Batwa “Pygmies” are one of the oldest peoples in Africa, and their origin is unknown. For centuries they roamed the forests in bands foraging for honey, wild yams, fruit, stems and tubers, and hunted small game with trained dogs. Over time, the forests disappeared under the tools of the Bantu — newcomers from western Africa — and the Batwa numbers dwindled. They bartered hides, meat, honey and yams for arrowheads, salt and crops. The Batwa were feared as raiders but also famous as dancers and singers.
They were monogamous, except when a woman was barren. Prospective husbands were often asked to provide the feathers of a Ruwenzori turaco or a flying squirrel to the future father in law as a test of their hunting skills. Bride purchase was believed to promote discord between families, though gifts of honey and wild animal meat were expected.
In the 1980s and 1990s the Batwa were evicted from national parks without compensation. Today they are marginalised and suffer from landlessness, poverty, lack of education and health care. However, in recent years the authorities have shown more understanding and some promising progress has been made.
Our Stories About the Batwa:
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Historically Marginalised People: Ancient Culture on the Congo Nile Trail
Tucked along the Congo Nile Trail, just 7 km from Rubona (Gisenyi), is a chance to interact with the indigenous people of the Gorilla Highlands: the Batwa, in Rwanda also known as “Twa” and officially termed “Historically Marginalised People”. Because of the country’s tragic experience with the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi — a huge…
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Lift the “Pygmies” Up, Don’t Knock Them Down!
Look who’s back at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi! The Wheeling2help volunteer crew have returned. Two of their teams helped us whip up the Batwa Feast last year, bravely stepping in as our taste-testers so the first lot of 2025 could savour the real deal yesterday … Fancy giving it a go yourself? You’ll get to…
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The Batwa Patient
There are few places where you desperately want to see a familiar face — like a hospital. Unless you work in one, all that antiseptic sparkle and military-level order is enough to make anyone feel a bit twitchy. That’s exactly where our Batwa “Pygmy” partners from Lake Bunyonyi ended up: first at the health centre…
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… And Then Gods Finally Smiled
The Gods weren’t just against us — they were sitting up there with popcorn, taking bets on what could go wrong next.In October, when we tried to test our new Bunyonyi Batwa activity, the weather unleashed its fury, forcing us to ferry our partners to the other side of the lake instead. Eating Mama Bena’s…
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Happy 2025 — with Tom in Musanze!
It used to be our tradition to ring in the new year on Tom’s island in the middle of Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi. Yesterday, however, we brought Tom Karemire to Rwanda instead. Fulfilling his wish to visit our home in Musanze was a delight and added something fresh to our celebrations. Alongside the usual New Year’s…
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Mouthwatering Blend of Batwa Culture and Bakiga Hospitality (Coming Soon)
We are making significant headway towards launching responsible Batwa “Pygmy” boat trips on Lake Bunyonyi! What we initiated in August is now on track to be readily available in October: a mouthwatering blend of Batwa culture and Bakiga hospitality. Last week we organised a meeting on the western side of Bunyonyi, at Mama Bena’s. We…
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Partnership with Batwa “Pygmies”: Not the Easiest but Highly Impactful
Volunteering with Batwa “Pygmies”? Not the easiest thing in the world, yet potentially highly impactful! Londoner Edd had selected it from our long list of projects that had been waiting for the right person — and that’s how he found himself in a dugout with two Batwa delegates. The destination: BirdNest Resort, Lake Bunyonyi. There,…
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Trouble for Batwa “Pygmy” Communities: Successes & Failures
Our Batwa friends from Rwamahano happily received six months of accumulated funds this week. They got UGX 2,130,000 (USD 570) that we had saved from several Batwa Today experiences we did with them.Small contributions end up becoming substantial when brought together! Each time we collaborate we put half of Batwa fees aside and deliver it…
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Trouble for Batwa “Pygmy” Communities: Lake Bunyonyi
We previously talked about Rwamahano, as an example of Batwa “Pygmy” groups we work with. These indigenous people originate from some of the oldest humans in Africa. They once lived in forests looking for fruits and honey, and hunted with bows and arrows, trained dogs by their side. Towards the end of the 20th century…