<PART1: Lifestyle of Hunter-Gatherers and History of Surrounding Farmers>Beyond School: The Forest as a Learning Environment for the Baka in Cameroon

This paper explored the nature of the forest as a learning environment and compared it with that of the school across multiple interrelated spheres: natural environment, pedagogical relationships, and educational discourse among the Baka in Cameroon. The study of both practices and ideologies concerning teaching, learning, and schooling reveals that in the forest, pedagogical relationships are less fixed; rather, relationships between practitioners are developed. This contrasts with the school environment, where teachers tend to dominate students, and the school itself often imposes its authority on the community. Moreover, the forest offers learners the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge and skills for livelihood through personal experience, whereas the school is perceived to bring “wealth”-though it is almost impossible in reality. Clearly, the forest is not merely a school; it surpasses the school in allowing learners to learn at their discretion, with both expert and learner simultaneously becoming teachers and students.