Bananamania

ANALYSIS

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Scientist, artist, collector, communicator… how one banana expert is channelling his own passion for the fruit to promote the science behind its future survival.

by Mike Knowles

@mikefruitnet

Fernando García-Bastidas is one of the world’s leading banana scientists. He works as a breeder and researcher for KeyGene, based at Wageningen in The Netherlands, and is probably best known for his recent work to develop banana plants’ resistance to Tropical race 4 – a soil-borne fungus that causes the highly problematic Panama disease.

But plant science is not the only strand in Fernando’s DNA. He is also an accomplished artist and frequent collector of bananarelated memorabilia. For this, Fruitnet’s fi rst ever Fresh Focus Banana special, he has created the publication’s brilliant front cover illustration, and also agreed to let us view the full extent of his marvellous collection.

Fernando, tell us about your collection! How long has it taken you to amass all of these items?

Fernando García-Bastidas: I have items from 2014, but it started in 2018. When I started work at Wageningen University, people called me Bananaman, Mr Banana, or Dr Banana. Suddenly I started to get banana-related presents on special occasions, like T-shirts, socks, cards, and badges. When I moved to KeyGene, to my surprise they decorated my offi ce with banana posters. It was a nice beginning and also a trigger.

I like to collect stuff related to things I love – movies and toys, coins and banknotes, keyrings, etc. So I decided to start the Bananaman wall of fame as a tribute to the fruit that changed the world – as Dan Koeppel would say – and share it on social media. Now people from around the world send me banana items – especially drawings and cards. The collection grows every week.

How do you explain this love of bananas? Is it because of your work, your enjoyment of the fruit itself, or something else?

FGB: I like bananas, but I enjoy eating plantains more. For me it is a combination of the fact that I like collecting and the passion I have for my work. I love what I do, and in some way I think I’m doing something good. My banana ‘madness’ helps raise awareness of the critical situation faced by banana producers, and contributes to solving a problem that can aff ect millions of people worldwide. Bananas have given me so much, so why not create a space for appreciation and at the same time have a friendly and funny environment in which to work and interact with people.

How is the batt le against disease going? Are you close to fi nding a defence against Panama disease? FGB: It is going very well. We have sequenced many cultivars to fi nd the resistant ones and at the same time those that are closely related to Cavendish. Using a sort of family tree of Cavendish bananas, we could develop a new Cavendishlike cultivar but this time with ancestors that might contain TR4 resistance. We are also looking to use genetic resources found in the wild to incorporate more tastes, aromas, and colours.

PICTURED— García’s collection in all its glory at his offi ce in Wageningen

Photos: Fernando García-Bastidas / Luuk Wilbers

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Bananas feature prominently in your art and social media posts too. Can you tell us why you started drawing these pictures and what kind of reaction do they get?

FGB: At some point, I decided to accept the Bananaman nickname. Little by little, this also affected my art, I started from a scientific perspective drawing the history of the banana (#TheHistoryOfTheBanana) but at the same time I was also doing funny cartoons that placed bananas in famous films or hid them within puzzles – where the game was to find the banana. That is how my Bananatoons started. So far, I have only had very good comments. A few times my art has been stolen or misused, but with no big consequences. The rest is all just fun.

Finally, which is your favourite banana-related item?

FGB: All of my collection pieces bring me a good feeling, especially as some people make stuff for me by hand, so that’s unique. It is amazing to get things from places like Ecuador, Greece, the UK, even Japan. I think one of the most important items in my collection is my Colombian hat, the sombrero vueltiao, which is very traditional in my home country’s banana industry. I was given it as a present in 2014, during a conference about bananas in Colombia. It is great because it has become part of me and my style, and sometimes when I give interviews the journalist’s first request is to wear my hat. _