The
plight of the Banyabutumbi
The total population of the
Banyabuytumbi live on less than one acre of land. They do
not have agricultural land or minimum assets for survival.
Most of them offer labor services to others in the fishing
industry. No government programs have assisted them since
their eviction. Their leader Mr. Owarwe says: "In 1983 we
were evicted from our ancestral land by the National Park
authorities and dumped in this small fishing village. That
fateful day when heavily armed rangers surrounded us and
shot with armed fire shall always be a landmark in our
history. We lost all our property, as our houses were set on
fire with our belongings inside, the livestock was scattered
all over. To date no compensation has been made for the
inhuman treatment we were subjected to. Many of our
relatives died due to poor conditions, as we had no food and
water."
This was the human cost of creating the National Parks in
which rich tourists today can enjoy Africa's wildlife....I
was myself nearly "run over" by an elephant just a stone
throw from their village. Remember that NOT creating these
parks would have been environmental racism. But creating
them is no doubt a form of human racism!
See 240 pictures below from "Banyabutumbi-003" to 246.
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