Who we are and why we need your help!

Matatchebo Project Overview

The project is based in the Republic of Congo

Our Mission

To perpetuate the memory of the history of the Loango Bay deportees’ route on its three axes (Bas-Kouilou – Brazzaville – Cabinda) through the safeguarding, symbolism, enhancement and protection of the natural heritage constituted by the mango trees lining the route of the Loango Bay deportees, who were uprooted from Africa and enslaved in the Caribbean and America.

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Our Primary Objectives

1) Eliminate the weevils by treating the mango trees along the slave’ routes of Loango Bay

2) Commemorate the deportees of Loango Bay by promoting peace and harmony among those who were deported and those who remained

3) Provide an economic opportunity to the local populations through the processing and valuation of mango tree products

4) Plant two million MATATCHEBO trees to achieve a definite ecological gain

Our Focused Initiatives

Through the planting and valuation of products from the mango trees, the Matatchebo project has carefully aligned its initiatives with that of the Republic of Congo’s national strategies:

Donate one-time or monthly

Sponsor a seed of one mango tree for USD $1. There is no limit to the number of seeds one can sponsor!

Become a Volunteer or Ambassador

Plant a tree in Congo Brazzaville or run awareness campaigns online with your tribe.

Host a fundraising event

Raise awareness and funds to continue the important work of bringing families together.

Executive Summary

Excerpt from the Project Operational Plan developed by COOVERT. To request a full copy, contact us on the form below.

A disaster is underway: the destruction and eventual disappearance of the mango trees that line the road of the Loango Bay, known as the slave road, on its three (3) axes: Bas-Kouilou, Brazzaville and Cabinda.  

The mango fruit’s scientific name, “Mangifera Indica l”, is also known as “Matatchébo” in the vernacular language of Congo. The Cryptorhynchus mangiferae, or mango stone weevil, attacks all of the mango trees along this road, to the point where no mango tree manages to reproduce a mature sapling at its base. Consequently, these historical symbols, natural heritage of our common history, will come to an inevitable end.

The Coopérative Verte (COOVERT) has initiated the Matatchébo project to respond to the urgent need to safeguard these mango trees—some of which are centuries old. The project also builds on the symbolism of the mango tree to share memorial stories from the caravan trails to the portage routes, via the road of the deportees of the Bay of Loango. 

To this end, COOVERT has established partnerships with a wide range of experts from both the public and private sectors, to carry out the implementation of the project tasks.  The duration of the project is planned for 5 years (2021-2026).

The project will oversee the creation of two nurseries to produce two (2) million plants by vegetative propagation in Nkoungou, Congo and in Guadeloupe—the COOVERT headquarters. These plants will serve as living epitaphs, for the preservation of the memory of the two (2) million humans deported from the Bay of Loango against their will. People who were uprooted from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas where they were enslaved for years.

These two nurseries, which will employ an innovative propagation technique, will form the spearhead of a vast program, movement if you will, to promote the Matatchébo tree and its descendants. It’s the bridge between those who were left behind and those who were taken against their will. The stories of the mango plants will be accompanied by the stories that these original trees witnessed. The stories will bring awareness throughout the world among those whose stories are rooted in these histories. 

The propagation and growing of these trees contribute to important ecological gains. This program will also help to link this painful past to a present that is impatient for justice and a future that only aspires to live together in peace—thus bridging the gap to the healing of our people.

In addition, it will enable the entire population of the target areas (in Congo and Guadeloupe) to benefit from the economic spin-offs of the project’s activities (training, jobs, etc.).  

Finally, at the cultural level, it will promote and rehabilitate the traditional medicinal use and functions of mango leaves and bark, and its ancestral cultural values. For more information, request a full report below.

How It Works Process Charts
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Our Goal is to Plant 2 Million Mango Trees

When you sponsor a tree, you’re not just giving a memorial to the forgotten Loango people – you’re also making a big difference for our planet. By planting trees, we’re making a positive impact on the environment and creating a more sustainable future for all. Your support means so much, both to us and to the world around us.