“We suffer from diseases because the house is not well built. The baby often fells ill. We always live in bad houses like this one... I do not like the house. Snakes can easily enter inside. And when it rains, the house gets wet, and people fall sick. I prefer a house made out of plywood and zinc. I would like to have a house in which I feel secure, happy, and in peace. My dream house has electric lights, five rooms, a kitchen and a toilet. Like a house in the city.”

Baka, female

"The materials used to build the house are not good. Most houses in the village are constructed in this way and collapse after 8 to 9 years. Most people cannot get quality wood to build their houses. Only the people who work in the COVAREF [mostly Bantu] have access to wood."

Baka, male

*COVAREF: Short for “Comité de Valorisation des Ressources Fauniques” is a community committee that manages the community hunting zones in the park’s buffer zone.

“I really like this house - it is well constructed and protects against mosquitoes. Windows and doors can be closed. Children are not only protected against diseases but people feel more at ease [in a house like this].”

Baka, male

“I am a widow and have neither wood nor money to get a better and more comfortable house”

Bantu, female

“I do not like this house because it is made out of wooden sticks. Many people have to live in that house but share only one room. When it rains, the beds get wet. There are lots of mosquitoes leading to malaria. The people in this house suffer a lot”.

Baka, female

“This is a good house because it is well constructed and the door can be closed”.

Baka, female

“The boy is fetching water from a river while some meters upstream people wash themselves and defecate into the water. I would like to have clean drinking water and a water pump. Water is the basis of health and drinking water from a river is a serious issue. It not only causes diseases like typhoid but makes the brain sick, too, because people get mentally ill if they are always feeling sick.”

Bantu, male

“The picture shows [our] local waterfall. It is beautiful to look at. I hope that the waterfall can be used for hydro energy and attract tourists.”

Baka, male

" This stream is not easy to access because it is situated on a steep slope. When it rains, water flows down into the river and mixes with other things, polluting the water. It can cause diarrhea, cholora and other diseases.”

Baka, male

“We used to carry water from the well which made us sick but now, thanks to the borehole, it is easy to access water and we are no longer sick”

Bantu, female

“Rain washes dirt into this source and the drinking water that people fetch from this source is contaminated. Many people get diarrhea or worms. There is a hospital in Kika, but the transport costs to go there and the treatment are very expensive. In my opinion, there should be a proper water well or pump in the village, but I do not know who could construct it”

Bantu, female

“The photo shows a water pump in Mambélé that was constructed by PASEPCO. I like it, because the pump is properly managed and the water is clean. In [my village], there is only one water point, but the Bantu population does not use it properly and it is contaminated with a lot of dirt. We Baka have therefore resorted to going into the forest to fetch water from a source. There is no organization that could build a similar water pump for the Baka in [my village]”

Baka, male

“When there is a bed, there should be a hospital table to put drugs, water and food on, but there is none.”

Bantu, female

“People in the village use traditional medicine from the forest to treat common diseases. The boy in the picture cuts bark off a tree that can be used to treat hernia or bladder infections. Both Baka and Bantu use traditional medicine. The knowledge about plants is passed on from generation to generation.”

Bantu, male

“My photo shows a mother and her children, her baby. They are eating plantains. The house is dirty. The woman should protect the baby, but it is difficult because she has no money for soap. The girl is without slippers, barefoot, because she has no shoes. The girl might walk into things. We need a lot of things, we cannot live well. It is difficult to find money, there is no work".

Baka, female

”This health center was built 10 years ago. I like it for two reasons: first, it is near to the community, and second, the health center has cheaper medicine than the private medical center”

Baka, male

“I took a picture of a tree called Gorbo. The tree is very useful: the fruits can be collected and sold, the bark can be used for traditional medicine to treat coughs”

Baka, male

“My picture shows young students in school uniforms. They are Baka students studying in church. This is the future. School in church is for free, but one has to motivate the teacher”.

Baka, male

“Heavy rainfalls have severely destroyed this school building. Due to the lack of school buildings, different grades need to be taught in one classroom.”

Bantu, female

“That is my grandfather. He wanted me to take a picture of him. He sits in this house where he gives counsel to people, on the good things in life. He told me to go to school, not to miss any class and I follow his advice. I think his advice is good - it is my life, going to school can help me”

Baka, female

 

“I took a picture of a Baka student. I like that the boy is educated and that he will be able to help the community. If there is a letter he is able to read it. He is very smart contrary to those who have never been to school. He is writing the Ordinary level certificate this year”

Baka, female

“The picture shows where children go to study and learn things. The building is part of the local primary school - it is public and was constructed by the COVAREF ten years ago. School fees are 3,000 XAF [$ 5] per year. Children between the ages of 6 and 15 go to primary school. Around 60 % of the children in the village attend school, and some students also come from other villages nearby. Many students continue to go to secondary school in Kika.”

Bantu, female

*COVAREF: short for “Comité de Valorisation des Ressources Fauniques” is a community committee that manages the community hunting zones in the park’s buffer zone

“I value education a lot: our children go to school and can become anything, even president. At home, the children can teach their parents what they have learnt. School fees are 3,000 XAF [around $ 5] annually, which is OK. Schools are mixed with Baka and Bantu children, which helps to reduce discrimination and stereotypes between them”

Baka, male

“I took a picture of the hut next to my fields, where I stay to scare off animals. I use the drum and hit it so hard that it scares the animals away. When we are sick, we don't have the strength to do that because it is very stressful.”

Bantu, female

"This Baka woman complained that it was not possible to enter the forest due to the presence of ecoguards. One day, she returned from the forest with wild mangos. The ecoguards took it by force. They only took the mangos but didn’t hit her because she is old. Since then, she has never returned to the forest.”

Baka, female

“The person in the coffin was my colleague who died during a patrol in 2016. He was shot by a Baka during an elephant-hunt. To me, it represents the dangers and risks that ecoguards have to face. We die like this for the world heritage.”

Bantu, male

“Monkeys often enter the houses in the village. They go into the kitchens, steal food and destroy things. This happens about once a week. They also defecate. We chase them away, but they come back. Through conservation they have become less afraid of humans -- it is forbidden to kill them or shoot at them. Our grandparents used bows and arrows to chase them away. NGOs should find ways to keep them from the village, as there are currently no measures in place.”

Bantu, farmer

“I like going to the village, as I can find work, e.g. washing dishes or clothes for Bantu neighbors. I use the money to buy food. [However], I don’t like working for them, it is hard and we earn little money.”

Baka, female

“A load like that can easily generate a profit of 5,000,000 XAF [$ 8800 ]. The president of the COVAREF is a Bantu. It is only the Bantu community that profits from the COVAREF. We Baka should be more involved in management and benefit-sharing”

Baka, male

*COVAREF: short for “Comité de Valorisation des Ressources Fauniques” is a community committee that manages the community hunting zones in the park’s buffer zone.

“The toilet building is located behind a house. As there is a lot of vegetation around it, snakes and other dangerous animals may attack people when they go there.”

Bantu, female

“The toilet is made out of mats and it is not comfortable. It is used by both men and women who are sick. And there is no roof. When it rains, the patients find it difficult to use.”

Bantu, female

“I do not like this toilet; it is located in the forest, far from my house. Diseases spread easily because everyone uses it. I prefer having a toilet of my own.” When asked what women do when they get their periods, she replies: “We don’t have anything to use, only our underwear. We also have nothing to alleviate the pain.”

Baka, female

“This is a tree with honey inside. I love honey. We go to the forest to find honey inside trees. We eat it, sell some, and also use it as medicine”

Baka, male

“The forest is highly restricted for us and the sheep we have here are for the Muslims. We would like to have financial assistance to rear our own sheep and goats. Then we won't have to enter the forest to hunt. “

Baka, female

“I like the picture because it shows how meat can be sold to earn money for soaps, books, pens, and more. People along the street buy it from us. When people do not buy it, we will eat it ourselves.”

Baka, female

“They are harvesting njangsang which they sell or use to make soup. They farm together and sell NFTPs to the Bantu. It is so difficult to harvest njangsang but the Bantu don't buy at a reasonable price. A bucket is sold for 500 XFA [roughly $ 1 ], and when the Bantu take it to town they make a profit of 4000 XFA [roughly $ 7 ].”

*Non- timer forest products

Baka, female

“I can earn enough money by selling the harvest to send my children to school. I harvest the cacao fruits four times per year. Buyers come from Kika and/or Moloundou and pay around 550 XAF [$ 1] per kg.”

Bantu, female

“If we had one of these, it would improve our lives. It helps to do the fields. With a machete, it is difficult. One has to cut the trees to improve our houses and habitats, and to do our fields.”

Baka, male

“My photo shows a road in Socambo. There are no cars nor busses to travel to other places, the only way to travel is by truck. Only 3 people fit, so a bigger family would have to split. The traveling time varies; you need one week in the rainy season to go from Socambo to Yokadouma; in the rainy season, it costs 15.000 XAF [$ 27] plus the food during the travel, which is very expensive; prices are at least 10.000 XAF [$ 18], it depends on the truck driver and the season” 

Bantu, female

“The photo shows a truck that is stuck because of the bad state of the road. The road is slippery and muddy in the rainy season and causes a lot of accidents. In the dry season, there is so much dust” 

Baka, female

“Motorbikes are the only means for transport in the area. There are no safety measures and they carry too many people.”

Bantu, female

“This is my pot cooking food on firewood at night. I would like to show that we have no [electric] light. We always have to look for firewood to cook, that is difficult.”

Baka, female

“There is no electricity in the village, so people need to use torches to light their rooms after dark. WWF promised to electrify the village, but nothing has happened. It is dangerous to move in the dark without a light, there might be snakes or other animals. Without electricity, people cannot use modern technology such as mobile phones, computers, or television.”

Bantu, farmer

“I am proud that we have a mobile network now. Thanks to the new antenna we have network in a radius of 5km. Before, we had to go to Congo for network or simply did not have any communication means at all. I am very happy about it. Everyone has a phone now”.

Bantu, male

“It is awful that young people drink. The light drugs are a real problem, people get in fights and it really destroys the brain... the Baka drink a lot, too. I want someone to campaign against alcohol and to raise awareness about its dangers, because people that drink do not go to school, do not go to their fields or to church; instead, they steal and become bandits.”

Bantu, male

“My photo shows people that are drunk. They are drunk, they fight. Woman and man have too many problems with alcohol”

Baka, male

This participant took a picture of a local shop. She was silent for a long time during the interview, Finally, she revealed why she took this picture:

“My family owes money to the shop owner, and it is difficult to pay our debts.” Their debts amount to 4000 XFA [$ 7].

Baka, female

"These are the former cacao fields of my father. He sold his fields because he was sick, and got 5000 XFA [roughly $ 9]. The new owners have performed rituals to keep other people away from the field. You will die when you touch the cacao.”

Baka, female