Der letzte Babinga

Year: 1991
Country: Germany
Section: documentary
Tags: boy
Description: The tropical forest in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Congo has been plundered for over a century. From 1982 to 1990 alone, an area of forest the size of Belgium was cleared and destroyed in this region. Hundreds of cubic meters of wood are felled every day. Two German concession companies are also involved in this very lucrative business for the exporting companies. The fate of the Babingas, a pygmy tribe, is closely linked to that of the rainforest. The film lends its voice to one of them. Old Maganla, who sees himself as a powerless observer of this destruction, complains: Gazelles and other wild animals have long since fled, mushrooms and medicinal plants are hard to find. All this is disappearing along with the forest, the witness to their history. They, the oldest people in the world, are therefore also dying. More and more of them are having to leave the forest. They are settling along the new roads. They are forced to work in the farmers' fields in exchange for alcohol, salt and tobacco. Many of them fall ill and die from diseases that did not exist in the past. The world is out of balance. The whites take everything, but they give nothing back - 'God created us all equal. Where does this injustice come from?'
Directed by Batetana David-Pierre Fila.
Video Added: 26.05.2026