Chah Yibain is a visual artist in Buea, South West Cameroon.

"The Gorilla in the cage has dreams about better days ahead in a human-free forest. This is exactly how I felt when I stood face to face with these great primates. I saw in their eyes the desire to be free. If I had a means to ask these Gorillas to define space for me, the ones that had once lived in the forest before being brought to the zoo will say: space is their level of freedom in a human-free forest. Others will say: space is their level of freedom in electrified fences. Though they are provided with ropes and toys to jump around and play about with, this is not the same as their natural habitat. Their natural habitat is full of natural challenges that provide them with natural survival skills.

These Gorillas are in cages because we humans are too greedy. We cannot pretend that we kill these animals because of lack of food. The forest has a variety of alternate food stuffs, and forest dwellers understand the need to conserve rare species. If we go back deep into most of our African cultures, we will realize that for conservational purposes we surround the rare animal species with myths and dogmas, and some of these animal species are looked upon as sacred animals, or are said to be hunted only in a special period of their social lives.
The people of my village fore example, and most villages up in the North west Province of Cameroon, regard the Gorilla as a sacred animal. One of the wildest JUJUS "Maskarades" in this part of the country called "Mabuh or Mubuh or Fibuh" portrays the Gorilla, and it is Royal."

Title: "Caged Dreams"
Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimenisions: 60x40 cm

50% of the revenues of this original gorilla painting, signed by the artist, will go to the conservation of the Cross River Gorillas in South West Cameroon.

Shipping and handling costs (US and Europe): US$75

Video of the art workshop