Despite this, Karp rarely felt uneasy about the attention.
“The general consensus was intrigue: Why are there white guys with cameras getting out of a van in the middle of Africa? People were always very welcoming, receptive and open. The only protocol we had to follow was of meeting the chief when we arrived in new places.”
This warm reception extended into unbridled hospitality, where locals permitted Cook and the team to park up on their properties or invited the crew into their homes for food and much-needed showers.
Often the people who owned the least gave the most. In the Republic of the Congo, on a dirt track off a logging path, local villagers gave the team four smoked catfish as a welcome gift.
“These catfish were their well-being and income; produce they’d typically sell standing on the side of the road. Yet, they gave the fish to us and refused to take any money,” said Karp.