THE BATWA CULTURAL ENCOUNTER IN BWINDI- Beyond Mountain Gorillas.

THE BATWA CULTURAL ENCOUNTER IN BWINDI- Beyond Mountain Gorillas.

Travel that involves engaging communities is a secret to a great holiday because it benefits you, the local communities, and nature. A trip to Bwindi Impenetrable national park for the Batwa cultural encounter and gorilla tracking brings you closer to nature, communities, and everyone wins. Gorilla tracking is the major activity at the park and one of the ways Uganda Wildlife Authority is using to conserve these endangered apes.

Half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas survive in Bwindi and the Batwa who were known as the first forest people were evicted from the forest to protect these vulnerable primates. Today, the Batwa don’t live in the park, like it was about 4000 years ago but are allowed to access part of it and demonstrate to guests how they used to survive. The Batwa survived on forest resources, protecting it on their own and for their survival (maybe they were the greatest conservationist then).

Since 1992, they became conservation refugees after being evicted without compensation and land owned outside the forest. Several conservationists labeled them as gorilla killers and responsible for the reduced numbers then which in my thinking they never have killed a gorilla in their culture. The Batwa have since then found it hard to cope with life outside the forest where they are under looked, seen uncultured, and inferior. Slowly the Batwa are dying out with their unique culture and knowledge of the forest. The few remaining ones are however a “living museum” and they preserve their culture, present it to tourists and also pass it on to their children and grandchildren in that way.

The Batwa cultural experience is an eye-opener, a cultural insight into the lives of the ancient forest people. The Batwa were known as “Keepers of the Forest” and lived in harmony with it, hunting small animals using bows and arrows, foraging in dense forest and undergrowth for food (gathering fruits) and medicinal purposes, and harvesting honey.

Time changed for them and now they perform these traditions and cultural norms and the way of life they used to live. You can spend time and interact with the Batwa when you visit any of the four sectors of Bwindi. The experience is different in each sector and most of the visits are outside the park however at Buhoma, there is a forest near the park and also inside the park where they are Batwa are allowed to use to showcase their culture to tourists. In Ruhija Change a Life-Bwindi together with its partners have built a heritage center that showcases the history of the Batwa to conserve the tools and other things that relate to this tribe.

The encounter may be a different one from encountering the Masai of Kenya or the Karamajong of Kidepo because it is the reenactment of the way the Batwa used to live, but it is something for personal enrichment, understanding the communities that live around the protected areas, and of course, something not to be missed.

When visiting Bwindi for gorillas, we urge you to visit the Batwa to gain a deeper and broad insight into what is beyond the mountain gorillas.