Indigenous Peoples have knowledge and values oriented towards nature and amassed through generations. Indigenous peoples steward over 80% of the planet’s remaining biodiversity.
In their main decision adopted at the end of COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, governments recognized “the important role of civil society, including youth and indigenous peoples, in addressing and responding to climate change, and highlighting the urgent need for action”.
Cultural Survival attended COP28 in Dubai, and spoke to some of the delegates who attended.
The establishment of the Loss and Damage fund at COP27 was a significant accomplishment, but the actualization of these funds remains uncertain based on past experiences. In 2009, developed nations promised to generate $100 billion annually by 2020 to support developing countries in transitioning to renewable energy and preparing for future climate-related hazards. But funds have consistently fallen short.
Cultural Survival attended COP28 in Dubai, from 30 November to 12 December 2023, and spoke to some of the delegates who attended.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
For this year's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women commemoration, we remember the suffering of Indigenous Herero and Nama Peoples who suffered greatly at the hands of German colonists.
We spoke to Sima Luipert, from Namibia, about how violence from the past can lead to intergenerational Trauma.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Sima Luipert (Nama)
Music: 'Anania2' by The Baba Project, used with permission
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission.
Cultural Survival covers Indigenous Issues worldwide. As part of this work, our team joined the international negotiations of the 12th session of the Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) relating traditional knowledge, innovation and practices of Indigenous Peoples under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on November 12-16, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. We spoke to many Indigenous leaders to communicate their priorities to our wider Indigenous audience.
Indigenous issues such as land grabbing, and healthcare, in the US receive little to no media coverage. This is because reporters do not consider these stories important enough. Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa), editor at large at Grist, suggests that hiring Indigenous journalists to work in newsrooms is the easiest way to address this problem. If that's not feasible, news organizations can collaborate with Indigenous reporters at other outlets. There are various ways to ensure that journalism is safeguarded and that the best possible work is produced.
Producer : Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar)
Radio Producer Mathias Kowaya Tooko talks about food security in Tanzania for the Maasai people in this Maa language production.
Voice: Mathias Kowaya (Maasai)
Interviewees:
Fransis Shomet Naingisa
Nooseuri Lupa
Loltudula Rakatia
Lazaro Ndirima
Music: "Endomononi" by Nongishu Naisiri Seki, used with permission.
With colonization and migration comes intercultural exchanges. Religions are often brought from one area to another, and with this, new traditions and ways of worship. Radio producer Mathias Kowayu Tooko explores the impact of Christianity on his people.
Voice: Mathias Kowaya (Maasai)
Interviewees:
Parkipuny Kilel
Noorkireu Kurtut
Maruna Potot
Ngojie Masheren
Rikoni Mboro
Music: "Osidai" by Nalepo Shengena Kilel ,used with permission.
In Tanzania, the Indigenous Maasai people have been facing displacement for a long time.
The most recent incident of land loss involves large numbers of Maasai peoples being forced to leave their ancestral homes to make way for a game reserve. The adverse effects of losing land will be felt for a long time. In this radio program, we uncover some reasons why Indigenous Peoples worldwide face extreme poverty.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Edson Krenak (Krenak)
Music: 'Whispers' by Ziibiwan, used with permission
Globally, Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of environmental and land defense. In 2021 alone, about 40 percent of murdered environmental defenders were from Indigenous communities, making up a disproportionately high percentage of environmental injustices. Cultural Survival interviewed Michel Forst, the first person to hold the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, the first international mechanism in the world dedicated to protecting environmental defenders.
On July 14, 1923, the Hereditary Chief of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Deskaheh Levi General (Cayuga), traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to speak before the League of Nations. He sought to obtain international recognition of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (historically known as the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations) as a sovereign Indigenous Nation governed by a hereditary council of chiefs.