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was stabilized at about 3,800
souls (10 percent of the 1935
population and perhaps only 1
percent of around 1825). For the
following four years the number
of surviving Pygmies was rather
miraculously kept steady. This
was possible through help of
many
Plain Truth
readers and
other friends which allowed us to
achieve the following:
To substantially increase the
distribution of tools that have
progressively been adapted in
shapes and sizes to the Pygmies'
needs; to carefully select the
seeds and plant cuttings intro–
duced; to improve the relation–
ship with the complex bodies of
local administrative, tradjtional,
political and military authorities
in Zai"re (formerly the Belgian
Congo);
1 authorized a careful popula–
tion census and instituted im–
provement of sanitation and hy–
giene (badly needed for their
more sedentary encampments). A
constant check on the attitudes of
the taller Africans toward the
Pygmies was required in arder to
avoid any forro of exploitation,
oppression or injustice. The pres–
ervation, by all possible means, of
the little portian of inhabitable
forest still available to the Pyg–
mies is a final achievement.
To accomplish all of that, it
was necessary for me to stay
among the Pygmies for whatever
necessary period, every year, for
the Jast 12 years. Each year, 1
was faced with new problems,
new challenges, new setbacks.
Proving the "Wise" Wrong
Ironically, the kind of problems
or difficulties ominously predict–
ed by scientists, such as armchair
anthropologists and sociologists,
proved to be all wrong as
r
knew
it would be. Among those predic–
tions · or "projected patterns of
behavior" (!) were the following:
1) By leaving the forest life in
order to practice agriculture, the
Pygmies will almost immediately
lose their cultural values and, in
particular, their classic morality;
2) as a result of that cultural
shock they will be weakened psy–
chologically and physically and
20
succumb like flies to deadly epi-.
demics; 3) the agricultura! pro–
gram was doomed to complete
failure because a) the Pygmies
knew nothing about farming, b)
even if they start it, they will
abandon the whole thing since
they are not used to continuous
hard labor, e) the tools that will
be· given to them will be almost
immediately sold to the financially
more able and taller black popula–
tion and as a result, d) they will
end up "pathetic little drunks"
(since the Pygmes will, like many
other Africans, spend most of their
money to acquire native beer); 4)
the Pygmies are strictly an "eco–
logical niche" in their own forest
and their only means of survival is
to preserve the forest and leave
them alone; and, their conclusion
was 5) since the forest is doomed,
because of encroaching civiliza–
tion, the Pygmies are also doomed,
and there is nothing anybody can
doabout it. .
Wel!, we certainly did some–
thing about it and made a mock–
ery out of all the preceding
"scientific" projections. What
they simply didn't take into con–
sideration is that the Efé Pyg–
mies, with their innate strength
of character and natural morali–
ty, needed mueh more than just a
change of environment, of activi–
ty, or even the evil of money to
ever destroy or even upset their
free, stable, strong and uncom–
promising nature. They simply
don't know that the Pygmies,
living so close with the beautiful
reality of the Creator's nature,
are in their childlike, crimeless
way of life unburdened by the
weight of so-called "human na–
ture," which is so often used as
an excuse for all the evil _of more
"advanced" societies. They sim–
ply have the childlike faith that
God gave them. What the "ex–
perts," who were trying to dis–
courage me from the very begin–
ning, didn't realize is that since 1
lave and respect the Pygmies so
much, the only way I could help
them is to understand their needs
and to handle the "Saving The
Pygmies" campaign on the basis
of mutual understanding, confi–
dence and lots of faith.
For example, 1 simply explain
to our little friends that their
tools will allow them to feed their
children and ultimately to sur–
vive. Thcy simply trusted me, and
I am notawareof
one
single caseof
a too! that has been sold "to get
drunk." The only few missing tools
reported were actually stolen by
the taller less "primitive" neigh–
bors. The majar problems that I
encounter are rather unrelated to
al! the ones "predicted." One of
them is the reluctance ofthe exist–
ing farmers to accept competition
from the Pygmies; another prob–
Jem is simply my own survival
when 1 am in Africa.
For example, on my last trip,
in July-August, 1979, 1 was
struck by a deadly forro of malar–
ia, trapped in the middle of the
Pygmy Forest, unable to move,
reaching the state of coma. I had
little chance to survive since 1
was more than 100 miles away
from any reliable medica) help,
and being at the end of my mis–
sion, 1 had already dispensed all
my medications. (A cassette tape
recorded on that particular 1
O–
day ordeal titled "It's Worth
It!"
is available to contributors, on
request.) In spite of that painful
interruption, with God's help, 1
was able to complete the field
program of The Pygmy Fund.
And, to give you sorne most
encouraging news, the self-help
program that was boosted last
year by the mass introduction of
soybeans, although not successful
everywhere, achieved the tangi–
ble results of increasing the popu–
Jation- mostly by keeping the
elderly people alive. Since,
among the Pygmies, the old folks
always want to be the last to eat,
they were often the first victims
during the difficult previous
years. But now, with the addi–
tional supplies of food, such as
the soya, the older people are
living longer. As a result, I am
most
del~ghted
to inform you
that, during the Jast six months,
32 births and only three deaths
were recorded in the area where
the soya was at its best; and,
among those three deaths only
one was an old person! Such a
(Continued on page 45f
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