An International Festival to Promote Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The indigenous Pygmy peoples in DRC are custodians of a rich culture. Their indigenous knowledge and traditional practices have contributed enormously to the preservation and sustainable management of the country’s forest ecosystems. They play a central role in improving forest governance.

Unfortunately, they also face strong discrimination and marginalisation from other communities : Bantu, Nilotic and Sudanese, who make up the country population. Customary rights of indigenous Pygmies on their traditional lands are not secure - and most indigenous communities are dispossessed of their land because of conservation activities, forestry or other natural resource initiatives. Taking into account their lifestyle is characterised by a strong attachment to their traditional lands and forests, indigenous Pygmy communities are the most vulnerable and poorest in the country.

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) works in DRC with local civil society organisations, such as la Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones (DGPA), to promote the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. In July 2014, a proposed organic law on fundamental principles concerning the rights of indigenous Pygmy peoples in DRC was submitted to the National Assembly for adoption. The bill is a "tool for promoting the rights of these peoples, including their social, cultural, anthropological and ethnological values, while highlighting their traditional know- how of nature conservation and sustainable use of forest ecosystems. Once adopted, this law will significantly improve the legal status of the indigenous Pygmy peoples and their social situation in the country.

It is in this context that the second International Festival of Indigenous Peoples (FIPA) 2015 was organised by DGPA with the support of RFN, FPP, and other actors. The gathering aimed to create a framework for sharing dialogue and experiences and to advocate for the establishment of a legal framework capable of promoting and protecting the rights of indigenous Pygmy peoples in DRC. FIPA 2015 was held in Kinshasa from 27 - 29 March 2015, and paid particular attention to the issues of recognition and protection of indigenous rights, land reform and the impacts of development initiatives.

At its heart was an exhibition of precious artistic and cultural knowledge of indigenous peoples. The various debates highlighted the political, social, cultural and economic dilemmas of indigenous peoples in DRC and throughout the world.  They also highlighted the progress made on the ground towards the guarantee of their inalienable rights to their territories, and the solemn reaffirmation of their dignity and human value.

Representatives of indigenous communities from Central and East Africa, Scandinavian Europe, the Amazon and Southeast Asia participated in the festival, as well as the DRC government.

The DRC government, including the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) and the Minister of Land Affairs, officially recognised the need for specific legislation for indigenous Pygmies to be adopted to secure their customary rights. They recognised the importance of their effective involvement in the ongoing land reform process for a better management of indigenous issues in the new land law. It now remains to be seen if the political will of the Congolese government, as expressed on the ground, will lead to securing the rights and improving the living conditions of indigenous Pygmy peoples in DRC.