The forgotten Batwa

by Luca Catalano Gonzaga
Part of Invisible people
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Twenty years ago in Rwanda one of the most ferocious acts of modern ethnic cleansing took place: in six weeks the Hutu population slaughtered 800,000 of the Tutsi minority. The aftermath of the genocide is a complete restart; the government lead by the Tutsi promotes a policy of national reconciliation. A national identity policy is strongly encouraged and ethnic identity is abolished in contrast to the colonial period when Belgium encouraged ethnic differences to control the population. Today half of Rwanda national population was born after 1994 and they are neither Tutsi or Hutu but simply Rwandan citizens. Racism and discriminatory behaviour to any ethnic minority are seen as a crime and can lead to imprisonment. Education promotes the values of peace, and integration is part of the school curriculum. Many books, reportage and stories of Rwandan genocide have been publicized in the media, however very little is known of the Batwa ethnic minority. The Batwa are pygmies; an ancient population living in the lake district in the heart of central Africa. The Batwa are 1% of Rwanda’s population and 10,000 were killed by Hutu during the ethnic cleansing because they were thought to be friends of the Tutsi and another 10,000 fled the region at the time. They are the invisible forgotten minority and the injustice they suffer is still present and, regardless of Rwanda’s integration policy, the Batwa people are still considered a pariah. Between 2006 and 2011 the ancient region of lakes and forests where the Batwa had been living since ever got converted into tourism attraction sites because of the presence of gorillas. Batwa land has been confiscated and they now live in extremely poor conditions, usually surviving by harvesting the land of others or crafting small ceramic objects for the tourism industry. These photos of Batwa community were taken in February 2014 near to Congo border to testimony of their everyday life and poverty. (text by Luca Catalano Gonzaga).

  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Hidundu Segiteri, 6 years old, in his hut. Due to the ongoing discrimination that results in poverty, unemployment and poor access to education and health care, their situation is compounded by the lack of acknowledgement of their fundamental rights by their respective Governments.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Mohamed Musband, 8 years old, in his hut.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Faustin Munyefayi, 12 years old, in his hut. The Batwa are pygmies; an ancient population living in the lake district in the heart of central Africa. They are the invisible forgotten minority and the injustice they suffer from is still present and, regardless of Rwanda’s integration policy, the Batwa people are still considered a pariah.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Rachael Mukwini, 17 years old, in his home. Though Batwa adults and children across the region are aware education is one of their most important priorities, the vast majority have had little if any chance to go to school. Poverty and hunger, together with the long distances they often have to travel to access schooling, prevent children from enjoying what is their fundamental human right.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Emmanuel Sayinzoga, 7 years old, in his bedroom. Between 2006 and 2010, the ancient region of lakes and forest where the Batwa used to live, was converted into an attraction site for tourism due to the presence of gorillas. Batwa land was officially confiscated. Unable to return to their lands, they now live in extremely poor conditions.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Asiane Ugiriwabo, 9 years old, in her bedroom.
  • Burera district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Susanna, 22 years old, in her bedroom.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Celestin Nsengiyumva, 22 years old.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Jackline Kimeregeti, 16 years old, in her hut. The Batwa population in Rwanda is estimated between 25,000 – 30,000, which is less than 1% of the approximately 12 million people in Rwanda as of 2018 (National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda).
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Emmanuel Tuyisenge, 14 years old, in his home.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Davide Uwitonze, 8 years old in his home. Persistent poverty in many Batwa communities prevents children from attending school properly. Dropout rates among Batwa in primary and secondary school remain high due to financial insecurity, lack of adequate food and supplies, and discrimination.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Kevin Habineza, 12 years old, in his home.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Francis Burusini with his wife Jackline and their children Fidele, Patrick, Innocent and Cosma. He left the forest in 2006. The Batwa communities of the Great Lakes region are mainly former hunter-gatherers who were evicted from their homes in the forest many decades ago. Now they live as neglected and marginalized minority, close to the forests.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Eugen Nyrakobwa, 63 years old, in her home.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Zanika Uwajeneza, 17 years old, orphan, the eldest sibling of a large family of 9 children. Her mother died following a car crash at night, on July 21st 2014.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Vincent Rwampini, 4 years old, in his home.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Celestin Byongorero, 11 years old, in her home.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of Jean Nyirandimubanzi, 32 years old, in her home.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Martha Nayubuga, 23 years old, has four children. She is with the youngest, Eric! The Government preclude the Batwa any opportunity to claim indigenous status and rights. Lack of official indigenous recognition has made it difficult to counter discrimination and protect their land, livelihoods, and distinct culture.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Zanika Iradukunda 20 years old, with her newborn daughter, Manirumva, 1 month. Between 2006 and 2010 the ancient region of lakes and forests where the Batwa used to live has been converted into tourism attraction sites because of the presence of gorillas. Batwa land has been confiscated and they now live in extremely poor conditions, usually surviving by harvesting the land of others or crafting small ceramic objects for the tourism industry.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Eric Muka Perezida, 30 years old, in his potato field. Batwa face throughout Rwanda the extreme challenge of lack of land as a result of their uncompensated removal from their forest, extreme and chronic poverty, and unfair land transactions.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Lowrance Nyiransabimana, 33 years old, cultivating potatoes.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Potato fields. The Batwa are 1% of Rwanda’s population and 10,000 were killed by the Hutu during the ethnic cleaning because they were thought to be friends of the Tutsi. Additional 10,000 fled the region at the time.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Alexia Mujyanama, 13 years old, plays cards waiting for her father who’s working in the fields.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Batwa farmers working in a potato field nearby the National Park of Volcanoes, where they used to live before 2006.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Faustin Munyefanyi, 29 years old and her son Pierre. She works in a corn field. Many Batwa in rural areas face outright discrimination, lack of food security, poor access to potable water and education.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Batwa farmers are burning leaves.
  • Musanze district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Batwa farmers in a corn field. The Batwa people are still considered a pariah. Between 2006 and 2010 the ancient region of lakes and forests where the Batwa had been living since ever was converted into tourism attraction sites because of the presence of gorillas.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. A Batwa farmer on a wheat field.
  • Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Road construction. Batwa people earn 2.000 Rwandan francs (3$) a day. Lack of sufficient income-generating activities is prevalent throughout Rwanda but Batwa struggle with this to a significantly higher degree due to discrimination, lack of education and shortage of land.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. A Batwa farmer is cutting wood. Eviction from the resource-rich forests and subsequent forced relocation into cash-poor villages has had detrimental effects on the social and physical health of the Batwa people.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Batwa at rest after work. Before full eviction from the forests in the 1990s, the Batwa relied on the resource-rich forests for their identity, sustenance, livelihoods and spiritual activities. Much of their traditional territory has now been turned into the country national park that generates significant revenues.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Angelique Uwimkna, 24 years old, in front of her house. She is orphan; her parents and her brother were killed during the genocide in 1994. She lives alone.
  • Nyabihu District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Eric Nizayimana, 21 years old, with his wife Zanika, 18 years old, and their son Gaspar, 2 months old.
  • Musanze district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. On the left, Mutyawimana Kigali, 40 years old, and her family. She left the forest in 2006.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of J.Claude Basore, 70 years old, in his home.
  • Musanze District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Claudine Nyransaba, 50 years old, in front of her home. She left the forest in 2006 and now she lives with her husband and their 5 children.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Vincent Byongorego, 44 years old and his children. His wife died. He suffers for a skin disease.
  • Musanza district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Angelique Sebikari, 33 years old, left the forest in 2006. She lives with her 3 children. Her husband died in 2008.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Adela Nyirabucacya, in front of her house where she lives with her husband and 6 children.
  • Nyabihu district, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Magrette Nyamvura, 90 years old, she left DR Congo after her husband died. She lives with her daughter.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of a Batwa young farmer.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of a Batwa young farmer.
  • Butera District, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda 2014. Portrait of a Batwa young farmer.

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