In Burundi, the Batwa make up about one percent of the population. They face discrimination, and many live in poor conditions.
Category: Batwa
The Landless Twa of Rwanda
The Twa (Batwa) are less than 1% of Rwanda’s population and face severe social and economic marginalization, including limited land access.
Batwa vs. Kahuzi National Park
Batwa communities were forcefully removed from their land in Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB) without further accommodations. Evictions have harmful consequences for these communities. Particularly for indigenous groups that have cultural ties and foraging practices that are connected with the forest. Despite the importance of the national park as an established home to Batwa communities, the…
The Landless Twa of Rwanda
33,000 Twa (Batwa) account for less than one percent of the Rwandan population and are the most vulnerable population living there. Twa are landless and many struggle to make a living in modern society. The government only recognizes Twa as “historically marginalized.” Photo Credit: Nick Ashdown
Basongora & Bakonjo vs. Queen Elizabeth National Park
Basongora are a pastoralist community living in the western lowlands in Uganda and were evicted from their land in 1952 to allow for the creation of Queen Elizabeth National Park. They continue to face human rights violations today. Photo Credit: Road Trip Uganda
Batwa vs. Land Grabbing in Uganda
Batwa are often called the “Keepers of the Forest” and are one of Africa’s oldest surviving indigenous communities.
Mbuti vs. Virunga National Park
Like Basongora in Uganda and other Batwa groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many indigenous Mbuti face discrimination and landlessness after eviction from their ancestral land due to “militarized conservation.” Photo credit: Michael Christopher Brown
Mbuti in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is home to indigenous Mbuti hunter-gatherers who help protect native species of the forest. Mbuti livelihoods are being threatened, though, by illegal poaching, mining and deforestation. Photo Credit: Monusco Photos
Luba and Batwa Conflict
A conflict between Batwa group members, a marginalized hunter-gatherer group, and Luba members, a Bantu ethnic group, has resulted in hundreds of deaths, thousands of displaced peoples and ethnic tension in the former Katanga Region. Photo Credit: Thomas Nicolon (Mongabay)
Mbenga vs. Development in the Dzanga-Sangha Forest
The Mbenga people have lived in the Dzanga-Sangha Forest of the Central African Republic for centuries. However, maintaining a traditional livelihood is now a challenge due to logging, poaching, poor health, and servitude to the majority Bilo who exploit local resources. Photo Credit: The Guardian