Aka Pygmies (Congo): Dance and Singing performance

The Ba’Aka pygmies (pronounced “Bye-acka”) are the original hunter-gatherers of the forest. Sadly their way of life has changed greatly in recent times and their age-old dress and customs are fading into the past. Logging, an industry which is set to double in the region in the next few years, has been partly responsible for such change. The network of logging roads that criss-cross the forest have opened up an area hitherto virtually inaccessible. These roads provide easy access to commercial hunters whose killing is on a much greater scale to the hunting of the Ba’Aka, which is for the pot and sustainable.

But although their way of life is evolving, the Ba’Aka still guard their rich inheritance and their knowledge of the forest has in no way diminished. For them, amongst other uses, the forest offers a rich pharmacopoeia of traditionally recognised medicinal properties.