Pygmie Day!

  Kisoro, Uganda
Saturday, June 9, 2007

After our amazing day hanging out with the gorillas, we headed into the mountains next to Kisoro to drop in on a Pygmy village.

The Pygmie Villagers

I had an expectation on what Pygmies would look like.  I expected the Pygmies portrayed in movies, with updated wardrobes.  Immediately I realized that once again, the media had portrayed a false image of one of Africa's people.  Pygmies are small, but they aren't as small as you'd think.  The adults topped out at around 5 feet, about a foot more than I expected. 

The village welcomed us with open arms.  Apparently, we were only the second group from a truck to ever visit, so while we were intrigued with the Pygmies, they were more curious about us.  Word went out and people came down from the hills to see the giant Mazungas.  The Pygmies proudly showed off their village and offered "Pygmy Moonshine" to the daring and the chief passed around the pipe to willing members of our group.

Knowing that the Pygmies had been displaced by the government, and that they were poor, we took up a last minute collection from our group with what money we carried and presented it to the village chief.  Lottery winners do not show more enthusiasm.  The chief immediately called a village meeting and under the roof of their "community center," proudly displayed every bill for the villagers to see and shouted out how the money would be used for the community.  This is one of those times you wish you'd brought more money to give.  For less money than would probably be spent on beer that evening, we had apparently bought bags of food and medicine for a group of truly grateful people. 

Village Celebration

The entire village celebrated singing and dancing and the village children walked us down the hill from the village. 

The Pygmies could use some help.  If you are heading on an overland truck or plan to be in their area, they could use any clothes you may be able to offer.  The kids were dressed in rags and the elders proudly wear tattered suit coats.  This is an organization through which you can probably help if you would like to do so. 

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