Indigenous peoples of Africa
The distinction between indigenous peoples of Africa and the rest of the non- indigenous population is a comparatively new categorization in Africa, since until a few decades ago almost the entire population was subject to European colonial rule (with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia).
Nevertheless, there are also ethnic groups in African countries that differ significantly from the majority population culturally, economically and socially and are often exposed to ongoing discrimination. The way of life and economy of these groups are shaped by hunting and gathering , nomadism or transhumance or mobile animal husbandry .
A particularly clear distinction between indigenous and non-indigenous populations exists in southern Africa. Here v. a. the San (Bushmen) and the Khoi Khoi as indigenous, whose settlement history is said to span up to 20,000 years, while the majority of the black population belong to the Bantu- speaking ethnic groups who later immigrated (including Xhosa , Tsonga and Zulu ) and are therefore not considered indigenous.
Recent developments
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Indigenous peoples, especially on the African continent, have difficulties being accepted by the various governments of the individual countries. Therefore, they experience strong discrimination and are legally disadvantaged in their country.
2010 was an important year for the indigenous people of Africa. For the first time in the history of the continent, the African Commission for Human Rights (ACHPR) has granted an indigenous people their land rights. The Endorois, a semi-nomadic indigenous people in Kenya, were evicted from their land during the 1970s for the establishment of a national park. In February 2010 the people were finally granted their rights, which gave them unrestricted access to the area and a share of the profits made on the land.
In April 2010, the Central African Republic became the first African country to ratify Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). This document is the only binding international agreement that protects the rights of indigenous peoples and has so far only been ratified by a few states, including only four European states. By signing the convention, the rights of the pygmies living in the country were strengthened.
Displacement of indigenous peoples through national parks
The expulsion of indigenous people from their land in order to establish national parks there is a major problem in many African countries. The national parks are established to protect the regional wilderness and wildlife and have devastating consequences for the people living there, such as the Bushmen in Botswana. They were evicted from their land, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). When a court ruled that they could return to the land, the Botswana government destroyed the people's only watering hole, leaving them to walk long distances to get water. Ironically, a vacation resort with its own pool for tourists was built on the reserve.
In mid-2009, eight Maasai villages were burned down and the people of their country were expelled or imprisoned. Cases of rape and severe physical abuse have been reported. The Otterlo Business Corporation (OBC) had opened a hunting ground for tourist safaris on the Maasai territory, but there was no room for the indigenous people.
The fate of the Bushmen and the Maasai are just one of the many examples of displacement. There are some figures from Africa that underline the severity of the situation. In Chad alone, 600,000 indigenous people have been displaced so far, in Kenya and Tanzania around 100,000 in the past 30 years. Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea include 120,000 displaced persons and a further 170,000 people who have yet to face fate.
The human rights organization Survival International campaigns for and against displaced persons and is running a campaign specifically focusing on national parks and indigenous peoples.
Individual indigenous peoples
Berber (Amazigh) including Tuareg
- The Berbers are a group of indigenous peoples in western North Africa, particularly in Morocco and Algeria.
- The Fulani are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They live in at least 18 African countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Mauritania and Cameroon. The Wodaabe belong to the Fulani and have about 45,000 members.
- The Himba are related to the Herero . Today only about 16,000 of them live in Namibia and Angola. They belong to the Bantu language family .
- The Sandawe comprise 40,000 people, the Hadza still 700 today and live in central Tanzania. They were originally hunters and gatherers .
- Together with the Bushmen, the Khoi Khoi form the Khoisan in southern Africa. The term "Bushmen" encompasses the approximately 100,000 members of indigenous peoples of southern Africa, including the Gana, Gwi and Tsila in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Angola, who are also known as the San . Even if the term has negative connotations, it is currently used and even accepted by the Bushmen themselves. They connect their country with the "bush".
Maasai and other Maa peoples
- The Maasai live in East Africa in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania . Their exact number is unknown, but it is estimated at half a million.
- The Ogiek are one of the few remaining hunter-gatherer races in East Africa, particularly in Kenya. Their home is the Mau Mountain Forest, which overlooks Kenya's Rift Valley.
Indigenous peoples of the Omo Valley
- The approximately 200,000 indigenous people from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia were made up of eight different groups. Their homeland is threatened, however, as a dam ( Gibe III ) is under construction there, which will affect the course of the Omo River and thus destroy the livelihoods of the local people.
Pygmies (including Batwa , Baka )
- Pygmies is a collective term for the 150,000 to 200,000 indigenous people in Central Africa who are characterized by their small body size, but otherwise very heterogeneous.
- The indigenous Berber peoples in the Canary Islands are now extinct; The original inhabitants of the island of Tenerife are called Guanches .
See also
Web links
- www.ipacc.org.za Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC)
Individual evidence
- ↑ IPACC: Southern Africa ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Milestone decision - eviction from the national park was illegal on www.survivalinternational.de
- ^ First African state ratifies international convention for indigenous peoples on www.survivalinternational.de
- ^ Tourism in Botswana
- ↑ News about the expulsion of the Maasai ( Memento of the original from August 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ "Parks need Peoples" campaign by Survival International
