Bujumbura : Batwa without arable land earn their living from begging

Batwa families who live in the villages overlooking the commercial city of Bujumbura do not have arable land like other categories of the Burundian population. They say that their old trade, pottery, no longer brings in anything and earn their living from begging. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

It has become a habit for city dwellers to meet women and children from the Batwa community, begging all day long.

In front of gates of households of Kiriri, Gihosha, Gatoke, Gasekebuye and Rohero, we have come across Batwa in recent days, mostly women with children looking for leftover food. This is the case of Pétronie Murinde, originally from Nyembuye village.

“I have no arable land. I do not see any other source of income to feed my three children. That is why you see us in the streets begging,” she explained.

Young people of this community are looking for work in households or as day laborers to find food.

However, according to some Batwa, they do not gain the trust of employers since they are very often accused of being “thieves”.

Virginie lives in the locality of Muyira. Pottery, her old profession, no longer brings her anything, she laments. “Clay pots no longer have a market.”

The Batwa who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi are asking the government to help them and especially to find them arable land. The Batwa are a very minority group and marginalized tribe in Burundi. They are also found in countries in the sub-region such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite quotas granted to them by the Constitution of Burundi, particularly in parliament, the Batwa continue to face several challenges, including lack of access to education and health care. Since the existence of the small East African nation, the Batwa have had a representative in the government. This is Minister Imelde Sabushimike, in charge of Solidarity and Human Rights.