Congo: Pygmies ill-prepared to fight for their forests

Pygmy chief Mbomba Bokenu says he may soon let loggers cut his people's forests, and all he expects in return are soap and a few bags of salt. "The Pygmies are suffering, we accept what we are given," said Bokenu, draped in brown civet-cat skins and holding a slender carved-wooden shield. "Our children live in dirt, they suffer from disease. Soap and salt is a lot to our people." The Pygmies, though, should expect - and demand - much more under proposed rules meant to ensure forest communities benefit from the wealth all around them.