THE BAKA CELL

The nomadic and self-sufficient Baka tribe of Cameroon, are currently facing threats to their livelihood and culture due to the recent country`s economic development. The Baka people are now forbidden to access their lands in the middle of the dense forest, therefore, being forced to settle in sedentary villages on the edge of the forest, which causes significant disruptions to their daily routine and culture. What once was a self-sufficient tribe now is often seen as a village depending on hand-outs. Therefore, this project will be focusing on a hypothesis, which explores the theory about how this tribe could maintain their culture and continue to be self-sufficient if they were to be granted a portion of land in an urban environment. The site for this project is located in Logbaba, a neighbourhood of informal settlements in the centre of Douala, Cameroon. The development of the Baka Cell (project) is taking into consideration environmental factors, local context and the Baka`s culture, which results on an off-grid self-sufficient community.