Una Europa-Africa Lecture | Documenting the collective memories of the lost heritage of the Basua of Bundibugyo

Date: 20 May 13h00 CEST
Register here to receive the zoom link: https://fd24.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/basua

‘We died the day we left the forests’
Join Professor Saudah Namyalo of Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda) for this special lecture exploring the cultural threats faced by the Basua, following their forced displacement from their traditional home in the Ugandan forest.

The Basua, also known as the Batwa of Bundibugyo in Uganda, formerly lived as foragers in the Semulik forests. In 1993, they were violently evicted under the guise of conservation by the government of Uganda. Having been forced from their natural habitat, the Basua are gradually losing their unique heritage. They are starting to adopt the traditions of the local communities and are increasingly shifting to the primary languages spoken in the region, including Lubwisi, Kwamba, and Lukhonzo.
With their culture under threat, there exists a significant risk of assimilation. This will jeopardize their language and identity, and will compromise their ability to transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and skills for future generations.
Prof Namyalo shares the Basua’s testimonies, discusses their lost heritage, and explores efforts to document and preserve their culture.

For more information: https://www.staff.universiteitleiden.nl/events/2025/05/we-died-the-day-we-left-the-forests-documenting-the-collective-memories-of-the-lost-heritage-of-the-basua-of-bundibugyo?cf=humanities&cd=centre-for-linguistics

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics
Language Documentation

Language Family(ies): Central Narrow Bantu J