Understanding Where We Are Now
Mama Toto’s Plantation
Topline
In Gabon, villagers face limited access to their farmland, often hiking for hours and carrying heavy loads in traditional pondzi baskets.
Mama Toto envisions building direct access paths to her land and planting a sacred Iboga plantation to restore spiritual and ecological balance.
She is seeking 10 million XFA (~$18,000 USD) to complete the project.
The immediate need is 3 million XFA (~$5,000 USD) for land clearing, which must take place during the dry season (June–September).
All funds raised will go directly to her cooperative: SCOOPS Bouyedi Bwe Moutema (BBM) — “Wisdom of the Heart” with the exception of costs for required travel to Gabon.
These photographs were taken in a small village near Lambaréné in Gabon. The village is led by a powerful woman, Mama Toto. Due to the lasting effects of French colonialism, many villagers live in modest homes along the roadside. While many own land that includes plantations and natural vegetation, providing food for their families, they face significant challenges accessing it. Without direct pathways, villagers must often hike for hours to reach their land and then carry heavy loads of produce back in traditional baskets called pondzis. When full, these baskets are incredibly heavy, making the journey a physically demanding task that requires strength, endurance and abled bodies.
Mama Toto envisions creating direct access to her plantation to ease the transport of produce. Additionally, she plans to plant sacred trees known as Iboga which holds deep spiritual significance in her community. This tree has gained popularity in the West due to its root’s psychedelic properties, which have shown remarkable potential in healing addiction. The Western approach is to isolate and patent the chemical compound ibogaine, believed to be responsible for these effects. However, this has led to extractive exploitation of the Iboga tree, as pharmaceutical companies race to develop it into a marketable "miracle drug."
What is often overlooked is that the true power of Iboga comes from its spiritual context, deeply rooted in Gabonese traditions. When separated from this cultural and spiritual framework, ibogaine’s impact is significantly diminished. Mama Toto wants to honor her ancestors and the sacred root by replenishing what has been taken and establishing an Iboga plantation on her land, preserving both its spiritual and natural significance.
Progress
Our goal is to raise $20,000 to support this project.