DESTINATION GUINEA

Facts at a Glance
Environment
History
Economy
Culture
Events
Facts for the Traveller
Money & Costs
When to Go

Attractions
Off the Beaten Track
Activities
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Recommended Reading
Lonely Planet Guides
On-line Info

Environment

Guinea is slightly larger than Britain, and you can get a handle on its geography by dividing it into four zones: the coastal plain (with Conakry on a peninsula thrusting out to the south-west); the north-western Fouta Djalon hill region (source of most of the Niger River); the northern dry lowlands; and the hilly, forested area of the south-east. Shaped like a boot sitting on its toe, Guinea basks on the shores of the equatorial North Atlantic near the bottom of the bulge of West Africa. Its neighbours are Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Liberia, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone, and it has 320km (198mi) of Atlantic coastline.

Guinea has no national parks; the forest elephants and other fauna have fended badly against poachers and loss of habitat through logging and the spread of cultivation. The eastern part of the country is heavily vegetated, although it is far from virgin forest because of fires and farming. The improving road system is a boon for travellers wanting to move around the country, but not so good for the forests as timber is now much more accessible than it was in the past.

Guinea is one of the wettest countries in West Africa, and May to October is the rainy season. Conakry receives over 4m (13ft) of rain a year, but the centre of the country receives less than half that. The cool weather falls between November and February, but from December to February the harmattan winds blow in from the Sahara and the skies of Guinea - and most of West Africa - are flushed with grey sand. On these mothers of all bad hair days, visibility can be reduced to 1km (0.6mi).

History

Between the 13th and the 15th centuries, Guinea was part of the Empire of Mali, which dominated most of the Sahel region. Around the 15th century, Fulani herders started migrating into the area, and gained control over the Fouta Djalon area after the Holy Islamic War of 1725. The Portuguese arrived at the coast during the 15th century and the slave trade followed hot on their heels.

The French arrived in this part of Africa early in the 19th century, proclaiming the coastal region a French protectorate in 1849. Samori Touré, a national hero, led the fight against French rule until 1898 when he was captured. Resistance to the French was particularly fierce in the Fouta Djalon, but it gradually petered out in the 20th century into the odd outbreak. One of Tourés descendants, Ahmed Sekou Touré, became the most famous Guinean of all. He was born into a poor Malinké family and become one of the most important trade union leaders in French West Africa. In 1956 he led a breakaway movement from the French parent union and formed a federation of African trade unions.

In 1958, French President de Gaulle offered the West African French colonies autonomy as separate countries in a Franco-African community, or immediate independence. Sekou Touré was the only West African leader to reject the autonomy path, declaring, perhaps a little rashly, that Guinea preferred `freedom in poverty to liberty in chains'. Poverty is what the country got for the next 40 years, although the freedom part is debatable. In a fit of pique, de Gaulle immediately withdrew the French administration, and the colonial bureaucrats destroyed all the civilian archives and military equipment - they even ripped out telephone lines. French citizens fled with massive amounts of capital, and the economy disintegrated.

In a bid to be rid of all things French, and with France turning its back on the country economically anyway, Touré jumped into bed with the Soviet Union. He introduced a new currency, the syli, but the ménage à deux with the USSR was quickly over. The Soviet ambassador was thrown out of the country in 1961 for `interfering in the internal affairs of the country', but Touré's government was not to be swayed from socialism. The party now chose a path for the country more akin to the Chinese model, and in 1967 it even had its own mini cultural revolution.

State-run farms and weekly meetings of revolutionary units were introduced, but collectivisation proved to be a disaster. As many as a million Guineans fled the country to look for work, and the remaining farmers were only able to work one-quarter of the country's cultivable area. Massive shipments of food aid from the USA were all that staved off famine. In the meantime, Touré had appointed his fellow Malinké to virtually every major government position and commenced vicious repression of his political opponents, mostly ethnic Fulani. Nearly a quarter of the population - again, mostly Fulani - now fled into exile, and for years Guinea had the dubious honour of coming near the top of Amnesty International's list of worst human rights offenders. Touré even starved one of his Fulani opponents to death in jail.

Touré became paranoid after a failed Portuguese-led invasion in 1970, and spoke of a `permanent plot' against his regime. The turning point came in 1977, with what became known as `the market women's revolt'. Traditionally among his most ardent supporters, the market women rioted in Conakry when Touré decreed that all agricultural produce be delivered to state-run cooperatives. The riot quickly spread to other towns, and the governors of Kindia, Faranah and Boké were killed. Touré saw a light of some kind, quickly legalised petty trade, and following that stepped up his reconciliation with France. President Giscard d'Estaing became the first French president to tour the country since independence, and before Touré died in 1984 he embarked on a tour of West Africa, making amends with those whose boots he had trodden on.

Three days after Touré died of heart failure, a group of colonels, with Lansana Conté at their head, staged a coup. They denounced Touré and released 1000 political prisoners, promising the restoration of an open society and a return to the holy grail of Market Rules OK. In 1985, after a failed coup, Conté invoked austerity measures and invited the IMF to come in and apply their template. Incomes of some Guineans have consequently skyrocketed, but for most of the population they have plummeted or remained the same. Under the UN's Quality of Life Index, Guinea has ranked last in the world (or next to last) in every year since 1990. Living standards are generally miserable, and the government still spends far more on defence than on health or education. There were allegations of vote-rigging at the 1993 presidential elections, which may have been true, and an attempted coup-cum-mutiny over army pay in 1996 failed to unseat the government. The next presidential elections are set for 1999.

Economic Profile

GDP: US$8.3 billion
GDP per head: US$1100
Annual growth: 4.8%
Inflation: 3.5%
Major industries: Mining: bauxite, diamonds, gold; alumina refining; light manufacturing and agricultural processing
Major trading partners: Europe, USA

Culture

Unlike the Bambara in Mali, to whom they are closely related, the Malinké produce very little art. Sculpted human figures are virtually non-existent, and if you find any wooden carvings, they are likely to be in the form of an antelope.

Traditional music remains popular with most of the people in Guinea, despite the rise in popularity of more modern forms. National and international stars have blended western instruments with African rhythms and instruments, and the two types of music still exist side by side. Over 80 recordings have been made by Syliphone, the country's home grown music label. They cover an enormous range of popular and traditional styles, and some of the big names are Bembeya Jazz, Keletigui et ses Tambourinis, and Camayenne Sofa.

While French is the official language, many African languages are spoken: Malinké, especially in the north; Fula, mainly in the Fouta Djalon region; and Susu, mostly in the south around Conakry. You will get by if you speak some French, although people certainly appreciate attempts to speak their languages. Around 75% of Guineans are Muslims, less than 1% are Christians, and the remainder practise traditional religions. Virtually all believe in reincarnation and embrace the existence of a supreme being.

In most towns, street food such as brochettes, grilled fish, peanuts and cakes is available, and there are usually one or two restaurants offering cheap meals of rice and sauce. Only the larger towns will have restaurants offering meat, chicken or chips. Conakry has several French-style pâtisseries selling coffee and cakes, pizzas, hamburgers and other western-style food.

Events

The main events celebrated in Guinea are tied to the Muslim (lunar) calendar, and the dates vary from year to year. Tabaski, also known as Eid-al-Kabir, is the most important celebration, when Muslims kill a sheep in commemoration of the time God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, then interceded at the last moment and suggested a sheep instead. The second major Islamic holiday is the end of Ramadan, or Eid-al-Fitr. Mohammed's Birthday, about three months after Tabaski, is also celebrated.

Facts for the Traveller

Visas: Everyone needs a visa, and they cost between US$25 and US$50
Health risks: Diarrhoea, hepatitis, AIDS/HIV
Time: GMT/UTC time
Electricity: 220/240V
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion table)

Money & Costs

Currency: Guinean franc (GF)
Relative costs:

• Budget room: US$5-10
• Moderate hotel: US$15-25
• Top-end hotel: US$90 and upwards
• Budget meal: US$.50-$1
• Moderate restaurant meal: US$2-10
• Top-end restaurant meal: US$10 and upwards

Conakry is expensive, but out in the country you can get by on the smell of an oily rag. You'll need about US$15 or $20 a day if you regularly stay in the cheapest hotels and eat street or market food. Because some of the lower end accommodation can leave a lot to the imagination, you may want to move up a few rungs and pay more for luxuries like running water and electricity, in which case you should budget on spending around US$50-60 a day. If you want to stay in international-style hotels - although there are precious few of them outside Conakry - and eat at the best restaurants, count on spending around US$150 or more a day.

Service in banks in Conakry is usually good, although in banks up country it can be a lot slower. Black marketeers usually offer a rate about 5% better than the official exchange rate, but only for cash. In the banks you'll get a better exchange rate on travellers cheques and cash for French francs or US dollars than for any other currency. There is a bank at Conakry Airport, but the exchange rates for travellers cheques there are very low. None of the banks will change Guinea francs back into hard currency, but the street changers will; it all seems above board but you would be wise to be discreet. Most of the larger and western shops, restaurants and hotels accept credit cards, but you should rely on cash in the smaller towns.

In the more `European' restaurants you normally tip about 10% of the bill, but otherwise try and find out what locals are tipping, if they are at all. Bargaining is normal in the markets, and even in some places to stay, but not, of course, in top of the range hotels.

When to Go

The cool, dry period between November and February is the best time.

Off the Beaten Track

Activities

You can swim at several beaches near Conakry and further afield, and the best hiking in the country is in the beautiful Fouta Djalon region.

Getting There & Away

Air France (via Paris), KLM (via Amsterdam), Sabena (via Brussels) and Aeroflot (via Moscow) fly direct to Guinea. Ghana Airways and Air Afrique also fly to and from Europe, but the only way to go from the USA is by Air Afrique from New York to Dakar or Abidjan, where you have to transfer to a regional airline. Within West Africa, Conakry is connected by air to Bamako, Niamey and all the capital cities along the West African coast, mainly by Air Afrique, Gambia Airways, Ghana Airways, Nigeria Airways, Air Guiné and Guinée Air Service.

Bush taxi, bus and minibus are the way to cross into neighbouring countries by land, and you can enter Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Senegal overland (but forget about Sierra Leone). You can also reach Mali by river boat when the river is high enough, and a fast and luxurious hydrofoil service may start operating again between Conakry and Freetown when the civil war in Sierra Leone is definitely over and Freetown is rebuilt.

Getting Around

Domestic air services fly from Conakry to Boké, Kissidougou, Kankan, Siguiri, Labé and Koundara. The government bus company, SOGETRAG runs between Conakry and all the main towns except for Nzérékoré. Bush taxis cover the shorter runs between towns and reliable and cheap minibuses cover the longer routes. Trains no longer run anywhere in the country, despite the existence of train lines shown on maps. You can, however, often find rooms at the hotel-buffet at old stations.

Recommended Reading

• A Mission to Civilize: The Republican Idea of Empire in France and West Africa, 1895-1930 by Alice Conklin, looks at the arrogance, folly and sometimes good intentions of French empire builders.
• Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, 1880-1995 by Patrick Manning, includes material on developments since 1985, looking at the democratisation movements of the 1980s and 1990s and the Francophone movement.
• Martin Klein's Slavery and Colonial Rule in French West Africa describes the history of slavery during the 19th and 20th centuries in three former French colonies.

• Africa
• West Africa