Echuya Batwa, commonly known as pygmies, are an endangered group of people around Echuya Forest Reserve in Kisoro and Kabale Districts of South-Western Uganda.
The Batwa people found in southwestern Uganda were originally hunters and gatherers who dwelled deep inside the rainforests in that part of the country.
They are regarded as pygmies due to their characteristic short height.
They once lived inside Echuya forest and Mgahinga rain forests before these two were declared as protected areas.
According to a national census conducted in 2002, there were approximately 67000 of these.
They harmoniously lived inside Echuya National Park which currently is known as the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – home to the endangered mountain gorillas which was formed to safeguard the dying population of mountain gorillas.
Their eviction from the forest land began way back in 1930s during the colonial administration however it was concluded at the start of the 1990s when their original dwelling was given the status of a National park.
They were force out to the edge of the forest and settled in various settlement camps around the park in areas like kisoro, kanungu as well as Kibale.
During the relocation, they lost emotional, physical, traditional and ancestral, attachment to the impenetrable equatorial forest which was their home.
When the Batwa were removed from the forest they weren’t given any compensation for land or crops. It was agreed that they could live on the periphery of the forest but could not hunt bush meat.
They were left to fend for themselves and struggled to mix with the local communities. There was simply was no place for them in the market place either, meaning they couldn’t trade or even buy provisions.
The Batwa were unprepared for this, having only known the jungle lifestyle and how to thrive in that environment. Generations born into the more contemporary Batwa life have managed to establish and survive better. Currently, the Batwa keep their culture alive and bring in a minimal income through displays of hunting, gathering honey, weaving baskets and doing traditional dances for tourists.
In conjunction with your gorilla and chimp trekking safari to Uganda,we highly recommend you get to know the story of the Batwa and contribute where you can.
Because of the low level of formal education, the Batwa pygmies can hardly find any jobs, therefore, they are normally seen carrying loads of food staff to the markets and doing casual work on people’s farmlands.
They have formed a number of cultural-dance troupes that entertain tourists who visit them with vibrant dances and songs.
Being a very hospitable people, they are commonly visited by any tourists who come to Uganda to enjoy Gorilla trekking Safaris either in Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga national parks.
