Dans la Haute-Gambie : $b Voyage d'exploration scientifique, 1891-1892

At the turn of the 1890s a French physician‑scientist was summoned to Paris to argue that Europe’s dwindling supply of gutta‑percha could be replaced by a forest treasure hidden in Africa. Backed by the Ministry of Commerce and a supportive colonial administration, he assembled a small team and set out for the Upper Gambia region, intent on cataloguing trees, vines and other latex‑bearing plants that might sustain the electrical industry. The opening pages read like a meticulous field notebook, complete with clickable sketches and botanical indices that invite listeners to picture every leaf and bark pattern.

The journey itself unfolds across flood‑plain savannas, river islands and bustling market towns, where the explorer records not only the scientific data but also the customs of the peoples he meets. Early on, he encounters a curious sapotaceous tree whose sticky sap bears a striking resemblance to true gutta‑percha, prompting hopeful speculation about its commercial potential. Listeners are drawn into a vivid tableau of 19th‑century colonial science, where curiosity, practical ambition, and the raw beauty of an unfamiliar landscape intertwine.