Who are the Bagyeli?

“I work to defend the cause of Bagyeli communities”, said Jeanne Biloa, a Bagyeli woman and director of the Bagyeli’s Cultural and Development Association (BACUDA) in an interview with the author of this article. This article will explore the challenges the Bagyeli communities of Southern Cameroon face. It is important to note that in their home region, members of the ethnolinguistic group that live in the central and southern areas are considered Bagyeli. Members that live in the northern area of the region are called Bakola. The distinction in name is only a linguistic difference in nomenclature as the Bagyeli and Bakola are considered one ethnolinguistic group. The group has also been called a variety of other names under different spellings, but Bagyeli is the most common. The Bagyeli can be found on both sides of the border between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, but this article will focus on the former.

Indigeneity

The Bagyeli and other Indigenous groups in Cameroon are commonly referred to as the “Guardians of the Forest” and are the oldest inhabitants of the country. The Cameroonian constitution uses the term “indigenous” as well as “minorities” in reference to them. Cameroon also voted in favor of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Today the Bagyeli claim the term Indigenous and the word is often used by the government and civil society groups in the country when discussing this community. In Cameroon, Indigenous groups make up around 0.4% of the population. Estimates of the Bagyeli population vary from 2,200 to 5,000 people, with communities averaging about 30 inhabitants.

Challenges to Daily Life

Around 3000 BC, Bantu speaking groups native to savannah West Africa moved into the region that the Bagyeli call home. These groups took part in cutting timber, farming, and raising cattle in contrast to the Bagyeli’s nomadic lifestyle. Scholars believe this led to a decrease in the Bagyeli population. Throughout the 1800s, European colonizers then moved into the land and created plantations, constructed sawmills, and built roads further disrupting the Bagyeli’s way of life. In 1960, Cameroon achieved its independence. The government initiated sedentarization programs to integrate Indigenous groups into mainstream Cameroonian society. Ministry of Social Affairs initiatives largely targeted other Indigenous groups. In 1980 in partnership with a Dutch development association, the Cameroonian government worked towards studies to understand socio-economic integration of the Bagyeli. These initiatives struggled due to difficulties reaching the communities and a lack of cultural sensitivity.

The Issue Around the Campo Ma’an National Park

In 2000, the Campo Ma’an National Park was set up. Its creation was the result of the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project, which received funding from the World Bank that stipulated an environmental offset for the pipeline. However, the new forest reserve displaced Bagyeli communities and restricted their access to the rainforest. The reserve is also threatened by poaching, illegal wildlife trade, logging, and agricultural and coastal development. One of the most important indicators of wealth for the Bagyeli is access to the forest and its resources and participation in decision making processes related to the forest. The Campo Ma’an project contravenes this. Instead, Communities use resource maps to advocate for themselves on the local and national level and expect consultation when projects begin. In the case of the World Bank project their complaints were rejected.

A Case Study

The creation of Campo Ma’an National Park has resulted in food insecurity and economic hardship for the Bagyeli because they now have restricted access to the forest. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has introduced community-based conservation programs to assist the Bagyeli/Bakola with food insecurity. They assist communities in diversifying their food systems through community plantations and seed distribution. This community-based conservation effort also cuts back on the Bagyeli’s involvement in the illegal bushmeat trade which they conducted during times of scarcity. AWF promotes agroforestry as a sustainable livelihood option for the Bagyeli. The foundation supports communities in planting rubber trees, a key cash crop, interplanted with non-timber forest products to restore degraded land and generate income.

A Way of Life

The Bagyeli’s understanding of a developed life is to maintain their way of existence in the forest with the best standard of living they can achieve. At times this understanding of development competes with the Cameroonian government’s definition. The government attempts to develop the economy by exporting and processing natural resources that require the forests to change. The disconnect between the Bagyeli and the government leads to tensions over development projects like the pipeline project or agri-businesses. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) wrote to the Cameroonian government multiple times in 2023 about violations of Bagyeli rights surrounding palm oil company CamVert. They cite a lack of prior and informed consent and a lack of adequate recognition and respect. CERD found the government’s response to lack “sufficient information on all allegations.”

Allocation of Land

Land traditionally inhabited and used by the Bagyeli has been allocated by the state to large agribusinesses without the consent of the Indigenous communities. In 2008 the World Rainforest Movement reported that two Bagyeli communities lost land due to plantations created by HEVECAM and SOCAPALM. These companies rarely employ Bagyeli and contribute to adverse health effects. Today SOCAPALM tries to facilitate access to healthcare and education for Bagyeli communities and has established a framework for dialogue through BACUDA. In 2018, the government issued land under the name of the state to Biopalm, a palm oil producer, for a renewable term of 50 years. The government declared the areas “unoccupied and not used by the communities.” Bagyeli communities resist this treatment through civil society groups to reach various levels of the government. Land issues for the Bagyeli/Bakola have persisted over time. Mrs. Biloa sees a way forward through, stating “A land reserve for the Bagyeli by the state would be beneficial.”