Twa
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- For the defunct airline TWA, see Trans World Airlines.
| Twa | |
|---|---|
| Total population | 80,000 |
| Regions with significant populations | Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda |
| Language | Kinyarwanda |
| Religion | 7% Christian[1] |
| Related ethnic groups | Hutu, Tutsi |
The Twa, also known as Batwa, are a pygmy people, of short stature, who were the oldest recorded inhabitants of the Great Lakes region of central Africa. Current populations are found in the nations of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2000, they numbered approximately 80,000 people, making them signigicant minority groups in these countries[2].
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[edit] History
When the Hutu, a Bantu people, arrived in the region, they subjugated the Twa. Around the 15th century AD, the Tutsi, a Bantu people, subsequently arrived and dominated both the Twa and the Hutu. The Twa speak the same language, Kinyarwanda, as the Hutu and Tutsi. For several hundred years, the Twa have been a very small minority in the area (currently 1% in Rwanda and Burundi) and have had little political role.
The Twa are often ignored in discussions about the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis, which reached its height in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. It is estimated that 30% of the Twa population in Rwanda was killed during this time[2].
[edit] Current Situation
Traditionally, the Twa have been a semi-nomadic "hunter-gatherer" people group of the mountain forests. Due to clearing of the forests for agriculture, logging, development projects, or creation of conservation areas, the Twa have been forced to leave these areas and establish new homes. As they seek to develop new means of sustaining their communities (such as agriculture and livestock development) most are currenly landless and live in poverty. The ancestral land rights of the Twa have never been recognized by their governments and no compensation has been made for lands lost.
Twa children have little access to education and their communities have limited representation in local and national government. Due to their pygmy ancestry, they continue to suffer ethnic prejudice, discrimination, violence, and general exclusion from society.[3][4]
[edit] Support
Groups working with the Twa
- Forest Peoples Programme - Moreton-in-Marsh, England
- CAURWA (Communauté des Autochtones Rwandais) - Kigali, Rwanda
- African International Christian Ministry - Kabale, Uganda
[edit] See also
Other Pygmy groups
Researchers who studied pygmy culture and music
[edit] External links
- African International Christian Ministry
- Pygmies of Central Africa with photos and ethnographic notes
- Batwa Pygmies of the Great Lakes Region, Minority Rights Group International, June 2000
- Twa Women, Twa Rights in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Minority Rights Group International, November 2003
- BURUNDI: The Batwa quest for equality : Pygmies today in Africa IRIN In-Depth [This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.]
[edit] References
- ^ Johnstone, Patrick, and Jason Mandryk. Operation World. Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster Lifestyle, 2001.
- ^ a b Minorities Under Siege: Pygmies today in Africa IRIN In-Depth [This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.]
- ^ Forest Peoples Programme. http://www.forestpeoples.org/
- ^ CAURWA (Communauté des Autochtones Rwandais). http://www.catgen.com/caurwa/EN
