Cultures and lifestyles
The "Pygmies" are one of the world's last and largest groups of hunter-gatherers. They are renowned for their extensive knowledge of the equatorial forest, on which they depend for their livelihood. Their characteristically short stature (1.50 metres on average) may be the result of genetic adaptation to the environment, an evolutionary advantage for life in the forest. Their culture and oral tradition (dances, songs, tales, cosmogony) are intimately linked to the forest and are the subject of great interest, recognized by UNESCO.
The different groups, somewhat artificially categorized by Westerners under the term "pygmies", have in common the fact that they have historically chosen to live off hunting and gathering, without transforming the environment through agriculture or livestock farming. What they also have in common is their dependence and subordination to neighboring ethnic groups. While there are similarities in lifestyle and attachment to the forest, each group has its own language and cultural traits. Differences can also be observed from a physical and genetic point of view.
In the DRC
In eastern DRC, the Mbuti (plural BaMbuti) are found in the Ituri forests, and are divided into three groups: Efè, Asua and Mbuti proper. The Aka, much less numerous, live in the extreme north-west on the banks of the Oubangui River. Lastly, the Twa and Cwa, large in number but fragmented and scattered, are found in the south-east (in the Kasai) and centre-west of the country (Equateur, Tshuapa, Mai-Ndombe). Among the Pygmies of the DRC, they are the most sedentary and the most dependent on their farming neighbors, constituting a veritable caste within these societies.
Presumed origins
Until recently, the origins of these different communities remained a mystery, in the absence of a specific language, a common founding myth or archaeological remains, as well as the complexity of migration history in the Congo Basin. It is genetics that has lifted the veil on the history of these populations. Recent studies date the existence of a common ancestor between Bantus and Pygmies back some 60,000 years. Agriculture was imported into Central Africa from Cameroon and Nigeria 5,000 years ago. Some forest groups adopted it, while others maintained a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. These two economies began to trade: wild meat and forest products for agricultural products, salt, iron and pottery. But for a long time, there was no exchange of genes... probably due to a strong ban on intermarriage between ethnic groups, demonstrating the long-standing pattern of avoidance and even discrimination.
History and discovery
We owe the first mention of "Pygmies" to Homer, who, in theIliad, mentions the existence of mysterious small beings living on the edge of the known world, at the source of the Nile, and whom he calls pugmaios in Greek (one cubit high, i.e. 45 cm!). Traces of them can be found in the writings of Pliny the Elder, Aristotle and ancient Egypt. Ever since, these forest peoples have been the subject of myths and affabulations. It wasn't until 1870 that German explorer Georg Schweinfurth confirmed the real existence of the Pygmies in the Ituri forest and linked them to the mythical beings of antiquity.
Colonial policies and sedentarization
During the colonial era, European authorities implemented a "taming policy" for pygmy peoples, with a view to civilizing them. Mobutu also attempted to assimilate them in the 1970s, decreeing that " all Pygmies are Zairians ". A regiment of Pygmies was even created on the Marshal's initiative within the Forces Armées Zaïroises, and took part in the 1978 Kolwezi clashes and the second Shaba war, during which most of them were killed. Under the influence of economic changes (the Bantu farmers' need for labor) and religious and political discourse devaluing life in the forest and advocating village life, the Pygmies then embarked on a process of sedentarization and adoption of agriculture. Although integrated into the market economy, they remained limited to the role of poorly-paid suppliers of forest resources, or of cheap, indentured agricultural labour.
Exclusion and discrimination
Today, these populations are still victims of exclusion and stigmatization by non-pygmy populations, who often regard them as inferior beings. Relegated to the rank of savages, uncivilized, they are subjected to violent and discriminatory behavior (rape to supposedly become invulnerable or cure AIDS, forbidden to sell in markets, refusal to eat from the same plate, discrimination in schools and health centers...). In addition, the exploitation of the forests that serve as their habitat, larder and pharmacy is increasingly threatening their health and the preservation of their traditional knowledge.
For this reason, numerous aid programs have been set up in the DRC by associations and organizations. They are campaigning for recognition of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Central African forests, as recognized by a United Nations declaration. The aim is to give them access, at their request, to health care, education, work, trade, law and justice, all of which they have been deprived of until now.
Fundamental rights and climate issues
Thanks to pressure from these organizations, led by the Dynamique de Groupe de Peuples Autochtones (DGPA), in 2021 the Congolese National Assembly adopted a bill guaranteeing the fundamental rights of Pygmy peoples (through free healthcare, secondary education, legal fees...), as well as recognition of their culture. The right to civic participation, socio-economic and cultural rights, and land rights are guaranteed - on paper at least - so that these populations can "actively participate in their emancipation through self-determination in a healthy environment ". And to " protect and promote the livelihoods of indigenous pygmy populations, with a view to respecting their culture and traditions in a perspective of sustainable development ".
Indeed, their role is now recognized as crucial in the preservation of forests and biodiversity. The current debate on the fight against climate change and the involvement of local communities raise questions about the potential represented by the knowledge and practices of those who observe the forest change on a daily basis. A "national fund for Pygmy development" is to be set up to help implement the law. Funding also needs to be found, as in the DRC many laws are passed without being implemented for lack of financial resources..
Recent land disputes
However, the country is witnessing the emergence of land conflicts that degenerate into armed conflict, between pygmy populations claiming their right to use their ancestral lands, and village communities, whose lifestyle changes often affect that of their pygmy neighbors. These land conflicts are linked to agricultural issues (changes in practices) or the use of forest resources (charcoal, bushmeat), but also demographic issues with the increase in population and sometimes the influx of displaced people fleeing insecurity in other provinces and coming to occupy these lands. This is particularly the case in Tanganyika province, where there have been numerous deaths on both sides for almost ten years, with no sign of abatement.
In the name of nature conservation
Another recurring point of contention in the DRC (and particularly in South Kivu, within the Kahuzi-Biega National Park), but which can also be observed in neighbouring countries, is the lack of respect shown by nature conservationists towards local populations. For several decades, the Western model of biodiversity protection, for which saving nature means isolating it from mankind, has led to the exclusion of pygmy populations from national parks, and from access to "their" forests, where certain practices are either forbidden or restricted, causing great misunderstanding. Pygmy communities speak of nothing less than despoilment: they don't reject the creation of these parks, they just want to have "their share". Two seemingly irreconcilable visions are at odds.
In a report published in 2017, the NGO Survival International denounced the " violence and persecution committed against pygmy communities in the name of preserving protected natural areas ". These abuses are most often perpetrated by eco-guards, who consider pygmies who hunt for their livelihoods to be easier targets than large-scale armed poachers. This anti-poaching campaign is usually financed by large conservation NGOs and international donors, posing a problem of accountability for these institutions. The involvement of local communities (pygmy or otherwise) in conservation strategies remains a thorny issue... UNESCO recognizes the need to obtain the "free, prior and informed consent" of indigenous and riparian populations before imposing any nature conservation program, and in order to better ensure the protection of the parks in question.
As anthropologist Romain Duda sums up: " Today, these populations remain highly dependent on large forest areas, depending on the seasonal availability of resources (fish, caterpillars, honey, game), the pooling of which helps guarantee social stability and the maintenance of their identity. However, these forests are increasingly subject to land grabbing. Governmental natural resource management plans, modelled on the prescriptions of international bodies, have facilitated logging, mining, industrial plantations and the creation of protected areas. These populations therefore find themselves having to negotiate their ancestral place in the ecosystem with players whose language and worldview they do not share .
Find out more
Florent de la Tullaye is the author of two inspiring documentaries dealing with issues linked to the pygmy peoples of the DRC: Le Chant des Walés, shot with Patrick Willocq among the Ekonda people in Ecuador, about particular rites linked to maternity. And Pygmée blues , made with Renaud Barret, traces the return to their roots of an ostracized pygmy couple living in Kinshasa as they embark on the journey back to their forests in Ecuador.
