INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BATWA AND COVID-19 IN RUTHSURU/NORTH KIVU DRCongo

 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BATWA AND COVID-19 IN RUTHSURU/NORTH KIVU DRCongo

Date: 21 August 2020

                                                                           Author: ELIODE BAKOLE

COVID-19 is real. It doesn’t choose color, gender, age group, social classes and even more the origin. It is deadly. It may be the real evidence that our recklessness towards caring for the only and unique planet that the Almighty God has given us “Mother Earth” has gone to a superior level.

Since the pandemic had started in China in December 2019, thousands of lives have perished. Elders, youth, women, men, albinos, indigenous people and even children have passed on. Millions of people have been infected and billions are now affected.  

However, some individuals have been overlooked in the global response to this pandemic which is going viral worldwide.

In many places of the world, a good number Indigenous people are in one way or another forgotten in the fight. This is being done whereas their knowledge seems to be important to address many world issues. They lives are completely changing and their vulnerability is increasing day to day, their economies are shrinking since they completely depend on other communities for survival.  

The Indigenous People Batwa of Rutshuru, in DRCongo are not spared. They face the same challenges and sometimes they find themselves arrested and fined because of the lack of face masks. Their livelihood is limited and don’t have enough means to purchase a single face mask, to get water, sanitizer, soaps, to keep their lives safe and sound in this challenging moment.

“I cannot get a single coin to buy a facemask yet I don’t have food in my house. If the police arrest me because of not wearing the facemask I will die in prison” Said a Mutwa woman.   

The statement above melted and shattered my heart into several pieces. I was flooded with complaints and requests from indigenous people while collecting the data on my maters topic entitled “Indigenous People Involvement in the Biodiversity Conservation. The case of Indigenous people of Mikeno Sector in the Virunga National Park/DRCongo.”

Basing on this, I was decided to buy facemasks using my own means, sensitize indigenous people on the measures to protect themselves against the Corona Virus. In total, 29 Indigenous People Batwa of Burayi/Rutshuru had received the facemasks and was aware of the protective measures. I could only read smile and happiness on their faces.

Note that the traditional and indigenous knowledge may appear to be one of the best alternative to bring an answer to the current problems related to the biodiversity loss, diseases and pandemics, climate change and global warming, that the planet is facing.

It is now other responsibility of all of us, decision makers, scientists, conservationists, and agencies, civil society organizations to consider the indigenous knowledge, to involve the indigenous people in our decisions and in curbing the current global challenges.

                                                                                                By Eliode Bakole