#CENTRAL AFRICA

[folkfashion]

Sapeur boys, Republic of the Congo, by Tariq Zaidi

[bootyandgeekeries]

[postcard-from-the-past]

Woman from Central Africa

French vintage postcard

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Mayst I request chapin's free-tailed bat? :}

Of course! It was a little hard to find good photos, but what a silly looking guy! I wanted to make sure I got a picture in of the male's interesting hair.

The first photo is of a male, and the second is of a female I believe :)

[esoteric44ngel]

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Shoo-in Shoebill Stork

The shoebill stork, also known as the whalebill stork or Balaeniceps rex is in fact not a stork at all, but a long-legged wading bird belonging to the family Pelecaniformes. This species can be found in the central African tropics, from southern Sudan to northern Tanzania. Within this range, they mainly inhabit freshwater swamps and dense marshes, particularly those with deep water large reed beds.

Balaeniceps rex is often referred to as a dinosaur among birds due to its fearsome appearance. The average individual stands 1.1-1.4 m (3.6-4.5 ft) tall and has a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.6 m (7.5 to 8.5 in). However, adults are quite light, weighing only 4 to 7 kg (8.8 to 15.4 lb). Males tend to be larger than females, but otherwise the two sexes look identical. Adults have dark grey plumage with a lighter belly and darker wings. Their most striking feature is their beak, which is extremely large and can be said to resemble a wooden show (hence the name).

The shoebill's beak is very useful for catching its primary prey: fish. B. rex consumes a variety of species, including lungfish, catfish, and tilapia, as well as non-fish items like water snakes, frogs, turtles, mollusks, and even young crocodiles. Shoebills typically stalk their prey, or stand perfectly still and wait for their prey to come to them, before quickly snatching it up and decapitating it with the sharp edges of their beaks. Because of their large size and strong bills, adults are seldom prey for other animals, and they defend their nests fiercely from predators like snakes and other birds.

Outside of the breeding season-- and even during it-- shoebills are extremely territorial. Not only do they chase potential predators away from their nests, both males and females will fiercely defend their territory from other shoebills.

Breeding begins in the dry season, typically in in May, and lasts until about October. Once a male and female form a pair, they remain together for the duration of the mating season. They build a nest from floating vegetation, and 1-3 eggs are cared for by both parents; in addition to being incubated for warmth, one parent may also occasionally pour a beak-full of water over the eggs to keep them cool during the hot summer day. The eggs hatch about 30 days after being laid, and young are fed continuously-- though usually only one chick survives to adulthood. At 125 days old they become fully independent and leave to establish their own territories. The average individual can live up to 35 years in the wild.

Conservation status: The IUCN lists the whalebill stork as Vulnerable. Current wild population estimates sit at about 5,000-8,000 individuals. Primary threats include poaching for the zoo trade and consumption, habitat destruction, and pollution.

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Photos

Santiago Caballero Carrera

George Amato

Mana Meadows

[kemetic-dreams]

Bakongo spiritual protections influenced African American yard decorations. In Central Africa, Bantu-Kongo people decorated their yards and entrances to doorways with baskets and broken shiny items to protect from evil spirits and thieves.

This practice is the origin of the bottle tree in Hoodoo. Throughout the American South in African American neighborhoods, there are some houses that have bottle trees and baskets placed at entrances to doorways for spiritual protection against conjure and evil spirits.

In addition, nkisi culture influenced jar container magic. An African American man in North Carolina buried a jar under the steps with water and string in it for protection. If someone conjured him the string would turn into a snake. The man interviewed called it inkabera

[marigoldcanaries]

Help a Family Evacuate from DR Congo!

Hello everyone :)

Please have a look at this particular fundraiser.

It is created by a refugee who has left Democratic Republic of Congo at a young age with their nuclear family. Unfortunately, they have to leave their extended family behind (their mom's sister and kids) who currently lives in Goma. So this campaign is for them.

Their safety is constantly threatened with the dangerous presence of the ADF and M23 rebels. B*mbings, sh*otings, looting and property damage while having limited access to food, water, electricity, and gas. (This is all mentioned in their fundraiser).

They need to evacuate as soon as possible!

Let's help out! The halfway point is already reached, so let's go all the way! Consider giving as little as $5. You can even match me!

I also ask you to reblog and share their story! Every reblog counts. It will give their fundraiser momentum.

Thank you!

P.S: If you would like more information, you can message them on IG. Their handle is @/godlessdyke.

[travelbinge]

By Jorge Sá Pinheiro

Morro da Luan, Luanda, Angola

[mapsontheweb]

Current situation in Central African Republic civil war

[folkfashion]

Rwandese groom, Rwanda, by Rwandan wedding

[bootyandgeekeries]

[postcard-from-the-past]

Religious procession in Congo, Central Africa

French vintage postcard

[lifeofthegem]

A mug

IG: Caroline.manya

[gregor-samsung]

دارات [Dry Season] (Mahamat Saleh Haroun, 2006)