I am a Canadian living in South Africa and for the past 2 years I have been compiling a South African sound effects archive. There is an immense amount stuff to record based on the diversity of wildlife and the multicultural customs and languages of the people. From the urban areas of Joburg through to Durban and the Garden route, the ambiances change, the spoken languages of the villages are different, the wildlife is different. And for a country of this size, that is really quite amazing.
Some small tips if you are coming through to SA: there are quite a few animal sanctuaries where, if arranged in advance, will accommodate you. Since November/December is summer here and tourism is high, you will have to contend with the throngs of people visiting these places and it does get busy. If you plan to visit the local villages, which I highly recommend, you must first visit the local chief, tell him who you are, why you are in the village and what it is you are planning on doing. You must always appease the local chief by presenting him with a gift to show your respect. The various game parks have accommodation included within the park so you will also have to contend with the noise from these people as well as those on game drives. Check out the parks that have vegetarian animals only so that if you and a game ranger go off on foot to record in the bush, you won't have to worry about leopards, cheetah's and lions. If you have a chance, check out Lesotho and Swaziland- amazing culture, language and a lot quieter than SA. As far as Botswana, Namibia and Zim are concerned, I would avoid Zim due to the political climate but Botswana and Namibia are great. Lots of quiet places but there, the animals roam free and you have to be very careful when going out into the bush to record. Hook up with a local game ranger and spend a couple of days in the bush.
Be prepared to pay for what you get- especially with the local people in the villages. They are poor and see that what you are doing requires payment. It shows respect and also helps them as many of these villages are very badly off and employment is virtually non-existent except for piece work on farms and small industry.
Be aware that crime is very high in SA and that a person walking around with expensive gear such as the stuff you are bringing will attract the wrong people. Always hook up with an experienced person in the area who knows the language, culture and landscape.
Send me an email if you are in SA and we can hook up. I am interested in what you are doing.
