Bees for Development Journal 132 September 2019
NEWS
KENYA
CAMEROON
Photo © Chia Bernard Ful, BARUDEV
Honey: the precious nectar that links tradition with the future of the new generation For the Ogiek people honey has been the main food source during droughts and famine and played a key role in cultural practices. It was traded with neighbouring communities and used for dowry payments (at least one debe, or a 30 kg container, had to be given to the bride’s family). Honey was so precious that only certain people could handle it, and when it came to new hives a person had to prove that s/he was pure of heart and would not negatively affect the hives or honey. Home to about 35,000 members of the Ogiek community, the Mau Forest has been subjected to systematic degradation and destruction since the early 1900s. From the 1980s, the destruction of the Mau Forest for coal mining, forestry and flower and tea plantations has become increasingly widespread. In the last 20 years 60% of the forest has been cut. In 2015 The Ogiek Honey Slow Food Presidium was launched to protect the Mau Forest ecosystem and promote the value of the Ogiek people’s ancestral culture through honey, their most important product. The Macodev (Mariashoni Community Development) Cooperative, a community-based organisation that brings together 12 groups of beekeepers, is working to increase production volumes, differentiate the various types of honey produced, improve packaging, and promote honey in hotels, restaurants and shops. Before the Presidium honey was mainly used in the household and for exchange with neighbours, with only a small quantity sold. The formation of the Macodev Cooperative has played a critical role in improving the quantity and quality of honey produced. The number of hives has increased from 200 in 2015 to 600 at the end
Visiting the bees at the BARUDEV apiary in Njinikom, part of nature conservation caring for creation and ensuring justice for the care of creation of 2017. This led to an increase in the quantity of honey produced and, due to improved quality, the prices of the honey rose from KES100 (US$0.97; €0.87) to KES179 (US$1.73; €1.56) per kilogram from 2015 to 2017. Honey is sold in shops in the nearby towns of Elburgon, Molo, and Nakuru. In addition, the Presidium has witnessed an increased participation of women in beekeeping. The Ogiek way of life is based on natural resources provided by the forest–they are hunter-gatherers whose main activity is apiculture some also grow crops and raise animals. The forest was a shared resource and each clan was allocated a section of the forest to manage sustainably and therefore benefit from its resources. At one time, beekeeping was carried out exclusively by men, particularly the community elders, who were entrusted with constructing hives and harvesting honey without damaging trees. Young men accompanied their fathers to the apiaries to learn traditional practices, which ensured that knowledge related to beekeeping was passed down from generation to generation. A part of a young man’s initiation involved climbing trees to retrieve honey and withstand bee stings. 14
Traditional wine was made from honey and a fruit known as rotonik, from a tree Kigelia africana, that is known in the community as “sausage tree” due to the shape of its fruits. The drink was used during social events, meetings, and initiation ceremonies. After a woman had a baby, her husband had to wait four days to see the newborn. During the four days, he prepared honey wine that would be drunk with the community during the official presentation of his child. Whenever there were conflicts, meetings were held to find a solution and honey wine was consumed to symbolise the union of the community. The wine was also used during rituals that were held through calamities – drought, floods and lightening. Through the Presidium, the community has increased efforts to protect the Mau Forest as their ancestral home and to promote beekeeping practices, with most of the groups’ members joining the Community Forest Associations. Honey producers have taken part in planting endemic trees to counter the introduction of exotic trees to the forest, which threaten the future of the unique local honey. Since 2015 the Ogiek community has taken part in responsible tourism initiatives in collaboration with the Slow Food
