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Programs
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The Ba'Twa
Rwanda 's earliest known inhabitants were the Ba'Twa Pygmies, the third and smallest ethnic group who make up approximately 1% of the population. Originally they settled in the forests and mountain regions where they lived as hunter gathers, taking from the forest only that which they needed to survive. By the 11 th century Hutu farmers had migrated to the area, followed later in the 14 th and 15 th centuries by the Tutsis, and gradually the Ba'Twa were displaced as so many indigenous peoples have been throughout history. The struggle to establish their land rights and preserve their culture is one which continues today as the Ba'twa fight for recognition and protection. An estimated 30,000 Ba'Twa live in Rwanda today, half of which live in the area around the Volcanoes National Park . As with all Rwandans, their population was greatly affected by the 1994 genocide which swept the country. Approximately 10,000 Ba'Twa lost their lives in the war and thousands continue to suffer as a direct result. As with so many Rwandans after the genocide, a huge percentage of the community now consists of widows and orphans, leaving them highly vulnerable to poverty and subsequently, disease. The displacement of the Ba'Twa from their land has increased the threat to their numbers and their traditional way of life. Over 70% of the Ba'Twa resort to begging and working on other people's land in exchange for food in order to survive. According to Refugees International, the misconceptions of Pygmy people as being, amongst other things, “uncivilized, ignorant, unclean and above all else, sub-human” have contributed to their exclusion from mainstream society. It is considered socially unacceptable to share your food, socialize or even sit on the same bench with Ba'Twa in public areas. Unlike other citizens the Ba'Twa are not entitled birth certificates and identity cards free of charge, they are required to go through a long and complicated bureaucratic process. Without these cards, it is very hard for them to enroll in school and receive government funded health care. Many organizations and NGOs recognize the problems the Ba'Twa face and dedicate themselves to working together to raise awareness of the situation. The Ba'Twa formed CAURWA (Communauté des Autochtones du Rwanda) in 1995, uniting three existing Ba'Twa organizations: the Association for the Promotion of Ba'Twa (APB), the Association for the Global Development of the Ba'Twa of Rwanda (ADBR), and the Association for the Protection of Unaccompanied Children in Distress (APEDE). CAURWA aims to improve the organization capacity within the Ba'Twa communities to enable them to be a part of political decisions on a local, national, and international level. In order to do this they teach their communities the importance of their involvement in public decision-making. They emphasize the need for more socioeconomic opportunities to be accessible to the Ba'Twa communities and assist them in their need for education and medical care. CAURWA has also met with various African conservation groups to discuss the issue of land legislation, in particular those areas of land, such as the Volcanoes National Park , previously inhabited by the Ba'Twa until they were displaced. Perhaps some of CAURWA's most important work is the effort to maintain Ba'Twa traditions and celebrate their culture. The Ba'Twa are famous for their songs and dances. In pre-colonial times many Ba'Twa musicians and dancers performed for the king and much of their music and dance has since been adopted by other Rwandans and forms a large part of Rwanda 's famous national performance art. They are also respected for their skills in traditional medicine and CAURWA wants to set up projects for bee-keeping and medicinal plant production in order to maintain these skills. Another Ba'Twa tradition is pottery making and CAURWA has created the Pottery Project which aims to improve the lives of Rwanda's Ba'Twa people by helping them to develop and commercialize their traditional craft of pottery, based on principles of Fair Trade. In Kigali visitors can go to some of the pottery workshops, which the Pottery Project has created, as well as dance performances celebrating Ba'Twa culture and its value in Rwandan society. Visitors, in describing their reactions to such Pottery Project activities, emphasize the importance of groups like CAURWA and their efforts in keeping the Ba'Twa communities alive:
To learn more about Rwanda's forgotten people, the Ba'Twa, check out these links.
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