CF-183 The Pygmies of Batalimo (Central African Republic)

This postcard is from the Central African Republic.  It came from Esther (31 July 2015) Postcrossing.

The Pygmies of Batalimo is featured on the postcard.  These pygmies are from the Aka or Bayaka nomadic Mbenga pygmy people. They live in southwestern Central African Republic and the Brazzaville region of the Republic of the Congo. The Aka are an ecologically diverse people since they occupy 11 different ecological zones of the Western Congo Basin. Unlike the Mbuti pygmies of the eastern Congo (who speak only the language of the tribes with whom they are affiliated), the Aka speak their own language along with whichever of the approximately 15 Bantu peoples they are affiliated.

In 2003, the oral traditions of the Aka were proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The Aka pygmies are traditional hunter-gatherers. Some Aka have recently taken up the practice of planting their own small seasonal crops, but agricultural produce is more commonly obtained by trading with neighboring villages, whom the Aka collectively term as Ngandu.

One unusual feature of Aka society is that the fathers of the Aka tribe spend more time in close contact to their babies than in any other known society. Aka fathers have their infant within arms reach 47% of the time and make physical contact with them five times as often per day as fathers in some other societies. It is believed that this is related to the strong bond between Aka husband and wife.