Abatwa benshi bo muri Uganda, birukanwe mu myaka 30 ishize mu ngo barazwe n’abasekuruza babo zo mu mashyamba kugira ngo habungabungwe ubuzima bw’inyamaswa, ubu bumva barahohotewe.
Mu rugendo n’amaguru mu ishyamba ry’inzitane rya Bwindi, indirimbo Abatwa baririmba zifatwa nk’iz’ibyishimo, ariko zirumvikanamo agahinda.
Ni izo kwishimira umusaruro mwiza w’ubuki, ariko nta musaruro uhari kuko Abatwa batacyemerewe guhakura ubuki, cyangwa ikindi kintu icyo ari cyo cyose, muri iri shyamba.
Ahubwo, aba basangwabutaka bafata ba mukerarugendo babaha amafaranga bakabatembereza mu turere tw’abasekuruza babo bahoze batuyemo mu ishyamba ndetse, mu buryo burimo imbyino, bakabasubiriramo uburyo bahoze babayeho.
Injyana iracurangwa ku mirya y’icyuma hakoreshejwe urutoki rw’igikumwe ku nanga izwi nk'”icyembe”, ubwo tugeze ku itsinda ry’inzu za nyakatsi muri iri shyamba, nyuma yo kugenda iminota 30.
Eric Tumuhairwe, ukuriye iri tsinda, atunga urutoki ku hantu hari inyuma y’izi nyakatsi, arasobanura ati: “Aha hari kuba ari indaro [urusengero], aho twari kuba tuganirira n’abakurambere bacu.”
“Iyo abagabo babaga bashaka kujya guhiga, bitwazaga inyama cyangwa ubuki nk’amaturo. Bahigaga ingurube z’agasozi [isatura] n’amoko menshi y’impongo [antilope, mu Gifaransa]. Abagore bishimiraga ko umuhigo warumbutse, bagateka bakanabyina. Ariko ubu ntitukibona ibiryo by’ubu bwoko.”
Tumuhairwe, ufite imyaka hafi 50, ni mukuru bihagije kuburyo yibuka uko ubuzima bwari bumeze kuri we na bagenzi be mbere yuko birukanwa.
Mu gihe cy’imyaka ibarirwa mu magana, bari babayeho nk’abahigi batunzwe n’ibiva mu mashyamba yo mu misozi miremire yo ku mipaka ya Uganda, u Rwanda na Repubulika ya Demokarasi ya Congo.
Ariko mu myaka ya 1990, Abatwa bo muri Uganda birukanwe mu mashyamba ya Bwindi, Mgahinga na Echuya mu majyepfo ashyira uburengerazuba bw’igihugu, ubwo utwo turere twahindukaga za parike z’inyamaswa, mbere na mbere mu rwego rwo kwita ku ngagi z’imbonekarimwe zo mu misozi miremire.
Bwana Tumuhairwe arimo kutubwira ku migenzo y’Abatwa, irimo no kurambagiza (gutereta) mu cyahoze ari imbuga aho abasore n’abakobwa bajyaga bahurira bagasabana.
“Umusore wabaga ushaka kurongora byamusabaga gutega intenzi (ubwoko bw’inkima isimbuka imeze nk’iguruka).
Abyibuka anaseka, ati: “Iranyaruka cyane ku maguru yayo, rero byamusabaga guhengera igihe isinziriye mu mwobo wo mu giti. Akayifata ikangutse irimo kugerageza guhunga. Yagombaga kuyizana ari nzima, bitaba ibyo nta mugore yabonaga.”
Tuzamutse nanone haruguru kuri iyi misozi irimo amashyamba atwikiriwe n’ibihu, tugera ku buvumo aho abahatuye bajyaga bateranira bagasenga.
Bwana Tumuhairwe ati: “Ndashaka gusubira mu buryo twari tubayeho… Buri kintu cyose twabaga ducyeneye, ishyamba ryabaga rigifite: inyama, imbuto n’imiti.”
Mu nkengero y’uwo mujyi muto, imiryango ituye ku butaka bwa leta, mu ngo zubatswe mu bikarito zisakajwe amahema. Babayeho mu manegeka.
Kugerageza kuganira na bo ntibyadushobokeye, kuko benshi baba bumva bari gukoreshwa n’abanyapolitiki n’imiryango (ibigo) itandukanye, bigatuma baba badashaka kuvugana n’abandi bantu bavuye ahandi.
Umugore umwe ateye hejuru ati: “Muza hano muzanywe no gufata amafoto no kuyagurisha. Twebwe ni iki tubyungukiramo? Singanira namwe niba mutampaye amafaranga.”
Mu mwaka wa 2011, itsinda ry’Abatwa rifatanyije n’imiryango itegamiye kuri leta, bareze mu rukiko leta ya Uganda kubera kubirukana – nuko mu mpera y’umwaka ushize wa 2021, urukiko rurinda iremezo ry’itegekonshinga rwanzura ko batsinze.
Rwavuze ko aba Batwa bafashwe mu buryo butari ubwa kimuntu, rutegeka ko “indishyi irimo gushyira mu gaciro no mu kuri” irihwa mu gihe kitarenze amezi 12, ariko leta irashaka kujurira.
Abatwa bamwe, nka Allen Musabyi, bamenyereye ubuzima bushya bayoboka ubuhinzi.
Ariko ubutaka we n’abandi bacyeya barimo guhinga bitegura kubuteramo ibirayi ni ubwo batishirijwe (bakodesherejwe) n’umuryango ufasha ugamije iterambere ry’Abatwa bo muri Uganda, uzwi nka United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU).
Ati: “Niba udafite ubutaka, ntushobora gutera imbere, ntushobora kujyana abana bawe ku ishuri, ntushobora kurya.
“Ariko mpawe amahirwe yo gusubira mu ishyamba, nakwiruka inzira yose kugeza ngezeyo.”
‘Inyamaswa zitaweho neza kurusha Abatwa’
Alice Nyamihanda, ukora mu muryango UOBDU akaba ari n’umwe mu Batwa bacyeya bize bakarangiza kaminuza, avuga ko bakwiye guharanira uburinganire.
Ati: “Ndashaka ko Abatwa bagenzi banjye bamera nk’abandi bantu” – bakareka kuba abarwanira ibiryo byasigaye byashyizwe ahajugunywa imyanda, nkuko akenshi bigenda mu mujyi wa Kisoro.
“Inyamaswa zitaweho neza kurusha Abatwa, kuko ba mukerarugendo baraza, bakishyura amafaranga, leta igakoresha ayo mafaranga, naho Abatwa bakaba babayeho nabi.”
Izo nyamaswa avuga ni ingagi zo mu misozi miremire. Leta ya Uganda yishyuza agera ku madolari 700 y’Amerika (agera ku 709,600 by’amafaranga y’u Rwanda) ku kujya kuzireba.
Ibikorwa byo kubungabunga ibidukikije byatumye ingagi zo muri Uganda ziyongera zigera ku ngagi 459, no ku ngagi zirenga 1,000 ku isi, bivuze ko zitakiri ku rutonde rw’iziri mu byago bikomeye byuko zacika (zashiraho) burundu.
Ariko Madamu Nyamihanda yibaza niba hashobora kubaho uburyo burambye kurushaho bwo kwita ku nyamaswa no ku burenganzira bw’Abatwa.
Ikigo cya Uganda cyita ku nyamaswa (Uganda Wildlife Authority, UWA) kivuga ko ibi kirimo kubikora kibinyujije mu kwemerera Abatwa kujyana ba mukerarugendo kubatembereza mu ishyamba na kimwe cya gatanu cy’amafaranga yinjijwe na parike kigahabwa abaturage bayegereye binyuze mu buyobozi bw’inzego z’ibanze.
Sam Mwandha, umukuru w’ikigo UWA, avuga ko abantu – barimo n’Abatwa – bashobora gutanga imishinga yaterwa inkunga hifashishijwe aya mafaranga.
Ati: “Mu rugendo rw’Abatwa bava mu ishyamba, hakozwe amakosa menshi. Ariko ikirego cyo kutabona ubutaka, kutabemerera kugira umuco wabo, rwose kirakocamye kandi si ukuri.
“Turimo kubabwira tuti, ‘Mujye ku ishuri mwige’, ariko turimo [no] kuvuga tuti, ‘Ntimwibagirwe umuco wanyu, mushobora kuwukoresha mu kubona amafaranga.'”
Nyamara Abatwa bo barashaka ahantu ho kwita iwabo no kwemerwa nk’abasangwabutaka kugira ngo bitabweho kurushaho mu mategeko mpuzamahanga.
Dusubiye muri rya shyamba, Bwana Tumuhairwe yemera ko uburezi n’ubuhinzi byagiriye akamaro Abatwa bamwe – nubwo yongeraho iki cyitonderwa:
“Ariko iyo ubitekerejeho, ibyo na byo ni uguhanagura [kuzimangatanya] abo turi bo, aho twaturutse.”
@BBC
