This highly focussed event hosted by the Limbe Wildlife Centre comprised of a unique workshop with Cameroonian artists featuring the Cross River Gorilla. The workshop was part of the AFC Flag Expedition in Cameroon, a collaborative project of Canadian high realist artist Daniel Taylor, Artists for Conservation, ERuDeF and the African Conservation Foundation.

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At the beginning of the workshop, the artists were welcomed by Daniel Taylor, Louis Nkembi and Arend de Haas of the African Conservation Foundation. This was followed by a tour and introduction by Felix Lankerster, the wildlife vet, and Vincent Fombah, the conservator of the Limbe Wildlife Centre.

As part of this opening, the artists visited the gorilla enclosure and were able to get very close to their subjects. While observing the behaviour of gorillas, Felix explained the precarious situation of the critically endangered Cross River Gorilla, but also the case of the ‘Taiping Four’ lowland gorillas which would arrive at the end of the month. Daniel Taylor pointed out that the visuals arts can play an important role in community education and awareness raising.

After observing the gorillas and in particular Nyango, the only Cross River gorilla living in captivity in the world, the artists returned to their easels and worked out their creative visions. Many of the artists worked with acrylics on canvas, but some also used paints made from organic materials or mineral soils. Each of the artists had a unique style and way of working. The results were stunningly beautiful and very special considering that many of the artists are usually not painting wildlife.

Daniel Taylor worked on a painting of Nyango while discussing techniques and materials with the artists and visitors of the centre. One of the challenges during this workshop was the drying of the different layers of acrylic, because of the high humidity.

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Goal of the AFC Flag Expedition was to study, photograph and sketch the natural habitat of the Cross River Gorilla and chimpanzees and to raise awareness for their conservation. This workshop’s objective was not only to create a series of unique artworks, but also to educate the general public and raise funds through the visuals arts. The workshop also leads to the establishment of the Cameroonian Wildlife Art Society.

At the end of the workshop, a press conference was scheduled which turned out to be a great success with the presence of Cameroon Radio-Television Corporation (CRTV), Max TV, and journalists of the major newspapers such as The Post and The Sun. The media attention offered an unparalleled opportunity to reach thousands of people and educate the general public about the situation of the Cross River Gorilla. At the same time it was promoting wildlife arts and the work of Cameroonian artists, while demonstrating social responsibility and community involvement.

CRTV did several broadcasts of the event, each lasting over 10 minutes, and we received an overwhelming response from across the nation congratulating us with the project’s achievements.

As Emmanuel Tango, one of the artists, expressed it: "The Limbe workshop acted as a turning point in my artistic career. I felt some deep pain and emotion for those animals … I just asked myself: why should we have these fellow-beings facing extinction right before our eyes, and foreigners will travel thousands of miles to come and rescue this species when we sit back and watch?".