CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE FOREST PEOPLE IN SOUTHEASTERN CAMEROON: THE DYNAMICS OF BAKA LIFE AND THEIR ETHNIC RELATIONSHIP WITH FARMERS

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamics of the relationship between Baka hunter-gatherers and farmers in the forests of southeastern Cameroon, focusing on 2 aspects of this situation: Changes in the Baka lifestyle and the attitudes of the 2 ethnic groups toward the external society. As a result of the sedentarization policy promoted by the government since the 1950s, the nomadic Baka hunter-gatherers have settled near the farmers' villages. This transformation has made the Baka more economically and politically dependent on the farmers. In recent decades, the introduction of logging companies, tourism businesses, and conservation agencies to the forest in which the Baka reside has created conflicts of interest between these outside actors and the Baka with regard to forest resources. The majority of the benefits generated by these outside agencies have gone to farmers' groups, and the Baka have been marginalized politically and economically. Interventions by outside agencies appear to play a decisive role the future sustainability of the Baka way of life.