Twa

Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Twa shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Twa offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Twa at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Twa? Wrong! If the Twa is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Twa then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Twa? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Twa and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Twa wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Twa then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Twa site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Twa, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Twa, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

For the defunct airline TWA, see Trans World Airlines. {{ethnic group||group=Twa|image=|caption=Batwa with traditional bow and arrow|poptime=80,000|popplace=Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, UgandaJohnstone, Patrick, and Jason Mandryk. Operation World. Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster Lifestyle, 2001. |langs=[Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Rukiga_language|related=Hutu, Tutsi-->The Twa, also known as Batwa, are a pygmy people who were the oldest recorded inhabitants of the African 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 significant minority groups in these countries Minorities Under Siege: Pygmies today in Africa IRIN In-Depth article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. .

There are also a number of southern "Twa" populations in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana living in swamps and deserts far from the forest. These are little studied, and this article will deal only with the Twa of the Great Lakes region.

History When the Hutu, a Bantu people, arrived in the region, they subjugated the Twa. Around the 15th century AD, the Tutsi, a Nilotic 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.. About 30% of the Twa population of Rwanda died in the fighting.

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 currently 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.Forest Peoples Programme. http://www.forestpeoples.org/CAURWA (Communauté des Autochtones Rwandais). http://www.catgen.com/caurwa/EN

Ugandan History and their Current ProblemsCopied from a document written by Bagorogoza Christopher - Director I/C Batwa and Documentation, Cultural Centre, Rubuguri, Uganda. Authorised for reproduction Mutwa Mutwa was a native of African tropical rain forests. He was occupying the current Itwari and Bwindi Forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and western Uganda respectively. In the DRC he was known as locally as 'Mumbuti' (singular) and Bambuti (plural), while in Uganda he was 'Mutwa' (singular) and Batwa (plural).He was a nomadic hunter and gatherer. For that reason, I grew up when there was false impression that 'batwa never died'. Majority of them died when they were on their nomadic movements. In most cases, Mutwa lived in solitude. Therefore when he died no one else was there to witness the death or burial. Even if they were living in a group, the number was too few to organise 'successful burial'. If he had a companion, he would organise improvised burial known as 'kukonderera'. It meant that he would cut down branches and spread them all over the corpse/carcass. In addition he had limited tools/implements which could enable him to dig a grave. The most important tools he was proud of we spears, big knives and a special spear whose one end was a chisel known to him as 'ekisoosho', which enabled him to cut into a big tree to reach its hollow part which was a home for honey bees.The hollow part was known to him as 'embigo'. Another cheap method of burial was leaving a corpse/carcass against a rock in a cave. They believed that if an old man died and was buried into the soil, their skill of keen sight of bees, known as 'kutaara', would meet a curse and die out completely. They would lay the corpse to rest saying 'stand here facing up to keep on viewing the different types of honey bees in their various directions'. I quote their words 'Yemerera aha mum rutare rutature ugume utaare'. Literally meaning 'stand here in unleaking cave and on viewing bees. I got the above information from my late father (Bahimyuza) who linked me to late Ndyabarausya (father to Kisuuguru - currently living in Bubaare) who was his blood brother.On the other hand Batwa have undergone some mutation following some sexual 'harassment' by non-Batwa communities and pressure exerted on them to completely leave the forest. I have called it harassment because they win them through cheap gifts like, waragi Gin, Muramba, and small pieces of pork to mention but a few.

Major Problems Threatening the existence of the Batwa 1. Indulgement in Prostitution2. Lack of animal proteins3. Lack of well constructed shelters4. Lack of fuel wood

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
Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann - Kanungu, Uganda

See also Other Pygmy groups

Mbuti (Bambuti) people
Baka (nomadic Central African people)
Aka_(Pygmy_tribe)

Researchers who studied pygmy culture and music

Colin Turnbull
Simha Arom
Mauro Campagnoli
Jean-Pierre Hallet

External links

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 article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.

References

For the defunct airline TWA, see Trans World Airlines. {{ethnic group||group=Twa|image=|caption=Batwa with traditional bow and arrow|poptime=80,000|popplace=Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, UgandaJohnstone, Patrick, and Jason Mandryk. Operation World. Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster Lifestyle, 2001. |langs=[Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Rukiga_language|related=Hutu, Tutsi-->The Twa, also known as Batwa, are a pygmy people who were the oldest recorded inhabitants of the African 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 significant minority groups in these countries Minorities Under Siege: Pygmies today in Africa IRIN In-Depth article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. .

There are also a number of southern "Twa" populations in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana living in swamps and deserts far from the forest. These are little studied, and this article will deal only with the Twa of the Great Lakes region.

History When the Hutu, a Bantu people, arrived in the region, they subjugated the Twa. Around the 15th century AD, the Tutsi, a Nilotic 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.. About 30% of the Twa population of Rwanda died in the fighting.

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 currently 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.Forest Peoples Programme. http://www.forestpeoples.org/CAURWA (Communauté des Autochtones Rwandais). http://www.catgen.com/caurwa/EN

Ugandan History and their Current ProblemsCopied from a document written by Bagorogoza Christopher - Director I/C Batwa and Documentation, Cultural Centre, Rubuguri, Uganda. Authorised for reproduction Mutwa Mutwa was a native of African tropical rain forests. He was occupying the current Itwari and Bwindi Forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and western Uganda respectively. In the DRC he was known as locally as 'Mumbuti' (singular) and Bambuti (plural), while in Uganda he was 'Mutwa' (singular) and Batwa (plural).He was a nomadic hunter and gatherer. For that reason, I grew up when there was false impression that 'batwa never died'. Majority of them died when they were on their nomadic movements. In most cases, Mutwa lived in solitude. Therefore when he died no one else was there to witness the death or burial. Even if they were living in a group, the number was too few to organise 'successful burial'. If he had a companion, he would organise improvised burial known as 'kukonderera'. It meant that he would cut down branches and spread them all over the corpse/carcass. In addition he had limited tools/implements which could enable him to dig a grave. The most important tools he was proud of we spears, big knives and a special spear whose one end was a chisel known to him as 'ekisoosho', which enabled him to cut into a big tree to reach its hollow part which was a home for honey bees.The hollow part was known to him as 'embigo'. Another cheap method of burial was leaving a corpse/carcass against a rock in a cave. They believed that if an old man died and was buried into the soil, their skill of keen sight of bees, known as 'kutaara', would meet a curse and die out completely. They would lay the corpse to rest saying 'stand here facing up to keep on viewing the different types of honey bees in their various directions'. I quote their words 'Yemerera aha mum rutare rutature ugume utaare'. Literally meaning 'stand here in unleaking cave and on viewing bees. I got the above information from my late father (Bahimyuza) who linked me to late Ndyabarausya (father to Kisuuguru - currently living in Bubaare) who was his blood brother.On the other hand Batwa have undergone some mutation following some sexual 'harassment' by non-Batwa communities and pressure exerted on them to completely leave the forest. I have called it harassment because they win them through cheap gifts like, waragi Gin, Muramba, and small pieces of pork to mention but a few.

Major Problems Threatening the existence of the Batwa 1. Indulgement in Prostitution2. Lack of animal proteins3. Lack of well constructed shelters4. Lack of fuel wood

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
Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann - Kanungu, Uganda