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The honeycomb is removed from the hive
A beekeeper returns to the village with a wild colony of bees
September 19, 2010
VOL 27 NO 38
Tramping through jungle in search of the African queen
Over a million Ugandans have taken up beekeeping as a means of earning a living. Photographer Lar Boland travelled to east Africa to document a project that has brought sweetness and light to a troubled nation. Words by Gerard Siggins
A beekeeper clips the wings of the queen with his teeth to stop her straying
Beekeepers set off into the forest in search of wild bee colonies
Disabled members of the community are encouraged to participate in the beekeeping projects
The hive is smoked to pacify the bees
DUBLIN photographer Lar Boland has long had an interest in the humble bee. His passion was stoked further by a TV programme earlier this year and after a late night googling, he found a story about beekeeping in Africa.
His day job as a photographer had taken him to Uganda before, shooting victims of Aids and other development projects. So it wasn't long before he
zeroed in on the Kikandwa Rural?Communities Development Group and its beekeeping project.
"A?lot of African communities are turning to beekeeping as a way of earning a living. It's cheap and easy and isn't as damaging to the environment as charcoal-burning, which is what they have been doing up to now."
Armed with overseas aid, mainly from New Zealand but also through the Irish charity Gorta, the Ugandans have taken to apiary with gusto.
The honey they now produce is rated as one of the best in the world, but just 5,000 tonnes of the sweet substance is produced, 1,800 for export. As one of just three African countries allowed to export honey to the EU, there is great potential.
"About 1.2 million beekeepers are active," said Alice Kangave, principal government apiarist. "This constitutes only 1% of envisaged potential."
The Ugandans have studied their neighbours in Zambia and Ethiopia who have thriving honey industries. New Zealand has also sent specialists to help establish apiculture.
Boland travelled to Kikandwa, which is 30 miles from the capital, Kampala, with support from the Simon Cumbers Media Fund.
There he spent 10 days with the communities in nine villages, in which 75% of people live below the poverty line. Much of the work is done by women and apiculture makes their lives easier as it is low-intensity work. "The bees keep the hives clean, so once they are established all that needs to be done is to collect the honey. Disabled members of the community are also employed as managers as a way of empowering them."
Boland's photographs show the villagers travelling into the jungle to find a new colony. When they find one in the undergrowth they pump in smoke to make the bees drowsy. One man plunges his hand in to find the queen, who then has her wings bitten to ensure she doesn't fly away. She is then placed on a clump of twigs and, when her followers join her, is carried back to the village to start a new beehive.
Simon Cumbers was murdered by suspected al-Qaeda gunmen in 2004 while filming a report for the BBC in Saudi Arabia. The attackers opened fire on Cumbers and BBC correspondent Frank Gardner. The Irishman died at the scene and Gardner was seriously injured.
Irish Aid established the Simon Cumbers Media Fund with the Cumbers family and the journalist's partner. The fund aims "to assist and promote more and better quality media coverage of development issues in the Irish media", which it achieves by sponsoring journalists and photographers who wish to pursue projects in the developing world.
September 19, 2010
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