Congo pygmies move deeper into the forest to escape extinction

Moguio, a young Aka-Mbenzele pygmy, used to roam freely through the forest to hunt and gather, following the seasons. But then his community in the north of the Republic of Congo became threatened by landowners, forestry and mining. They decided to abandon their nomadic tradition and settle in one place deeper in the forest.

Pygmies are one of Africa's last nomadic hunter-gatherer communities. Traditionally, they lived in a vast region spanning the entire Congo Basin. Around 900,000 pygmies still live across the rainforests of nine Central African countries. But the loss of habitat makes it harder for young men like Moguio to maintain their hunting traditions.

In most regions of Central Africa, pygmies no longer have free access to their traditional lands and are unable to carry out traditional activities. Pygmies share the rituals and secrets of the forest to their children from the day they are born. The Aka-Mbenzel community worries they won't be able to pass down their knowledge to the next generations.

The village of Longa is located deep within the rainforest of the Likouala Department. Here, community life continues quietly, away from ethnic discrimination. The Republic of Congo was the first African country to pass a law protecting pygmies' rights; regardless, communities still suffer severe social exclusion. A 2019 human rights report by the UN confirmed such ongoing discrimination.

Pygmies are often looked down upon in Congolese society. They are seen as backward by the Bantu ethnic group, which historically kept them as slaves. Pygmies have a very close relationship with the rainforest environment — which is worshiped as a deity. They live in symbiosis with nature, gathering fruits and insects, and hunting; and protecting the environment they rely upon.

Pygmies are entirely dependent on the forest of the Congo Basin forest for their livelihood. It's the second-largest rainforest on the planet, soaking up 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 each year — making it crucial for regulation of the global climate. The rainforest is endangered by logging and clearing for large-scale agriculture. Mining and urbanization are also threats.

The Aka-Mbenzele can navigate in the forest even at night. Adept at evading predators, they are gifted hunters. The group lives in one of the world's most important natural sanctuaries, which covers 240 million hectares (about 927,000 square miles) and is home to more than 10,000 types of plants and thousands of animals. 

Longa pygmies still set up camps in the forest when they go hunting or search for fruit and insects. But in other areas of the Congo Basin forest, nature reserve guards have attacked and burned pygmy settlements, accusing them of being poachers. In 2016, the indigenous rights group Survival International accused WWF and African Parks of hundreds of cases of abuse against Indigenous peoples. 

"In the past, we didn't understand the concept of the forest having owners. We could move freely without limitations," explains Ndiky. UN investigations have confirmed allegations of abuses and human rights violations against pygmies by environmental groups. This raises concerns around creating nature reserves on traditional Indigenous lands, and militarization of the guarding of such reserves.

As sunset approaches, a representation of the pygmies' forest god Mobe often shows up in the village of Longa. The community asks the deity to donate fruit and assure good hunting. "They have protected their world for years. I'm sure we couldn't preserve the forest without their wisdom," says Congolese ethnologist Sorel Eta.

But pygmies in the Congolese department of Sangha are losing access to their ancestral lands. They are being forced to settle near Bantu-majority urban centers. Armel is a Baka pygmy who now works on a cacao farm. "First the loggers and miners came, then the eco-guards. I think they want to kill our culture. It's only a matter of time." 

When pygmies harvest honey, they make sure they leave behind enough for the bees to survive. They take care to only take what they need; others could learn from them. Over the past two decades, at least 64.7 million hectares of humid primary forest has been lost globally.