Each week we post an article or paper submitted by a member or "silent participant" of Guyana Caribbean Network. The featured article runs from Monday to Sunday each week. To submit an article for feature of the week contact us at admin@guyanacaribbeannetwork.com This week's feature is brought to you by "Jungle Girl".

An endangered people
by "Jungle Girl"

Tropical forests conjure up thoughts of diverse ecosystems with millions of precious flora and fauna. Conservation and sustainable use of resources in these ecosystems has been high on the global agenda for more than 20 years. More recently tropical forests have been linked to the international dialogue on climate change and bio-energy. Unfortunately much of this debate has focussed on preserving biodiversity for global gain and very little attention is given to the people who depend on these resources for their livelihoods. The social aspects of forestry are sadly lacking not only on the global agenda but also in regional and national forest policy debates. Nowhere is this more clearly seen, than in countries where vast forest resources attract huge investment in the sector, mainly for timber. A very good case is the Baka people in Cameroon.

Baka Pygmies, predominantly hunter gatherers, live in the rain forests of Central Africa. Their communities are concentrated in Cameroon, Gabon and Congo. They co-exist mainly with the Bantu tribe and depend exclusively on the forest for their livelihood. Depletion of forest resources therefore affects their very existence and in many parts of the region their numbers have dwindled.

The women are the dominant force in these communities and take responsibility for most of the day to day activities. The Baka homes are constructed by the women usually with a frame of branches and twigs covered by leaves.

Most of the fishing, food collection and preparation are done by the women. The men are responsible for the hunting. The economy of Baka communities is based on a barter system with the Bantus. In many cases during the harvesting season the Baka men work for the Bantu farmers in exchange for food and alcohol. Not unlike the Amerindians of Guyana the Baka are extremely susceptible to alcohol and may become excessively argumentative and violent after imbibing the traditional brew prepared by Bantu women.

Very few Bakas are literate and as such are often taken advantage of by other tribes. They are rarely aware of their rights and even when they are, they are powerless to enforce these. There are no significant policies or programmes aimed at educating Baka communities and as such they live on the fringe of society often uninterested in the national dialogue.

Even though the women are the decision makers in these communities they do not attend meetings or represent the community. This is always done by the men who listen, take note and then return to discuss with the women before a decision is taken.

In the small village of Kika in Southern Cameroon we encountered a Baka community with the misfortune of having their lands (and thus their village) included within a timber concession that had been granted to an international company. This was in contravention of the Cameroonian legislation but there were no moves made to withdraw the concession or change the demarcation of boundaries. This community was therefore living with the daily destruction of the forest around them and an increasing pressure on the remaining forests.

The creation of roads had now made this area accessible and poachers were coming from all over the country to hunt in these forests. Illegal loggers were also a huge threat not only to the resources but to the Baka women. Baka men now had to travel further distances to hunt and traditional collection areas within the forest were now destroyed. The women were turning more to farming and exploitation by the Bantus in the area was rampant. The company blamed the government who in turn blamed the company. Local NGOs were working with the community to provide alternative livelihoods but the obliteration of their culture had made the Bakas angry. They were now speaking out. They government could no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the plight of their people. Only time will tell if the voice of the Baka people is greater than the lure of the mighty dollar.