!!!Baka people in Cameroon
Photos by Dmitry Moiseenko and Konstantin Lamin,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

14 August 2018

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

It is difficult to imagine our life in the 21st century without mobile
phones, cars, Internet and other integral attributes of the modern
world. But there are people on Earth who have still preserved the
traditional structure of their lives with no place for achievements of
the civilization.

We talk about different tribes that inhabit remote corners of Africa,
America and Oceania. In the Bay of Bengal, for example, there is the
most mysterious tribe living in the world — the Sentinelese. Now we know
practically nothing about them: these people fiercely resist contact
with the outside world and kill anyone who approaches their island.
Scientists can explore their life and culture only being on a safe
distance and by making photos from boats and helicopters.

[{Image src='01_Baka people.jpg' caption='Baka people in Cameroon\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

On the contrary, there are more friendly tribes in the world. Although
they are not accepting the habits and technologies of modern life, they
are ready to be in contact, show the secrets of their own life and even
receive visitors. The Baka people inhabiting the rainforests of central
Africa are among them. Their biggest community counting around 30,000
people is located in Cameroon.

As many other representatives of the African people, the Baka are
diminutive with the average height of 120-150 cm. The existence of such
small people was first mentioned by Homer who called them 'pygmies'
(meaning 'people of the size of a fist' in Greek). Nowadays people tend
to avoid this term as it is sometimes considered pejorative. However,
there is no single term to replace it.

[{Image src='02_Baka people.jpg' caption='Baka people in Cameroon\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='674'}]

The Baka people have no settlements of their own: being hunter-gatherers
and having semi-nomadic lifestyles, they often move from place to place.
They build huts out of branches and leaves on every place they arrive
at, and later they move to other places in search of food. When they
stay longer in a certain place, they start beekeeping and growing
bananas.

Fishing is the first thing small children are taught by their parents.
And for fishing they use different advanced methods: one of them is
extracting poisonous compounds from plants and dispersing this chemical
on the surface of the water. It deprives fish of oxygen and makes them
float to the surface. Another method of collecting fish is dam fishing,
in which water is removed from a dammed area and fish are taken from the
exposed ground. For hunting, the Baka use poisoned arrows and traps.

[{Image src='03_Baka people.jpg' caption='Baka people in Cameroon\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='614'}]

After successful gaining of food, the Baka perform a ritual dance in
honour of the sacred forest spirit called Jengi. The ceremony is
accompanied by the drumbeat and many-voiced singing. The ceremony of
initiation of young boys is also called Jengi, but this event is secret
and not so much known about it. But we know much more about their
attitude towards death, which is considered to be not only a tragedy but
also a misfortune for the Baka. The tribe is required to pray to Jengi
and dance around the debris-covered corpse for an entire night. After a
long night of dancing, the villagers depart from where they were
stationed in order to flee the curse.

[{Image src='04_Baka people.jpg' caption='Baka people in Cameroon\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

While living in a self-sustaining system, the Baka do not face many
modern diseases. Their traditional medicine mainly involves herbal
remedies; it is so renowned that even non-Baka seek out their healers
for treatment.

Another Baka's unique feature is their own language. Unlike their
neighbours' languages, the Baka have successfully maintained their
language that comes from a different language family. Some of the Baka
representatives also speak the languages of the other African tribes and
even French — the national language of Cameroon.

[{Image src='05_Baka people.jpg' caption='Baka people in Cameroon\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='674'}]

Unfortunately, the traditional way of life is threatened: deforestation
deprives them of the possibility to move from one remote area to the
other. More and more they have to come into contact with more
'civilized' neighbours: some people barter their prey and production for
manufactured goods, others show their lives to tourists, some people try
to send their children to school, but they face certain difficulties due
to constant movement. Another threat has recently appeared before the
Baka: once they found themselves near the village with a bar, they
discovered alcohol which affected their demography. Rather than doing
their traditional activities, they become more interested in spending
time in a bar. In addition to it, their body is not prepared to digest
alcohol. As a result, many people suffer intoxication and even die
because of that.

AirPano panoramas captured in Cameroon will take you inside the lives of
these interesting people — the last witnesses of the past, who try to
save their historical traditions and gradually surrender to the
aggressive civilization.

\\ \\
[6 panoramas of Baka people in Cameroon|Geography/Africa/Cameroon/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Baka_people_in_Cameroon ]

[{SET customtitle='Baka people in Cameroon (AP)'}]












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