<PART2: Community-based Sanitation>Defecation Attitude and Influence of Toilet Construction Activities among the Baka of Southeastern Cameroon

Abstract

In this paper, the ambivalent phenomenon that emerged between the actual defecation attitude of settled hunter-gatherers and recent trends (Community-Led Total Sanitation; CLTS and Sustainable Development Goals; SDGs) reveals the need for and significance of toilets for hunter-gatherers. Baka hunter-gatherers have been adapting to a sedentary lifestyle since the 1950s in the rainforests of Cameroon but continue to lead a nomadic lifestyle with seasonal camping in the forest. Based on the ecological environment of the region and their adapted lifestyle, many do not build fixed and specific toilets and consider open defecation to be sufficient. However, despite frequent attempts to build toilets as an external refined tool or as sanitation improvement for their appropriate use, these practices have not taken root. This study examined the defecation attitude of the Baka people to provide perspectives on their sanitation and hygiene towards building better toilets and sanitation practices for the Baka people.