Batwa

 
 
 
 
STATISTICS

Status: indigenous people

Population: estimated 86,000 to 112,000 in the areas of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda with estimated 33,000 to 35,000 within Rwanda

Areas: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Languages: Kinyarwanda, Bantu languages, language of the dominant ethnic group in the region they reside

Religions: Christian and traditional spirituality

 

 

 

 

 

 UNPO REPRESENTATION

The Batwa was a member of the UNPO between 17 January 1993 and December 2019, initially represented by the Association for the Promotion of Batwa (APB), which later merged into the Community of Indigenous Peoples of Rwanda (CAURWA). At the request of APB, UNPO sent a mission to Rwanda and neighbouring countries, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Burundi in 1994. UNPO staff members also went on fact-finding missions in Rwanda in 2010, 2016 and again in 2018.

 

OVERVIEW

The Batwa, also known as the Twa or the Pygmies of Central Africa, are an indigenous group and the oldest recorded inhabitants of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa. Their name Batwa derives from “twa”, a term in the Bantu languages of Sub-Saharan Africa to describe people who are primarily hunter-gatherers or former hunter-gatherers and the original inhabitants of the area they reside in. The word Mutwa is used to describe a single person, while Batwa refers a group.

Originally the Batwa inhabited the region around the mountainous forests of Lake Kivu and Lake Edward.  The creation of national parks and economic development from the 1970s onward led to the displacement of part of the community and forced them to live as squatters in various rural areas (Ashdown, 2013). In Rwanda the Batwa are dispersed over an area of approximately 100,000 square kilometres in small communities, usually at the periphery of mixed communes. The estimated population of the Batwa in Rwanda and surrounding countries is between 86,000 and 112,000. In Rwanda they are smallest of the three ethnic groups, comprising of less than 0.4% of the population. The Hutu and Tutsi comprise 85% and 14%, respectively.

After the Batwa were driven out of their forests and could not continue their practices of hunting and gathering they turned to pottery, which quickly became part of their identity.  The Batwa who are not potters work as day laborers, small-scale cultivators, beggars or fishers.  Due to their low social status, the Batwa have limited access to education and they have a higher illiteracy rate than the rest of the population.

 
ISSUES

The Batwa have consistently been displaced from their land, leaving most homeless. However recently the hopes of ancestral lands being returned to the Batwa have sparked again as international and regional bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights have recognised the injustices committed against the Batwa and called upon Rwanda to recognise the Batwa’s rights and allow them access to their cultural land. The UNPO hopes that this recognition will be beneficial to Rwanda’s Batwa but most efforts done in their favour do not lead to a positive outcome given the government’s refusal to recognise them as a distinct ethnic and cultural group, in the name of a non-tribal Rwanda and the maintenance of societal harmony. This situation makes it difficult and nearly impossible for Batwa to organise in Batwa-focussed associations, for example. This also explains why groups that have worked for Batwa rights have consistently been met with government-created semantic barriers. This situation is unlikely to change given that on 12 July 2011, the Rwandan government once again reaffirmed the position that recognition of the Batwa goes against the constitution, threatening to revoke all NGO assistance unless the Batwa’s campaign for recognition is terminated. But while the Batwa can be legally erased, society is far less malleable and State-sponsored discrimination poses a challenge to the Batwa, who are ignored as the government fails to recognise their need for development, services, primary healthcare and better infrastructure. Reports released by UNPO and the African Initiative for Mankind Progress Organization (AIMPO) also highlight the difficulties faced by marginalised groups within the Batwa population, such as Batwa with disabilities or Twa women.

 

UNPO PERSPECTIVE

The UNPO considers the successive land policies of Rwanda which have left the Batwa population landless, homeless and destitute to be a breach of human rights. Proper compensation should be provided to those who have lost their land and homes and Batwa refugees who have returned following the 1994 genocide should be granted equal status and access to ownership as other Rwandans.

The UNPO supported Batwa efforts for recognition as a distinct ethnic group believing that this will open the door for developments in targeted support for the Batwa community, from international organisations, Rwandan civil society and the Rwandan government.

In order to further those ends the UNPO submitted an alternative report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination ahead of Rwanda’s examination in March 2011. The fact that the UNPO’s report was the only NGO report submitted to the treaty body monitoring committee underlines the severe marginalisation the Batwa face from economic, social and political opportunities in the country. In February 2016, the UNPO also submitted a paper to the Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples highlighting the way the laws of Rwanda make difficult the realisation of the rights of the Batwa. In January 2017, the UNPO submitted a report in advance of the 66th Session of the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women highlighting the double discrimination Batwa women face in Rwandan society. 

 

RELEVANT LINKS:

 

Survival International: http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/pygmies

The Forest Peoples Programme: http://www.forestpeoples.org/

First Peoples Worldwide: http://www.firstpeoplesworldwide.org/focusBatwa.asp

New Vision: Potential changes in land policy: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634242-Gov-t-asked-to-return-portions-of-national-parks-to-Batwa.html

Minority Rights Group International: http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=745&fr=1&Countries=0&Minorities=219&action_1=Go&Publications_Theme=0&Year_Filter%3A=0

 

 

#

Related news

Stay updated with the latest news

December 2, 2024

UNPO raises concern over the Systematic Rights Violations and Sentencing of Khmer-Krom Monks by Vietnamese Court

October 24, 2024

UNPO and the CWHP Advocate for Hmong Rights in Laos through UPR Submission and Report for the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights

July 5, 2024

The UNPO Submits a Report to the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) on the Ongoing Human Rights Violations against the Naga People of Nagalim

Scroll to Top
Subscribe to our Newsletter

By joining you accept receiving commercial communications from UNPO. You can retire your consent whenever you want in our privacy policy.

Dr Liam Saddington

Dr. Liam Saddington is a political and environmental geographer focused on the geopolitical impacts of climate change, particularly for small island states and the rising sea levels. His research on the UK’s evolving role in the South Pacific offers key insights into environmental degradation and displacement. He co-developed the Model UNPO, bringing conflict resolution and debates on human rights and environmental justice to UK schools. He serves as the academic advisor for the UNPO Youth Network and contributes to study sessions in partnership with the Council of Europe, contributing his expertise to global advocacy efforts.

Alexandra Gavilano

Alexandra Gavilano is an environmental scientist and climate justice decolonisation and democracy activist. With a focus on environmental protection, democratic decision-making, and personal and collective adaptation, Gavilano brings a wealth of experience in grassroots activism and advocacy to UNPO. As a climate and food justice activist, Gavilano has co-launched initiatives and associations that address social and ecological challenges. Her focus lies on system change for environmental protection, strengthening of democratic decision-making, and personal and collective deep adaptation. She serves as UNPO’s Sustainable Empowerment Campaign advisor.

Prof Francesco Palermo

Francesco Palermo is a professor of comparative constitutional law at the University of Verona and Director of the Institute for Comparative Federalism at Eurac Research in Bolzano/Bozen. He worked for the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and was member and president of the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. From 2013 to 2018 he served as a non-party member of the Italian Senate, Member of the Scientific Committee of the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU for the term 2018-2023 and Constitutional Adviser to the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Autonomies since 2019. He has authored over 300 publications, including 11 monographs and 36 edited volumes. He serves as UNPO’s Democratic Pluralism advisor.

Dr Tenzin Dorjee

Tenzin Dorjee, also known as Tendor, is a Tibetan writer, activist, and scholar based in New York, specializing in nonviolent resistance and the intersection of religion, politics, and conflict. His work, including the book ‘The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle’, reflects his deep commitment to human rights and political change. He combines academia and activism, with a strong academic background from Brown and Columbia, he has also led organizations like Students for a Free Tibet and the Tibet Action Institute.

Prof Fiona McConnell

Fiona McConnell is a Professor of Political Geography at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow in Geography at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Her research, which began with a focus on the exiled Tibetan government, now explores governance beyond the state and the articulation of political legitimacy by marginalized communities. Since joining the UNPO in 2012, she has been instrumental in developing the Unrepresented Diplomats Training Program and the Model UNPO, and co-authored influential reports on compromised spaces. As a political geographer, Fiona’s research aims to develop new areas of thinking regarding governance beyond the state, and has been Awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize and the Back Award. Fiona’s work continues to shape the discourse on self-determination and diplomacy.

Dr Michael van Walt van Praag

Dr. Michael van Walt van Praag is a distinguished international lawyer and expert in intra-state conflict resolution, known for his foundational role as the first General Secretary of the UNPO. In addition to his involvement with our organization, Dr. van Walt possesses extensive experience in facilitating peace processes and mediation, having facilitated peace talks throughout the world and lent his expertise as an advisor and consultant to governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in such processes. He currently serves as executive president of Kreddha and is a Senior Fellow at the Sompong Sucharitkul Center. In 2020, he was awarded a knighthood by the King and the Dutch government for his exceptional global contributions to conflict resolution and the rights of oppressed peoples.

Putheany Kim

Putheany Kim, mostly known as Kim, is a dedicated young activist passionate about human rights and environmental justice. Inspired by her father and driven by her aspiration to become a human rights ambassador, Kim has committed herself to promote a more equitable and sustainable future. Her work emphasizes collaboration, as she has built strong alliances with organizations and fellow activists recognising the power of unity in effecting meaningful change.

Senator Paul Strauss

Paul Strauss, is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States shadow senator for the District of Columbia since 1997. As a member of the Democratic Party, he advocated for D.C. statehood and federal representation. Strauss, also a former chairperson of the District’s Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals and a union organizer, is the principal of the Law Offices of Paul Strauss & Associates, P.C. He has been involved in various local and national political roles, including a significant role in the “51 Stars” campaign for D.C. statehood and international advocacy efforts. He has testified before the U.S. Senate, engaged with international bodies, and is an honorary member of the Global Committee for the Rule of Law.

Tammy Breedt

Tammy, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a dedicated politician and activist. She studied at the University of the Free State, where she was a student activist and served on the Student Representative Council. Tammy has been an active member of the Freedom Front Plus since 2006 and served in the Free State Legislature until 2019. After the 2019 General Elections, she became one of the first female Members of Parliament for the party, serving as the National Spokesperson on Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Social Development, Women, and Youth. Currently the Deputy Chairperson of the party in the Free State, Tammy also leads the foreign relations and internationalization committee.

Elisenda Paluzie

Professor Elisenda Paluzie is a prominent economist at the University of Barcelona, where she served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business from 2009 to 2017. She holds an MA in in International and Development Economics from Yale University and a PhD in Economics from the University of Barcelona. With research experience from the London School of Economics, CERAS-ENPC in Paris, and Kyoto University, her work focuses on regional and urban economics and international trade. She served as President of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) from 2018 to 2022.

Rubina Greenwood

Dr. Rubina Greenwood is a prominent Sindh human rights advocate with more than 20 years of experience raising awareness on the human rights issues affecting the Sindh community in Pakistan. She is the President and founder of the International Sindhi Women’s Origination (ISWO) and President of the World Sindhi Congress (WSC). She has a Phd in Architecture from University of Glasgow and she is currently Director of Network Integration for the Network Rail Consulting.

Mercè Monje Cano

Mercè Monje Cano is a socio-cultural project manager and accomplished human rights advocate with over fifteen years of experience in advocacy, project management and strategic planning. Before her appointment as UNPO Secretary General, she had been serving as the Executive Director and Head of Programmes at the UNPO, where she also acted as the UN Representative. She has managed programmes, led numerous UN advocacy efforts, coordinate various human rights initiatives, and led trainings on advocacy techniques, showcasing her expertise in advancing the rights of minorities, indigenous peoples, and unrepresented groups.