In the heart of Africa, on top of the Equator, and more than 5.000 metres above sea level, lies an icecapped massif with a mythical resonance: the Mountains of the Moon. As early as 150 AD the Alexandrian Greek Ptolemy referred to the snows of these Lunae Montes as being the sources of the Nile. The mind-tickling idea of such a wondrous thing as eternal snow in equatorial Africa, and the sheer inaccessibility of these mountains, have added an air of mystery to the mists and clouds that constantly veil it.
The first well-documented sighting of this last great mountain discovery of the world, on the border of present Congo and Uganda, was made by Stanley in 1888. The Rwenzori mountains are an extremely steep and rugged mountain range, well known for their extravagant plants. At higher elevations, certain genera grow unusually large. Most surprising are the giant heathers, senecios and lobelias. Combined with wild and jagged landscapes, this ‘botanical big game’ evokes a primaeval atmosphere.
But this environment is much more than a botanist's playground. Only a senseless man could ignore the enigmatic beauty of the afroalpine vegetation and the mystical aura of Africa's last inviolate chunck of pure nature. Sebastian Schutyser tells us of an otherworldly Africa in radiant black & white photographs. With his Flowers of the Moon he also calls to attention the advancing deforestation and global warming that threaten planet earth, our only home.
