Whilst volunteering in Uganda we visited a pygmy tribe to learn about their history and way of life. I initially wondered how they felt about privileged white people descending on them, but the volunteer organisation makes a much needed monetary donation to them which they spend on things such as food, building materials, teachers salaries etc. I would have felt uncomfortable just going to impose our presence on them otherwise.
The pygmies are one of the oldest surviving indigenous tribes in Africa and were the first humans to live in the forest areas that are now Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Batwa were originally hunter-gatherers and the forests were their main source of food, shelter, and income. Sadly in the early 1990s, the Batwa were evicted from their ancestral lands in order to create national parks to protect biodiversity and promote mostly gorilla tourism. They were displaced without adequate compensation or resettlement and today many live in poverty and marginalisation. If anyone is interested to read more, here is an interesting article.
It was an interesting visit, but sad to learn yet another story of indigenous people having their land taken away from them by government bodies. A step in the right direction is that they now have two classrooms with qualified teachers, as the only way out of poverty for the children and future generations is through education.
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