Oh Dear . . .

It's time to start the project of writing about what I know, what I have gathered and putting it into some semblance of order.  I am working on the best way to present the information, what point of view and with which subject should I "lead" the story.  I am a philanthropist at heart and an artist by trade.  I have a gift and a passion for both.  For the sake of this project I will touch upon the philAnthRopisT - combining ART and philanthropy as a lead into the paper because without the philAnthRopisT there would be no video project.  The whole idea of videotaping the Batwa was born from the visit I made with Jeff in 2010 to Uganda as his philAnthRopisT in tow.  While there working with him for his non profit group, I began thinking of ways to continue to help others, (especially the Batwa), through ART.  I knew there were endless possibilities but I would have to step away as the primary artist on this idea as I am not a videographer.  I have the creativity and vision but not the technical knowledge.  So, as I usually do, I stepped out into the unknown . . . working without a net (as they say in the circus), I began the drive to get others enlisted in doing good for everyone's sake.  Needless to say, I found the right people to connect.  I just need to move the art forward on paper, to bring the Batwa's life in the forest alive in print.  I am now walking the tightrope on a scary short deadline and working WITHOUT A NET.

Amazing! I am finding my way to helping others. . .

I am looking through the photos that I took when I went to Uganda and thinking how AMAZING it is that I got to go there to participate in my own thesis idea!  I know, it sounds funny, but what I am finding is I have taken the idea of combining philanthropy & ART to another level.  It is no longer just an idea or rough concept . . . I have a working model!  Art benefiting a non profit organization in a different way - a sort of "creative expansion" of out-of-the-box thinking.  This video project is a labor of love.  I just jumped in and asked the questions and here I am working at going back while writing the script.  Often I wonder how I got here, and then I realize it was meant to happen, if not to me, someone . . . so I am on board.    More on the Batwa . . . later.

Transporting back in Time

Every time I take these photos out I am taken back to Uganda and the Batwa.  I am connected to these people and I feel for them.  I felt very honored, like I was in the presence of a rich spiritual tribe, all woven together by fate and circumstance.

Political changes in Uganda in the early 1990's and global initiatives to save the mountain gorillas from extinction were the impetus for the extraction from the forest.  These gorillas are the closest to human DNA and there was concern that the gorillas would be compromised if the Batwa stayed in the forest.  Let's just ignore the thousands of years they lived together harmoniously, let's marginalize an entire culture which is struggling with the same threat of extinction, let's just "take" under the guise of betterment for all. Oh, I digress.  I am speaking ethnocide and this is about the Traditions of the Batwa.  Unfortunately, I have to tell this story here, I believe it would jeopardize our project if political ramblings cropped up and I am not a real politico by any stretch.  Just so you know I found this online at Wikipedia (not always a reliable source), when I said ethnocide to myself . . .  I LOVE GOOGLE!  This actually played out as accurate info: 

Article 7 of a 1994 draft of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples uses the phrase "cultural genocide" but does not define what it means.^[4] The complete article reads as follows:

Indigenous peoples have the collective and individual right not to be subjected to ethnocide and cultural genocide, including prevention of and redress for:

(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities;

(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources;

(c) Any form of population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;

(d) Any form of assimilation or integration by other cultures or ways of life imposed on them by legislative, administrative or other measures;

(e) Any form of propaganda directed against them.

This declaration only appeared in a draft. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007, but only mentions "genocide", not "cultural genocide", although the article is otherwise unchanged

Oh, I still digress.

Anyhoo - Back to the history project . . .

When we got to the cultural center the elders, which were three women and one man, took us into a hut where we could rest a minute and hear them speak of their time in the forest.

James was the one to speak to us and Levi was the translator.  James told us about the Batwa's instruments, the drums made from goat skins and wood and a string instrument (which I don't know what it's called) that James played for us while Mangerie danced.

This moment, this resting time, was for me, a brief look into the world of the Batwa . . . a journey with information that I was to carry back with me and share with whomever would listen.

BLOG THIS!

ok, so I am "lean" on my blog information . . . well yeah, I am, I am working to get ANYONE to respond to what I NEED.  So, I am now left to look into the written word that is available and to try and connect with anyone else who may know anything pertinent about the Batwa.  I have my own memories and I can subject you to those, but I must admit that I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination.  I would prefer to ask questions of James and Mangerie, but to my dismay I have to wait on EVERYONE ELSE.  So, if you detect a bit of sarcasm and hhhrrrrumpfffppph!  It is because of the deep frustration I am experiencing with most aspects of this project.  There may even be a few expletives sprinkled in where I just don't feel like curbing my language!  I will start with the 2010 journal that I kept for the two weeks we were there.  That journal and the 1400 photos I took should have some meat to feed the MACHINE!

Our trip up the mountainside to the Batwa cultural experience began innocently enough, western tourist types hiking up to be introduced to the history of the Batwa pygmies of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.  As I reported back to my friends here in the U.S. when I was there .  .  . I bet it was hysterical watching a fat-ass white woman huffin' and puffin' straight up the mountainside.

This was our view from the area around the cultural center, the views were spectacular, so was the adventure.

From this vantage point we moved further up the mountainside until we met a small group of Elders from the Batwa  . . . they greeted us at the entry to the final ascent to the cultural center.

 James was the Chief guide and the individual who spoke about their lives in the forest.  Along our path James showed us the way they slept in and under trees and rocks, any nook or small shelter would suffice.

From this point we continue up the mountainside (yes, up, up, up, huffin', puffin' and thinking how can anyone live this way?)  I felt like I live a soft life.

 I have no idea how old James is, he certainly looks older than I believe he is, but with no written records before 1992, it is hard to say what his age might be.  I was struck by the mix of modern clothing with forest reproduction, neither looked great . . . both were tattered.  The women that were in this group of elders were amazing too, they were stronger than me and again, I am thinking they were older too.  Although an average age for a Batwa pygmy is 28 years, I was 48 when I was walking side by side with these women of the forest.  How much older (if at all) are these women?  They aren't even breathing hard as we keep winding up the mountainside.  The thought that they could actually be younger than me really was a mind bender, I still can't wrap my mind around it.  Hard life ages you, ages you before your time.  After just the experience of getting to the center, I realized this was a way of life for all the Batwa, moving from place to place in the forest searching for food and shelter.  Now add children into the mix - this is a hard, hard way of living and it was done for thousands of years . . . so I guess it isn't abnormal for me to have a problem my first day.

Mangerie is on the right . . . she is another person I will be interviewing.  I really want to know what their lives, (James & Mangerie), were like in the forest.  More to come. . . .