In a stunning display of resilience and cultural heritage, members of the Batwa and Bakiga communities made an extraordinary journey to this year’s World Wildlife Day celebrations in Entebbe. After trekking over 500 kilometers from the hills of Kanungu District in Ruhija, they arrived laden with bundles of medicinal plants and a wealth of ancestral knowledge that has been passed down through generations.
Held on Tuesday in Entebbe Municipality, this year’s event resonated with the global theme: “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Heritage, Health and Livelihoods.” This theme felt particularly relevant for the Batwa, whose entire way of life and healing practices are intertwined with the forest.
Once the rightful inhabitants of Bwindi, the Batwa were forcibly removed from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1991, as the Ugandan government designated the area as a national park. This rich forest now provides sanctuary to approximately half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, a population that hovers just above 1,000 individuals. Suddenly, a people who had thrived within that forest for generations found themselves on the outside, grappling with loss and seeking to forge new lives at the park’s fringes alongside their Bakiga neighbors in Mpungu Sub-county.
Despite the devastating loss of their ancestral home, the Batwa have clung fiercely to their heritage, including their profound medicinal knowledge. This cultural wealth was brought to life during the celebrations, where, through Change A Life-Bwindi Organization, they showcased an array of wild herbs and plants.
The Batwa guided visitors through various remedies, addressing ailments ranging from stomach disorders and respiratory infections to skin diseases, many derived from the diverse flora native to Bwindi, which spans over 321 square kilometers and boasts more than 1,000 flowering plant species.
Christina Katushabe, the Founder of Change A Life Bwindi, revealed that the Batwa called Bwindi home, and that’s where they learned their knowledge on herbs and plants.
“The Batwa grew up in the forest. The plants were their hospital, their pharmacy, and their survival. Even after leaving the forest, the Batwa have kept this knowledge alive. It is an integral part of our identity.”She said.
For Katushabe and the Change A Life Batwa community, the trip to Entebbe was more than a cultural exchange; it symbolized a vital breakthrough.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Batwa to share their indigenous wisdom. The Batwa’s connection to the forest is a source of identity that needs nurturing and recognition,” she emphasized.
However, an underlying urgency shadows their pride. The bearers of this traditional knowledge are primarily individuals in their sixties and seventies. As these elders pass on, the risk of losing this treasure looms large vast amounts of wisdom could vanish, undocumented and unrecorded.
With Uganda being home to an estimated 3,000 plant species recognized for their medicinal properties, the majority of traditional knowledge that elucidates their safe use remains largely uncharted.
“We need robust support to document this knowledge for future generations. I am calling on government agencies and conservation organizations to acknowledge indigenous communities not merely as cultural remnants but as vital custodians of public health knowledge. The Batwa knowledge is invaluable not only to us but to the entire country,” Katushabe urged.
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that approximately 80 percent of people in developing countries rely on traditional plant-based medicine as their primary form of healthcare. In rural Uganda, where access to formal medical facilities is often limited, this figure is likely even higher. The Batwa are not merely preserving a fading relic they sustain a critical health system upon which many still rely.
The journey from Ruhija to Entebbe may be long and arduous, but the Batwa community of Bwindi made the trek bearing traditional plants and herbs, delivering a powerful message: their knowledge is vital, it is at risk, and Uganda cannot afford to let it fade into oblivion.
