Determined to liberate myself: An interview with Sylvia Kokunda

Sylvia Kokunda is the CEO of Action for Batwa Empowerment Group (ABEG), an organization working to protect and promote the rights of Batwa in Uganda. In the 1990s, Batwa in the country were evicted from their ancestral lands – the forests of Ekyuya, Semuliki, Bwindi and Mgahinga. Minority Rights Group’s Head of Communications, Samrawit Gougsa, sits with Sylvia to discuss her journey to become a staunch advocate for her people.  

Samrawit: Sylvia, what inspired you to become an advocate for the Batwa people in Uganda? 

Sylvia: My inspiration stems from my own personal experience. As a child born after the illegal eviction of my community from our ancestral lands, I witnessed the injustices we faced. Ethnic and racial discrimination, stereotyping, sexual and cultural exploitation, lack of access to social services and even slavery: these were all part of my daily reality as a child. These experiences resulted in deep psychological trauma for me, but also fuelled my determination to study and become an advocate for my community. I have hope that our injustices can be addressed. 

Samrawit: Can you tell me about your early life? 

Sylvia: My journey has been one of immense challenges and unexpected blessings. I was raised by a homeless, landless single mother of two. She lived through being forced off our lands, and life after this event was hard for us. We struggled daily, begging for basic things like food and shelter, facing discrimination and exploitation at every turn. 

In those early years of my youth, hope seemed like a luxury we could not afford. We lived in pig shelters provided by well-wishers. We had to deal with our feet being invaded by jiggers [sand fleas]. The psychological toll on me was immense and I often felt caught between life and death. We were treated as less than human.

Samrawit: I am sorry, Sylvia. It sounds like you faced very difficult hardships. How did things begin to change for you? 

Sylvia: A turning point came when Bishop Ntegerize of Kinkiizi Diocese shared my community’s plight during a visit to the United States. This caught the attention of an American woman, Diana Stantone, who visited us and was moved to act. She mobilized her friends, including Dr Scott Kellermann and his wife Carol, who established a mobile clinic, and with the diocese created the Batwa Development Program (BDP). It was through BDP that I received my first formal education at Bishop’s Primary School. I persevered despite facing discrimination from non-Batwa pupils. But then in secondary school, I faced sexual exploitation due to my vulnerability and fell pregnant. I wanted to study but I had to drop out of school to become a young mother. 

Samrawit: How did you manage to continue your education? 

Sylvia: With counselling and support from my American benefactors, I returned to school. Hardened by experience and determined to liberate myself, I completed secondary education and then earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Management from Uganda Christian University. After graduation, I worked with BDP in their education department to give back to my community. I then pursued a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Management while continuing my work with BDP. 

It was actually in this time that I connected with Minority Rights Group in Uganda. I took part in their capacity-building training in human and indigenous rights, and it was instrumental in developing my advocacy skills. The experience exposed me to new methods of human rights work and led me to mobilize my community to form our own organization – Action for Batwa Empowerment Group (ABEG). 

Samrawit: What an incredible journey. Can you tell us more about ABEG and your role there? 

Sylvia: ABEG was born from the desire to have an organization led by us Batwa, for us Batwa, addressing our unique challenges. Given my education and visibility in the community, I was honoured to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of ABEG, a position I hold with great responsibility and dedication. My perspective has evolved from one of hopelessness as a young girl, to one of determined advocacy for my people. I learned that education and unity are powerful tools for change and that our voices, when raised together as a community, can address the injustices we face.

Samrawit: What are some of the most pressing challenges that ABEG is addressing? 

Sylvia: The challenges we face are complex and deeply rooted in our historical displacement from the forest. Our forced eviction alongside climate and environmental change is devastating our traditional livelihoods. We struggle with limited access to basic facilities, especially health services, because of ongoing discrimination. Landlessness severely restricts our ability to produce food, leading to food shortages and feeling frustrated because we cannot make an income. We are also dealing with erosion of our culture and the exploitation of our people because our traditional ways of life are threatened. 

The psychological trauma of our displacement shows in the drug abuse and mental health problems we have. Sexual exploitation has led to lots of HIV/AIDS cases and early pregnancies. We see high school dropout rates, currently around 90 per cent. Many of my people face exploitation  at work as they desperately look for livelihoods wherever they can, and people are quick to take advantage of their situation. These challenges are interconnected and create a cycle of poverty and marginalization that ABEG is working to break. 

Samrawit: How is ABEG working to protect Batwa culture in the face of these challenges? 

Sylvia: We campaign against the exploitation of Batwa culture and heritage by tourism businesses, while also raising awareness through media, usually radio talk shows. We petition authorities, like the Uganda Wildlife Authority, to allow Batwa access to our ancestral lands. This access is vital for us because our culture is so connected to that land. We are also conducting community-led research on subjects of importance to us so that we can have a strong foundation to advocate for Batwa rights. More to that, we are looking at how we can protect our intellectual property rights to our culture and arts. 

But for many of us, we are most excited about our ongoing work to create a Batwa Cultural Centre, which will serve as a hub for preserving and sharing our culture.

Samrawit: What is your vision for the Batwa Cultural Centre? 

Sylvia: The Batwa Cultural Centre is a dream we are working hard to realise. We envision it as a space that will serve many important functions. It will house the offices of our community organizations, giving us a central location for our advocacy and cultural preservation efforts. We will include a museum to showcase our cultural artefacts and regalia, preserving these items for our youth and future generations. We will also cultivate indigenous Batwa trees, traditional foods and medicinal herbs, maintaining our connection to our ancestral lands and traditional knowledge. 

An education centre will support our students and provide cultural experiences for visitors, and we will have a stage for our artists and dance groups to perform and share our cultural expressions. The centre will be a living, breathing testament to our community’s resilience and the richness of our culture. 

More to that, we will include a public gallery that will display our well-wishers, partners, allies and friends who contributed to the establishment of the centre. 

Samrawit: How exciting. When will it be up and running? 

Sylvia: Soon, we hope! We are still fundraising to get the £50,000 we need, so until then we must remain patient. We are not far from reaching our goal, however. We already raised more than half of our target which makes us so happy. We are grateful to Minority Rights Group and Invisible Flock for their partnership supporting us with the fundraiser, and to all the generous people who donated to support our initiative already. It is well-wishers like them who make us Batwa feel that we are not alone in our hope for a better and fair life. 

Samrawit: What can readers do to support your community? 

Sylvia: There is a lot everyone can do to support us. You can spread awareness about our story and our challenges. This is helpful because we are a minority and usually forgotten. Tell people not only about our struggles but also about the work we are doing to change our situation, like creating the Batwa Cultural Centre or making the Born From Here album. If you can, we ask you to show your support also through donations to make the cultural centre a reality for us and support our sense of belonging and agency.

You can help to realize the dream of creating the first ever Batwa-led cultural centre in Kanungu district, Uganda by donating now.

Born From Here is the debut album from the Batwa Bwindi Artists – A community collective of singers and artists based in and around Buhoma in Uganda. The album is now available to buy. All proceeds will go towards the Batwa Cultural Centre fundraiser.

Featured photo: A portrait of Sylvia. Credit: Thomas Alboth.