France noire (Côte d'Ivoire et Soudan)

A French officer’s letters turn into a vivid travel journal, sharing the first weeks of an arduous trek through the dense forests of Côte d’Ivoire and the high plateaus of southern Sudan. He recounts rain‑soaked camps, swollen rivers, and the relentless loss of porters, while the landscape shifts from towering mangroves to scorched volcanic slopes dotted with makeshift thatched huts. The narrative is punctuated by striking sketches drawn from the author’s own photographs, giving listeners a visual sense of the rugged terrain and the fleeting silhouettes of local women moving among the banana groves.

Beyond the physical challenges, the account quietly observes the everyday life of the people the expedition meets—women washing gold‑bearing quartz, children darting through mist‑filled clearings, and the subtle customs that surface around fire‑lit evenings. The tone remains honest and measured, offering a blend of scientific precision and personal reflection that invites the audience to experience the wonder and hardship of early African exploration without revealing later twists or conclusions.