A successful expedition earlier this year to trace the source of the Essequibo River is the subject of a documentary being produced for German Public TV.
A one-hour version of “Expedition Essequibo” was presented on Monday at the residence of the European Union Ambassador to a specially invited audience, which learned of the travails of the 14-member party that undertook the trip from March to May this year.
The full length documentary, being produced by Blue Paw Artists, is to be broadcast in spring 2014 in Germany and France.
The Guyanese-German team, the release said, was the first modern equipped team to follow the Essequibo River right to its source. This will enrich the knowledge of the southern parts of Guyana, as there have been expeditions to the Acarai Mountains before; however the position of the source of Essequibo and its source valley have never been recorded,” a press release issued by Blue Paw stated.
The team consisted of Professor Martin Oczipka, of the Institute of Technology in Dresden, Marion Pöllmann and Rainer Bergomaz, of Blue Paw Artists; Duane Defreitas, Duane Defreitas Junior, Orvin Felix, Richard Wilson, and Belinda Francis of Dadanawa Ranch; Yung Sandy of Surama, who was the cameraman for Blue Paw; and James Sozo, Eleazea Mawasha, Simoen Mawasha, Elisha Marawanaru, and Nereus Chekema of Masakenari Village.
The release stated that the voyage began at Parabara, from where five boats set off for Essequibo and followed the river into the south. After four days, they arrived in Masakenari, where the Wai Wai team joined the expedition, which then continued to the confluence of the Chodikar and Sipu rivers.
It was noted that the expedition was supported by maps from the Lands and Survey Commission, while satellite imagery was provided by the German Space Agency.
The release noted that the first half of the Sipu River was easy travelling and after a few days only about 20 to 30 miles remained. However, then the river split and bamboo forests blocked the way, forcing the team to leave the boats and continue the journey on foot.
The release said that the Essequibo River starts in a steep valley covered by a muddy lake overgrown with dense bamboo forest. “From the flank of the surrounding hills, three similar creeks run into this lake. As there was no sign of plant or animal life in the creeks, it is possible they may dry out in the dry season; therefore the valley may be the only constant water supply for the Essequibo,” it said
The team followed the southern-most creek until it disappeared, at which point Chekema, the youngest member of the team, planted a Guyana flag.
According to the release, the most important biological findings were identified as the blue frog (Dendrobates Azureus) and a nesting colony of the Canje Pheasant (Hoatzin), Guyana’s national bird. A report of the findings was presented to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).
Meanwhile, during the presentation of the documentary at the residence of the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) on Monday, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said that he was very pleased that a team from Germany came to Guyana to explore Essequibo.
He added that the expedition film will certainly boost eco-tourism and congratulated Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali and Minister of Culture Frank Anthony and also thanked the European Union and the Amerindian People, for supporting the venture.
Blue Paw Artists is an award-winning filming company that was founded by Pöllmann and Bergomaz in 1996. Their first trip to Guyana was back in 2000, and since then, Blue Paw Artists has made approximately sixteen documentaries on Guyana’s nature and its untouched rainforests.
The expedition was provided with maps from the Guyana lands and Survey and satellite imagery was provided by the German Space agency.
