The Uganda’s Batwa People and Their Cultures : All you need to know about the Batwa people in Uganda: what you need to know about the Ugandan Batwa people is that the Batwa, often referred to as the “Twa,” are native African pygmies. Before the Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Equatorial Rainforests were designated as National Parks, they were thought to be the guardians of the forests. The average height of the Batwa people is roughly 1.5 meters, like that of other pygmies.
The Batwa pygmies have one of the lowest life expectancies and worst infant mortality rates in the world. These people have been living in the equatorial jungles for over 60,000 years as fruit gatherers and wild bow-and-arrow hunters.
Despite criticism that they used to hunt and poach mountain gorillas from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, the Batwa people conserved the rainforests and never engaged in any type of destruction. Their proverb is “A mutwa loves the forest as he loves his body.” But the truth is that, up until the arrival of the Bantu tribes, the Batwa people preserved the rainforests.
The Batwa people were driven out of the forests around 1992 after the Bantu tribal groups established it as a national park with the intention of protecting the mountain gorillas. Upon their arrival, the Bantu tribal groups grazed their cattle there, farmed the land, and also cleared the rainforests. The Batwa people’s lives were radically altered by the expulsion since they were forced to become conservation refugees, which was not how they were used to living. Because they were not even rewarded in any way, their tools and abilities were no longer effective in the new circumstances, which worsened their agony. Some of them turned to stealing, begging, and poaching as a result of these events, earning the reputations of thieves, drunks, lazy people, and marijuana smokers in the areas of Uganda where they reside.
THE BATWA CULTURE.
Since the Batwa people were forced to leave their homes in the forests in 1992, their customs have been vanishing, and it wasn’t until 2011 that Uganda Wildlife, in collaboration with USAID and the Netherlands embassy in Kampala, launched the Mgahinga gorilla park‘s Batwa cultural route. The Batwa people guide park visitors and those interested in cultural tourism through the forests on this trail while teaching them about prehistoric collecting and hunting customs.
Since the Batwa guides share a portion of the percentage they receive from the Batwa trail fees with the other Batwa, this has significantly improved the Batwa way of life. The Kellerman foundation has established the Batwa experience outside of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in addition to the Batwa paths in Mgahinga National Park. After going gorilla trekking, visitors can take in the Batwa cultural traditions, including dances, singing, clothes, and cuisine.
A village visit program and the Buninga Batwa forest walk were established by the International Gorilla Conservation Program in collaboration with the Batwa community in the southern part of Bwindi Forest.
This keeps giving visitors the opportunity to experience and enjoy Batwa culture and traditional methods. Be aware that Buninga Forest is not a park like Bwindi Impenetrable Forest but rather has nearly identical monkeys, other wildlife, and plant species.
Conclusion: Uganda, despite being mostly known for chimpanzee and mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and wildlife safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley, and Murchison Falls National Park, is also the best safari destination in Africa for cultural safari tours, with many ethical groups located in different parts of the country and each practicing their own way of life.
A cultural safari tour in Uganda is one of the safari experiences you should have because it will teach you about the way people live in Africa, specifically Uganda. For more information and to plan a Uganda safari tour, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Focus East Africa Tours. We will be happy to hear from you and help you in any way possible to ensure you have an unforgettable Uganda safari experience.
