The Baka of Gabon are part of a cultural continuum that includes other peoples assimilated to the Pygmy group, such as the Aka, Mbuti, Twa, Efe, Asua, Koya, Bongo and many others living in the Congo Basin. They straddle several Central African countries, notably the southern region of Cameroon and northern Gabon.
One of the characteristics of the Baka and Koya communities is that they often live quite far from urban centers and decision-making centers; they are relatively marginalized insofar as they are found in fairly remote areas far from the country's capital, Libreville, and from provincial or regional urban centers.
Based on the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, UNESCO, with the Gabonese National Commission for UNESCO, has launched a project entitled "Je parle koya. Je parle baka", with the support of the "Langues, Culture et Cognition" Laboratory and the UNESCO Chair "Bantuphonie: Langues en danger, savoirs endogènes et biodiversité" (Endangered languages, endogenous knowledge and biodiversity) at the Université Omar Bongo in Libreville. This project focuses on safeguarding and promoting two of Gabon's Indigenous languages: Koya, spoken in northeast Gabon, and Baka, spoken in the north of the country.
In June 2023, an ethnographic survey was carried out in Minvoul for the Baka (Bitouga, Doumassi, Elarmitang) and in Mékambo for the Koya (Malondo, Imbong, Ibeya and Zoula). Common expressions, basic lexical terms and a cultural lexicon were collected. Capsules were produced for broadcast on social networks and television.
In 2006, UNESCO published the "Lexique Koya: Langue des pygmées du Nord-Est du Gabon" to help safeguard this indigenous language.
The ethnographic approach provided a holistic understanding of the life, language and culture of both communities. This approach was guided by a profound recognition of the particularity of these ethnic groups, their cultural practices and the vulnerability of their language. Some thirty interlocutors ranging in age from 20 to 60 were mobilized.
The data collection tools used included linguistic elicitations, semi-structured interviews and direct observations. Linguistic elicitations enabled members of the Baka and Koya communities to freely share their linguistic and cultural knowledge, while fostering open and authentic discussions.
UNESCO's Atlas of the world's languages in danger indicates that 40% of the world's languages are endangered. Against this backdrop, the United Nations has declared the period 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, in order to raise public awareness of their importance to speakers.
