“Two decades ago Batwa pygmies were thrown out of their native forests in Uganda to make way for the country’s mountain gorilla tourism. Tommy Trenchard and Aurelie Marrier d’Unienville went to Rukeri in Uganda find out what happened next.
Since the days of Idi Amin in the 1970s, when Uganda’s wildlife was hunted down and slaughtered in great numbers, the country has earned a reputation as a conservation success story.
Uganda’s national parks now attract tourists from around the world and provide a significant boost to the country’s economy. Yet for the country’s estimated 3,000 to 7,000 Batwa it has come at a great cost. The evicted Batwa were never compensated with land by the government and most now live as squatters or vassals to local landowners.”
This is an excerpt from an article originally published on BBC News. To read the whole story, visit The dark side of Uganda’s gorilla tourism industry.
