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Project December 18, 2020

Deng Deng: Populations Trapped in Brutally Changing Lifestyle

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This project follows the people of a locality called Deng Deng in the district of Belabo, department of Lom and Djerem East region in Cameroon. In 2010, they saw the implementation in their village of two government projects that have drastically impacted their lifestyle, especially their food habits. These are the hydroelectric dam of Lom Pangar and the Deng Deng National Park. The first has considerably reduced their territory, while the second has led to a ban on hunting.

Formerly living by gathering, hunting and artisanal fishing in small rivers, the installation of the dam caused the flooding of all the surrounding rivers which became very deep lakes making fishing impossible for these people who do not know how to swim.

With the National Park, the government has forbidden them to enter and even to hunt. Today they find it difficult to enrich their diet with meat or fish as in the past, as the price of fish is out of their reach.

The people of the Deng Deng Villages have been trying for almost a decade to become farmers to cope with the drastic changes in their lives.