Scientific culture and ancestral beliefs in sub-saharan Africa: The case of the murderous disasters of Lakes Monoun and Nyos in Cameroon

On August 15, 1984 at Lake Monoun and on August 21, 1986 at Lake Nyos, 37 and 1,746 people, respectively, died from gas fumes. Lakes Monoun and Nyos are peculiar aquatic ecosystems located on the Cameroon Volcanic Line, a strategic site, which continue to draw the attention of scientists, stakeholders, policy makers, public authorities as well as local communities and indigenous. It has been clearly demonstrated that these two lakes store large quantities of toxic gasses in dissolved form in their bottom. Indeed, the extremely diverse microbial communities that colonizes these lakes are capable of producing, storing and releasing gasses. These particularities have earned these lakes the name “killer lakes”. Although relevant results have been obtained after the installation of degassing devices on these lakes, these results are less popularized and Cameroonian society, in particular natives of the disaster-stricken areas have remained skeptic and divided on the origin of gasses: 9.4% of survivors and residents interviewed said it was a nuclear test. Also, 78.13% supported the thesis of a mystical-religious phenomenon. Only 12.47% of the interviewees understood that it was a scientifically explainable phenomenon. Clearly, the gap between science, scientists and societies is quite perceptible. Based on the deadly catastrophes of these two lakes, we present here the fracture that exists between science and African societies still anchored in indigenous beliefs.