Penny Hoover of the Peace Corps describes her stay in Equatorial Guinea in The Whole Earth Review, Spring 1991:

One clear message from our experience is that "saving the rainforest" is about relationships. The network of species depends, in large part, on our capacity not only to respect plants and animals, but also to relate to other human beings.

Relating to the Fang was not always easy. When my patience gave way, I found that swearing in English (nobody knew English) could be pretty satisfying. There were some things I just wouldn't eat, and I knew it was insulting to refuse. I don't even know all the ways I insulted them. And they had no idea how much it hurt me when they ate our cat.... Looking back, there was ample warning: "Gee, your cat's getting big. Got a lot of meat on him." "Hmmm. That cat would make a good soup." We need to learn how to speak to these strange cat-eaters.

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