Visiting the Baka People

We just got back from one of the most amazing trips that I can ever remember.  It felt like something out of National Geographic.  But let me back up and tell you how it began.

Back in February, a group of homeschooling missionary children from all over Cameroon were here in Bamenda for two weeks attending their semi-annual gathering.  The kids have group schooling and special projects.  Our kids were able to join in during a couple of the swim classes and it was a great time to play with other missionaries.  It was there that we met the Conrod family, who live with the Baka people (one of the Pygmy tribes) in the eastern part of Cameroon. 

I had studied the Pygmies in 7^th grade and found their hunting and gathering lifestyle fascinating.  I was thrilled when the Conrods invited us to come visit them.

So we drove 4 hours east from Yaoundé (which is already five hours from our house) and then headed down a dirt road with jungle on either side.  We arrived at our friends’ house and immediately saw that they lived in the Baka village of about ten houses (I had imagined they lived in town and traveled to the people). 

The nearest “town” is fifteen minutes away and not much than a few fruit stands and a gas station.

The Baka sleep in small huts with dirt floor, but they spend the day outside or under a cooking shelter.   

They are a quiet and gentle people and are friendly to outsiders in a reserved way.  They tend to move from place to place as the food crop grows short, but some of them have been stable in this village for many years.

We stayed in a cottage that was not currently occupied.  It had no electricity, and an outhouse.  There was a sink in one of the two small rooms.  Their house has electricity, thanks to eight solar panels.  But during the rainy season there is no guarantee there will be enough sun to have power left for the evening.  They turn on “the tower” for two hours of internet each day.   There are two American families and a single woman (from Canada) who are striving to be a witness by sharing in the daily lives of the people.  One is a doctor, one a pastor, and one an agriculturalist.

We got to go into their orchard and saw the most amazing fruits and plants I had ever seen.  Some looked like brains, others like sea anemones, others like porcupines.  Most tasted very good and were highly nutritious.  Their lifestyle is rustic, but the family is content and the pace of life is very tranquil.

We ventured into the jungle and despite the many flying insects and stinging nettles, had super adventures—getting to see huge trees (which are being cut down too quickly), swam with some local boys, and saw how roofs are made.  Our kids loved being outdoors and exploring the forest.  A young Baka girl came and taught us how to make beignets on an open fire.  I attended a women’s prayer meeting.  Though I didn’t understand a word, their faith was evident.

If you have a chance, it is worth Googling the Baka, or the Pygmies in general and learning about them.  I already want to go back next year.  

- Joy