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A small forest surrounds the village of Fiema, and outside that is the usual
landscape of secondary growth produced by slash-and-burn agriculture. In
the forest, there are two kinds of monkey, the Black & White Colobus
and the Mona monkey. This is not so unusual, as there are monkeys in forest
all over Ghana. However, this village and its forest is very unusual.
What is different is the high population density of these monkeys in Fiema's
forest, and their behaviour. They are not afraid of people. They are the
swans of Ghana!
The people of this area believe that the monkeys are in some way connected
with their ancestors, and have not hunted them for at least 200 years. As
a result, it is possible to stand next to a wild monkey, to give it a piece
of food, to observe it closely while it returns the compliment, and to photograph
it.