Kids' Artwork

Artwork

Here in Mayumba, the kids love to draw. Here are some examples of artwork done by local students:

This sitatunga, a protected animal in Gabon , was drawn by Figo Bautou Nzaou, who is a student at Saint Therese Catholic School in Mayumba. He is 13 years old. His gazelle drawing was pasted onto a photograph of the savannah that is located just south of Mayumba, because that's where sitatungas live. Besides drawing, Figo likes to play soccer with his friends, and he comes to Mayumba Beach Club to help clean up our beach.	Franck Gael, also a student at the Catholic School, drew a shark because he knows that they live in the ocean that is next to his home town of Mayumba. Franck eats the smoked meat of the sharks that local fishermen catch and sell at the market. He is 15 years old and his tribe is Vili. In his tribal language, you say hello like this: "Wah-koh-too-kay!" The word for shark is: "doukou-daka."
This leatherback turtle was drawn by Ardin Ibouanga, who lives in Ndindi, a village of about 250 people at the far south of the Banio Lagoon. Ardin has written Diboty Dineni on the paper, because that means "Thank you very much" in Vili, the language that is spoken in Ndindi. Ardin is 11 years old and was very excited to receive a drawing that came from a new friend who lives all the way across the ocean, in the USA.	Darnelle Malonda Ngoma has drawn a picture of people helping a turtle who is stuck on the beach get back to the ocean. She learned that because leatherback turtles are so big, they can't get over obstacles like the logs that wash up on the beaches when they are lost in transport by the logging companies, and if nobody helps the turtle, it can die because of the hot sun. Darnelle is 15 years old and lives in Ndindi.

Jeanne D'Arc Koumba drew this colorful turtle after learning that Mayumba's beaches are the best in Africa for nesting leatherbacks. She is 13 years old and lives in Rina Nzala, a tiny village of 3 families that is next to the Banio Lagoon.	Cleche Tambou is 15 years old and also lives in Rina Nzala. He did a wonderful job of drawing the leatherback's carapace (it's back). Leatherbacks don't have a hard shell like most other turtles; theirs is soft and somewhat rubbery, with 7 ridges instead of scales. They are bluish black with white spots all over.