The journey to the misty forests of the Virunga ecosystem introduces you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the only place in the country where one can possibly find the Mountain Gorillas, since they are endemic to that part of the region. Bwindi shares in the high levels of endemisms of the Albertine Rift, in that if diversity is gold, there are plenty of gold mines within the area! The biologically diverse region shelters 459 mountain gorillas, a further 120 mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species, including several primate species. All this fortune has inspired many adventurous activities and excursions, such that one ought to just get the gloves off and start the adventure in a strategic vein! Part of this diversity also includes humans like the Batwa people.
Within this place, exuberance readily replaces expectation, perfectly leaving you speechless, satisfied and yet wanting more! Amidst much learning, you get to traverse a minefield of different experiences, receiving rewards from both nature and pleasure! Clearly in the light of the day, you will appreciate all manner of species, ecosystem and genetic diversities. From a species diversity perspective, you will charge into the impenetrable forests to feed your eyes and mind with the best there is in an African forest. Of all your forest escapades, gorilla trekking is notedly the ultimate show and the most defined activity within the area. Through it, you get a chance to see for yourself the hidden treasures of the Virunga mountains.
However, an expedition has never been complete in this area without a visit to the local communities! This visit tests the theory that cultural diversity is a remarkable paradigm of a perfect land, and unveils the wonderful countrymen that punctuate the margins and boundaries of the protected areas! In Bwindi, you get to appreciate culture at play since the conservation of heritage and tradition is typical of this part of the world. The most commonly encountered societies and groups tribally range from the Bakiga to the Batwa communities, while the others follow closely in small numbers. A visit to the Batwa has been said by some to be one of their most legendary and outstanding experiences while in Bwindi. Burning with the magic of uniqueness, they were lost for words at the interplay of discovery and desire within the learning platter of a wild atmosphere!
The smell of culture within the forest!
Around the park, there exist communities of people who originally occupied the forests and these are the Batwa. They are one of the most peculiar communities that one comes across in the area. The Batwa people are the original beings of the rain forest, who became conservation refugees with eventual eviction from their traditional hunting and gathering grounds. These are people that knew no other kind of life than forest habitation, wherein they hunted and gathered for over 500,000 years. Their way of life saw no farming, no destruction of the forest, no charcoal making, and respected no construction of shelters. Their food, medicines and clothing came primarily from the forest. They simply lived in harmony with their beloved forests and wildlife, including the Mountain Gorillas, and left a low ecological footprint behind them.
However, life for the Batwa People changed drastically in 1991 when Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest were established for the protection of the forests and wildlife, especially the Mountain Gorillas and other (non-human) primates. This was done at the insistence of conservationists and the government. This made the Batwa become conservation refugees in a world that was very unfamiliar to them. Their skills and means of subsistence were not useful in this modern environment, so they literally began to suffer. Currently, majority of them live as squatters in communities around the forests, and are eventually a jack of all trades.
Some of them carryout small-scale subsistence farming, offer cheap labor as a way of earning what to eat, the two being the means through which they now portray their manhood as they take “bread” back home. Others mould sculptures for sale, carry out agriculture at a limited scale and are involved in cultural tourism. All these act as sources of income, engineered to boost the welfare of the Batwa.
As of today, the Batwa are mainly scattered throughout the districts of Kisoro, Kabale, Kanungu, Bundibigyo, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Lwengo and Mubende and other places.
The wise men of Uganda’s South West: the Batwa people’s wisdom explained!
If you’ve read about Yonomami and Akuntsu of the Amazon forest, you definitely have an idea about the way of life of these former forest inhabitants in Southwestern Uganda. However, I’m lured to believe that even the Akuntsu, though sharing a lot in common with the Batwa, would eventually marvel at the Batwas’ brilliancy. This is due to their (the Batwa) high level of resilience and adoption to modern civilization at a speed of light.
The Batwa, like earlier said had been evicted from the forest in the 1990s, something that seemed like a final blow to the end of the already-endangered community. However, what’s really amusing is the level at which they quickly integrated their initial way of life with the life they found outside. One of the amazing things associated with their brilliancy is the fact that in spite of having lived in the forest for all that long, they came out and mastered other languages in the shortest time possible and continued to survive regardless! This is what undoubtedly makes their dynamic way of life a mystery.
“We are finished, God must be angry,” said the Batwa people!
If one is familiar with the history of the ancient times, one would then be in position to identify that disaster would always be attributed to the fact that the gods were annoyed at such a time. There was, for example, a thought that earthquakes were caused by restless gods or giant creatures slumbering beneath the Earth. Such beliefs among the Batwa are definitely no news. The Batwa were very religious and as such not spared by the belief system similar to Greek mythology.
Following their eviction from the forest, they identified this as a total loss, with their game being moved from calm to unfamiliar waters. This was considered an archetype of where their opponents (in this case, the conservationists) were invariably taking them into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out being only wide enough for one. This, in essence, meant that they felt maligned, vilified and denied of their rights and freedom of expression and opinion whereas the government and conservationists were pictured of enjoying happiness. Their sorrow is told more clearly when they narrate their story of creation.
The Batwa story of creation
The Batwa People have their own creation story, and in it the creator gave some people height and others prosperous land, but when he got to the Batwa, there were no more such gifts, so he gave them the Rainforest. When they were evicted by the Government in the 1990s, they felt God had rejected them!
The Batwa cultural experience.
The Batwa cultural experience was therefore put in place by the displaced Batwa, with pragmatic efforts of educating their children as well as unveiling their undisputed heritage, traditions and all-seasons story to the world. The experience colorfully takes place outside the park in a strategic old-growth forest in a relatively large tree canopy-roofed courtyard, just on the outskirts of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Batwa experience kicks off with a nature-walk, which includes a hike through the forest while envisaging things in a fantastic new way.
One gets to experience the serene Batwa village life of old, visit a traditional Batwa homestead and learn from the women how to prepare, cook and serve a traditional meal. You will also have the opportunity to sample the prepared dishes, talk to a medicine man and learn about the medicinal properties of the forest flora. Hear ancient legends and traditional songs. You will also learn how they skillfully hunted the small animals that they used for food, what things they gathered and how they uniquely made use of their rudimentary tools and materials.
The Batwa experience will also show you how cozily they lived in tree-houses, caves and huts made of grass. Dancing is not off the list of the activities that are done by the Batwa. While visiting their community, they happily employ all their skills to entertain their visitors. This is seen in the way they charmingly dance and sing as they skillfully squeeze great melodious tunes out of their cultural instruments onto which the dancing bodies respond.
Consider visiting
By visiting the Batwa people, you are helping to keep these people, traditions and their culture alive. You are as well providing income, infrastructure, and giving support to the neglected and maligned first people of the forest.