Nzulezo

[2] The name "Nzulezo" in the Nzema language means "water surface", and is a village on stilts of "Ewuture" origin situated close to the northwest shore.

[3] According to local legend, the village was built by a group of people from Oualata, a city in the ancient Ghana Empire and in present-day Mauritania, which came about from following a snail.

[1] The reason Nzulezo was built over water was for protection and safety during attacks in times of war since it lies five miles inland of the Southwest shores.

[1] The village can be reached only by canoe; the 5 km journey, which crosses the rain forest, takes about an hour.

As the village is extremely isolated, Nzulezo suffers from numerous health problems, including the vast spread of malaria.