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Proud of our new logo designed in collaboration with Elodie Thomas! Meaning: the roots remind us of a connected past, while the tips of the branches promise a divergent future. The twisted trunk also expresses the importance of genetics shaping the future of our evolution, as well as the field of Primatology, with a resemblance to DNA supercoiling. The tree is a nod to the Kyoto University logo and symbol, the kusunoki tree that sits out front Kyoto University's Clock Tower. The dots (nodes) and dashed lines (connections), taken from social network analytics, reflect the interdisciplinarity we can find in the field of Primatology and at the Primate Research Institute. The two profiles, generic primate on one side and human on the other, are there to remind us how the study of non-human primates contributes to a better understanding of ourselves. 
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And… we are back to a very different kind of jungle, made of concrete and full of human primates [-weird…] aka Tokyo (and now to the more peaceful Inuyama)! So, of course, everyone is asking: “How was Wamba?!” and it’s hard to describe the Experience in a few words only, but let me try here. Wamba is an incredible place, in every sense of the word. Incredible because as human beings, we get to observe some of our last closest living relatives in their remaining natural environment and incredible also because we often witness surrealist situations (-the station is located in the middle of the village) linked to History and its socio-politico-cultural context. At least, that is how I perceived it during our stay but previous and future visitors/researchers may have a different perspective. Note that if you have been to Wamba, you have not been forgotten there! I think I have heard of ALL of you during my stay ;) In random order, I will miss: - Hot baked bread from Pasteur Aaron (who wants to develop a bakery project at Wamba!) - The bucket of hot water under the stars after 14hours in the forest - The “no teeth no underwear” (i.e. kids, not old people) waving and shaking hands on the way back from the forest - The smiles, the laughter (particularly the one from Isolumbo aka “Vieux Calvin”), the colors, the fresh air - Pigs, goats, chicken and other house-/toilet-/shower-mates - The staff (Embele, Cedric, Batandanga, Lokemba, Bafaluka, Bafutsa, Bambambe and others -even Besao) - The outdoor life - The songs at the church and Cedric’s playlist (including Fally) - The “appeased despite all” face of the old mamas - Avocados, forest mushrooms, sese (fizzy palm wine), “Lion King” worms, and fried bananas - The deep sleep - And last but never least the bonobos… Things I will not miss but I may soon start to miss: - The daily 4am protestant church (our neighbors) drums - Waking up with a boost of adrenaline caused by a 5am morning run in the forest to avoid thousands of army ants using the same path as us - The “Ave Maria”, “Everywhere I go there is Jesus” and other songs - The daily 7pm staff meeting Will definitely not miss: - Belo, bombo, yuku (at first mispronounced “kuyu” or [couillu]…) and other nasty flies - Gun shots in the forest - Giardiasis, malaria and other symptoms - Coffee seasoned with flies and/or gecko poops - Some corrupted officials   |