestyle here

-is familiar to a Welshman.

-Walking to school...

-..driving to work...

-..and noisy pilgrimages to

-the altars of commerce and business.

-At the foot of the Rwenzori, the

-morning commute leads to Kasese...

-..the town between the mountains

-and the savannah...

-..which has a population of 300,000.

-This morning,

-everyone's going to the market.

-Fresh produce of all kinds

-comes down from the hills.

-My walk starts tomorrow,

-I have to hit the shops too.

-I've been invited for dinner tonight

-by our guide, Syayipuma.

-I asked if I could bring a gift.

-He said,

-"Yes. Two kilos of goat meat."

-Kasese was originally

-a copper mining centre.

-It's a friendly town

-where it's easy to ask for advice...

-..and hitch a lift

-to the best butcher's shop.

-The Bakonzo make up the majority

-of the inhabitants here...

-..but people of many

-ethnic backgrounds live here too.

-Here we are,

-meat for tonight's feast.

-I'm not sure how much confidence

-I have in the local hygiene laws!

-Hello.

-ASKS FOR A KILO OF GOAT MEAT

-They say flies enhance the taste!

-Kasese is more than a market town.

-It's the capital of Rwenzururu.

-The kingdom of the mountains.

-The kingdom's only just achieved

-official status in Uganda...

-..after years of conflict.

-When Uganda

-became independent in 1962...

-..the people of the Rwenzori

-expected the same status...

-..as the new republic's

-other kingdoms.

-But they had to fight for it

-for decades.

-Throughout the long battle,

-the mountains were very important...

-..and not just for military reasons.

-For people like Syayipuma,

-the man leading the walk...

-..the mountains

-are their spiritual home.

-The first four years of my education

-was in the mountain schools.

-They taught me so many things.

-It's obvious that he has a longing

-for the mountains.

-I see the mountains

-as being part of my life.

-It's still in my life.

-I've found myself

-living on the lowland now.

-But 97% of my life

-is still in the mountain.

-Dinner time.

-I've arrived to meet

-Syayipuma and his family.

-I've been fortunate...

-..to have many opportunities

-to travel over the years.

-It's always nice

-to visit somewhere new.

-But my favourite part

-is getting to know the people.

-It's immediately obvious

-that they're a close family.

-A family that's proud

-of their history and culture...

-..even though Syayipuma

-insists on speaking English to me.

-Thank you for making me so welcome.

-Syayipuma's mother still follows

-the Bakonzo's old tradition...

-..of making clay figures.

-The family are Christians now...

-..but these strange heads take us

-back to the gods and legends...

-..that were popular here before the

-white man arrived with his Bible.

-The last supper.

-In the morning, the climb begins to

-the home of the old mountain gods.

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-A new morning in Uganda

-and the adventure's about to begin.

-A walk up the Rwenzori mountains.

-A group of guides

-are supporting us.

-They'll carry the food,

-the cooking equipment, the tents...

-..and everything else that's

-required for the next three days.

-Syayipuma is up for the challenge!

-The options are limited in terms

-of seeing the Rwenzori mountains.

-The road ends here.

-There's no cable car

-to take us to the top.

-Most of the time, the weather's

-so bad, you can't film from the air.

-There's only one option - walking.

-People expect an ex-commando like me

-to be fit.

-But climbing at this altitude

-is something else.

-The aim is to follow in the

-footsteps of Henry Morton Stanley...

-..the famous Welshman

-who trekked across Africa in 1889.

-The highest summit of the Rwenzori

-bears his name - Mount Stanley.

-In other parts of Africa, it's

-the wildlife that attracts visitors.

-It's a real thrill

-to see rare animals...

-..such as the desert elephants

-and the forest elephants.

-After years of war and poaching...

-..the elephants of the Rwenzori

-are disappearing.

-But they sometimes leave tracks

-which prove they're still around.

-Here is a track

-of the forest elephant.

-One of the big mammals

-of the Rwenzori.

-It is quite different

-from the savannah elephant...

-..because of the size.

-It is more dangerous...

-..because of a lot of shootings

-that were here in 1996.

-Most of them were killed.

-Joseph sounds like

-he knows the elephant well.

-He also said that he's worked here

-for eight years...

-..and he's only twice seen one.

-So our chances are very slim.

-But it's exciting

-to see the tracks...

-..and think

-there could be elephants here.

-It'd be a tragedy to lose

-the elephants of the Rwenzori.

-Syayipuma scouts in front of us.

-He's on the trail of another beast.

-A beast which scares him.

-Every Bakonzo family has a totem...

-..an animal that connects them

-with the spiritual world.

-It's a strong connection...

-..even if the creature

-is as small as this one.

-In my language,

-it is called akaialungu.

-This is the Rwenzori chameleon.

-We have different clans

-with different totems...

-..birds, animals

-and reptiles, of course.

-There are restrictions for

-the Bakonzo in terms of the totem.

-One of them is touching the totem.

-For the Bakonzo, it's a taboo.

-If I hold it...

-..after two or three days,

-in a period of a week...

-..I will develop a skin rash -

-scabies.

-Please believe me, as much as

-we are too much westernized...

-..all that culture is fading away...

-..but somewhere in the Rwenzori,

-it is still working.

-In my language...

-..the impossible becomes possible.

-Time to move on.

-It's nice that

-the National Park authorities...

-..have made this part of the walk

-easier.

-We stop for lunch and mull over

-the Rwenzori's turbulent past...

-..and the efforts to preserve

-the park and its animals.

-Before starting the walk,

-I went to see one of the projects...

-..which is doing just that

-lower down the park.

-Here,

-agriculture is being established...

-..in an area where locals sustained

-themselves by hunting wild animals.

-Turning their back on the old way of

-life is alien to these new farmers.

-The project gave four acres

-to the farmers - four acres...

-..a tractor and fertilizer...

-..to help them to grow rice.

-The scheme creates jobs

-for local people.

-It's hard work

-for a new recruit like me.

-LAUGHTER

-As they sell what they grow...

-..they can sustain their families

-without having to hunt.

-So the area's wildlife

-benefits as well.

-As they're earning enough through

-the project to support themselves...

-..they don't hunt wild animals

-any more.

-I'm trying to keep up.

-They do this for eight hours a day.

-No idea how.

-But the hard work is paying off.

-We've seen a huge difference.

-The people

-have come round to our side.

-They tell us

-who is actually poaching.

-Back on the trail,

-Syayipuma is keen to get on with it.

-The weather is changing

-and we still have a long way to go.

-The next few days of climbing...

-..will take us up through

-different levels in the landscape.

-From the savannah to rainforest...

-..and then through areas of bamboo

-and scrub...

-..until we reach moorland

-close to 4,000m above sea level.

-There, we might see snow

-on the summit of Mount Stanley.

-But that's away in the distance.

-It's not snow that's worrying

-Syayipuma today, but rain.

-The Rwenzori is quite unique...

-..and different

-from other mountains in Uganda.

-The weather is unpredictable.

-Like now.

-This is a very dry season.

-So many times I've climbed

-in June, July, August...

-..the dry season, and

-there's hardly no rainfall at all.

-It is raining cats and dogs today!

-No-one can be sure if the weather

-here is more changeable than before.

-It's not only rain

-in these streams.

-There's also meltwater

-from the glaciers near the summit.

-Around a century ago, there were

-43 glaciers in the Rwenzori.

-Today, more than half of them

-have disappeared.

-Scientists are concerned

-that climate change is responsible.

-Another big problem,

-especially in the rainy season...

-..is this next stage.

-It's the toughest and

-most difficult distance to walk...

-..for today's walk.

-From here,

-it will be about half a kilometre.

-But, surprisingly,

-you take two hours.

-There are many difficulties

-to overcome in the mountains.

-There's currently another battle

-going on in the Rwenzori.

-A battle for the chimpanzee.

-The chimp has disappeared

-from four African countries already.

-With numbers decreasing...

-..the Rwenzori forest

-is one of their final strongholds.

-But they bother local farmers...

-..and spoil crops

-that grow near the forest.

-The children of the Rwenzori

-need a sustainable future.

-That's the aim of the project

-that tries to strike a balance...

-..between agriculture

-and the mountain wildlife.

-Every farmer here has cause

-for complaint regarding the chimps.

-As I leave the fields each morning,

-the chimps come - and at night too.

-They used to be fond of the maize,

-they'd pull it out the soil.

-And the cabbage and potatoes too -

-and the fruit and beans.

-The answer?

-Around the traditional crops,

-they've begun planting a new plant.

-The chimps find it so unpleasant

-that they stay away from the fields.

-The chimps and other wild animals

-were destroying the crops.

-The National Park tried to find

-an answer to the problem.

-The answer was - garlic!

-We started the Garlic Project...

-..because the wild animals

-hated the garlic.

-The farmers can also sell the garlic

-and make good money.

-The scheme's transformed local

-attitudes towards the chimpanzee.

-The farmers no longer kill them.

-They even protect them

-from poachers.

-We've benefited from the project.

-The whole community

-is working with the National Park.

-The community is ready

-to go out on patrol with us.

-As a result,

-poaching is on the wane here now.

-So changing minds

-with the smell of garlic...

-..and, it must be said, some money

-to sponsor the local football team.

-At the end of the day, everyone

-wants to raise the next Gareth Bale.

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-Day two

-of walking the Rwenzori mountains.

-It's obvious that the wild animals

-keep their distance from humans...

-..because of years of civil war

-and poaching.

-This is one animal confident enough

-to make an appearance.

-Unfortunately, even seeing

-an Ugandan blue monkey...

-..isn't enough to raise spirits

-and energise my tired legs.

-I've spent enough time

-in the mountains over the years.

-Here, the combination of

-the weather, mud and steep slopes...

-..make it a really difficult trek.

-I'm starting to struggle a bit.

-By nightfall, I'm very tired.

-Thankfully, one of the pleasures

-of camping awaits in the mountains.

-At the end of a long day

-of walking...

-..there's nothing better

-than a barbecue.

-However, you have to be careful

-when tasting local delicacies.

-They were just saying

-that a special type of yam...

-..makes you scratch your bum

-for a week if you eat it.

-The lads

-have just explained that to me now!

-You can't stop it!

-Syayipuma tells me that

-according to Bakonzo tradition...

-..the circle around the fire

-makes everyone equal.

-If you are all around the fire...

-..discussing

-or maybe telling stories...

-..we all sit uniformly.

-Everyone

-has a contribution to make...

-..and everyone

-has something to learn...

-..even the simple act

-of building and lighting the fire.

-Setting up a fire like this...

-..is meant to be done

-by a child in the family.

-It was one of the tests,

-cultural and traditional...

-..that would be given to the boys...

-..to show that you were ready

-to hold the family on your own.

-So, beside the fire, they would

-discuss development issues.

-The Bakonzo believe that,

-because they stay close to God...

-..in these mountainous areas,

-you can begin with them.

-As we climb higher, we get closer

-to the homes of the mountain gods.

-At this height, you don't offend

-the gods by talking about them.

-It's enough

-to be aware that they are nearby.

-In the towns, the presence of

-the Bakonzo gods isn't so obvious.

-It's not that the locals

-don't believe...

-..but there are plenty of worldly

-things to grab their attention.

-There's another god here...

-..coffee.

-Coffee is one of Uganda's

-main exports.

-Producers,

-such as Ithungu Teddy...

-..contribute towards a quarter of

-the money coming into the country.

-Ithungu works

-for a cooperative coffee company.

-A company that's grown

-with charitable support.

-Before ascending the mountain, I had

-the honour of hearing their story.

-The cooperative company

-is of a huge benefit to us.

-We plant the coffee together.

-We gather it together

-and go to the market together.

-Through this system of joint

-organization all together...

-..we can charge a higher price

-than a farmer who works on his own.

-Ithungu explained that every year,

-she sketches out her vision.

-What she's going to do with the

-business, her family and so on.

-At the start of the scrapbook, there

-are no words - she was illiterate.

-She's now received education.

-She can write.

-Her children attend colleges

-and can speak English.

-Life for her family

-has been transformed.

-The change has been astounding...

-..in the quality of the coffee

-and the people's quality of life.

-We used to dry the coffee on

-the soil and ruin it by doing so.

-But we've now learnt

-how to use a structure like this.

-And me - well, I've had the chance

-to fly to other parts of the world.

-It's a way of opening

-new markets for our coffee.

-Out of the profits from the coffee,

-we've built a hospital...

-..with an operating theatre.

-We've built new roads and bridges.

-And even schools.

-Our children are going to school,

-thanks to coffee!

-I have to admit...

-..I've often been sceptical of this

-type of micro-finance project...

-..especially after seeing quite

-a lot of them come to nothing...

-..in places like Afghanistan.

-But after meeting Ithungu today...

-..a woman who lived in a shack

-in the mountains 15 years ago...

-..but who now has a son

-who's about to graduate in Law...

-..maybe I need to rethink

-my attitude towards them.

-I've learnt a lot today.

-Wages have increased,

-and our standard of living.

-It's strengthened the family unit.

-There's less domestic violence.

-Rather than accept that everything

-belongs to the husband...

-..we now say that it belongs

-to us all - "Our coffee".

-"Our house."

-"Our cattle."

-"Our money."

-Possessions belong to wives, to us

-nowadays, thanks to the coffee.

-A strong coffee would do us

-the world of good on the trek.

-Day three, and with every passing

-hour, the air becomes less dense.

-Legs are feeling heavier.

-When the Bakonzo feel fed up...

-..they have special medicine

-to lift their spirits.

-Music and dancing are an integral

-part of life in the mountains.

-The sound of the wooden xylophone,

-the endara...

-..can be heard

-at weddings and funerals.

-Across the thick forest

-of the Rwenzori...

-..it's also a call for people

-to help with the community harvest.

-It's said that the music

-ascends towards the gods.

-When the crops require water, the

-rain dance can be very effective.

-There's comfort

-in the presence of the gods.

-But not all in the Rwenzori

-is a bed of roses.

-Man can be very cruel.

-This is a chimpanzee trap.

-We're trying to teach the villagers

-to respect the chimp.

-I'm sad to see one in a trap,

-as the chimp is my family's totem.

-It's like a brother or sister to me.

-We demand that the chimp

-can live in safety...

-..and call on the entire community

-to care for it.

-To succeed, it will require the help

-of the entire community.

-We formed this group

-of chimp scouts...

-..and we trained them.

-These are people

-who monitor the chimps.

-They tell us the abundance

-of chimps, locations of chimps...

-..and the food available.

-This is a trap which was found

-in the forest laid up by poachers.

-Some of these areas, the people

-lay traps to kill the chimps.

-People lay traps to kill

-monkeys and other primates.

-Do you know people in your area...

-..who lay traps for chimps?

-Yes - the names of some of them

-are known to us...

-..and we have strong suspicions

-that others are involved.

-They hunt the chimp...

-..because they just love hunting.

-They kill the chimp

-but not necessarily eat it.

-Others will eat it - a few.

-Others kill chimps

-to give their meat to their dogs.

-Some hunt chimps

-in order to sell them.

-Education is a slow process.

-What is needed

-for the chimp scheme...

-..is the perseverance

-evident in Ithungu's coffee project.

-That kind of spirit would to a lot

-of good for the Rwenzori's wildlife.

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-On the Rwenzori in Uganda...

-..I've walked up the first two

-levels of the mountain landscape...

-..the rainforest

-and the bamboo level.

-But now, it's getting tough.

-I've walked

-for almost 12 hours today.

-I've just reached the third layer -

-the scrub.

-Here, 3,500 metres up, you can feel

-that the air is thinner.

-I have to walk a bit harder

-to keep up the pace.

-We're now far above any village.

-However, these uplands...

-..played a part in the battle

-for the Bakonzo's culture.

-The mountains supported us

-during the fight for freedom.

-When the enemy attacked us,

-the mountains were our escape.

-No-one could find us in the caves.

-There was a good reason

-for fleeing from the enemy.

-In 1964, Uganda

-was a newly-independent country.

-The Bakonzo were keen to form

-their own kingdom in the Rwenzori.

-However, soldiers from Tooro,

-a nearby kingdom...

-..killed thousands of the Bakonzo.

-They had no option but to organize

-themselves and fight back.

-Today, the Bakonzo leaders...

-..remember the sacrifices

-of the long fight for freedom.

-In 1982, after fighting

-in the jungle for twenty years...

-..we decided

-to come down from the mountains...

-..put down our weapons

-and agree terms with the Government.

-It's an honour for me to be accepted

-as a soldier amongst them.

-I receive a gift of a book about

-the history of the mountain war.

-Though the war

-ended about 30 years ago...

-..you can tell that the same banter

-is still evident.

-The type of friendship

-that only exists on a battlefield.

-You didn't need veteran sashes

-to know which ones were ex-soldiers.

-I hope that you live

-the rest of your lives in peace.

-MAN TRANSLATES

-The war for recognition is over.

-But the political fight

-to protect their culture continues.

-We work tirelessly -

-we have a just cause...

-..and we deserve our rights.

-God is with us in the battle.

-One day, we will realize our dream.

-Part of the dream, official status

-for the kingdom, is now a reality.

-But there's a lot more still to do.

-Though our kingdom

-has been recognized...

-..we're still putting pressure

-on the Government...

-..so we can benefit

-from the natural resources here.

-They have the right

-to raise the Rwenzururu flag...

-..with the Ugandan national flag.

-But recent clashes in Kasese

-show that tensions continue.

-The Bakonzo are the original

-inhabitants of the Rwenzori.

-Thank God for giving us

-the old mountain of our forefathers.

-It's the best habitat there is.

-There's snow on its summits.

-It gives us clean water to drink.

-There are magnificent forests...

-..fertile soil for our crops...

-..and beautiful lakes

-which give us fish to eat.

-We are dependent on this mountain.

-It sustains us all our lives.

-We're nearing

-the end of the journey.

-Unfortunately,

-the clouds are still with us.

-After all the effort...

-..we probably won't see

-the summit of Mount Stanley.

-But there are other marvels

-to see here.

-Botanical marvels.

-No-one can look at these

-without making an effort.

-But the effort makes the experience

-so much more special.

-The scrub grows up to six metres...

-..higher than anywhere else

-in the world.

-Here, so close to the equator

-yet so high above sea level...

-..the temperature varies greatly.

-It's summer by day

-and winter by night.

-There's a jewel in the crown here.

-People come to Africa to see

-the Big Five - the large animals.

-But among the plants,

-it's this, the giant lobelia...

-..it's the king of the jungle

-in the Rwenzori.

-Here, a small deer

-called the Ruwenzori duiker...

-..has been eating the plant.

-The lads said that anywhere

-you find the duiker...

-..a Rwenzori leopard will be nearby,

-so we'd better keep our eyes peeled.

-If the leopard's about,

-it's hiding in the mist.

-Also hiding is the summit named

-after a Welshman, Mount Stanley...

-..and the other mountains

-named after European kings.

-But Syayipuma knows them

-by their traditional names.

-They're the gods' ancient kingdoms.

-Miraculously,

-the clouds lifted at last...

-..to reveal the summit

-in all its glory.

-It is the palace.

-The palace

-of the king of the mountains.

-It is a palace

-not as it looks like a palace.

-It is a palace because

-in these Rwenzori mountains...

-..Margherita peak,

-that highest point...

-..meaning the king.

-Then, it has other mountains.

-Moebius and Albert.

-Those two are the kings' wives

-for the Rwenzururu.

-The Rwenzori.

-Sacred mountains

-if ever there were any.

-It's my final night

-with the Bakonzo.

-Time to celebrate.

-I do so with a group of dancers...

-..who take advantage

-of the freedom they now have...

-..to practise

-their old folk traditions.

-As a nation,

-we felt marginalized and useless...

-..because

-no-one recognized our king.

-Having official status has made

-a vast difference to the Bakonzo.

-Now, we're as happy

-as other kingdoms...

-..because we have

-our own king and our own kingdom.

-I want to give a platform

-to our traditions...

-..and record our own music.

-So here I am

-supporting the king...

-..who wants us

-to keep our traditions alive.

-Some of the old wounds

-are disappearing.

-Despite their terrible history...

-..the Bakonzo are obviously

-more confident about the future.

-That's a reason to celebrate.

-I jump high...

-..because I'm allowed

-to express my views.

-I can speak to God

-and he will listen.

-I can celebrate just as I want...

-..because the chains that bound me

-have been broken.

-After a glimpse of their heaven...

-..who could deny the people

-of the Rwenzori a kingdom on earth?

-Since filming this programme...

-..deadly fighting has returned

-to the Rwenzori mountains.

-Tensions with the Ugandan government

-continue.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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