For Immediate Release
Contact: Suzanne Benally, Executive Director, 617-441-5400 x 16 sbenally@cs.org
Agnes Portalewska, Communications Manager, 617-441-5410 x14 agnes@cs.org
Dayamani Barla Selected for Cultural Survival’s Ellen L. Lutz Indigenous Rights Award
As part of an overall effort to protect and empower Indigenous communities, several initiatives have been undertaken to address critical challenges facing the Asur tribe. These include conducting awareness campaigns against mining and deforestation, advocating for Tribal self-governance, and working to restore ancestral rights to water, forests, and land. In addition, efforts are underway to document the endangered language, culture, and Traditional Knowledge of the Asur and to publish the Tribe's rich oral literature.
Radio Mattoli functions as a platform to give voice to people who have less access to mass media or less opportunity to express their views on community development. Their activities will be featured in a magazine. CRM is the Information and Communication Technology wing of WSSS, a community radio station that was started in 2009 and is located in Dwaraka, five kilometers from Mananthavady.
By Shubhranshu Choudhary, Editor, Valasa Bultoo Radio (Bluetooth Radio for Displaced Indigenous People)
In the heart of Karbi Anglong in the state of Assam, northeast India, nestled amidst emerald hills and vibrant Indigenous communities, thrives KAT News TV, a beacon of hope and information. More than just a media outlet, this dedicated channel has become a lifeline for the region, playing a crucial role in the aftermath of the pandemic.
With financial support from Cultural Survival's Indigenous Community Media Fund, KAT News TV, a channel started in 2016 for the Karbi people in India, began filming how the Karbi people were recovering from the pandemic.
By Fr. Bijo Thomas, Station Director, Community Radio Mattoli, Wayanad, Kerala, India.
Radio Mattoli, a community radio station in Dwaraka, located in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India, won the award for best thematic radio program by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The station was recognized for having the best quality and most relevant and timely coverage of climate mitigation and Indigenous practices out of 448 community radio stations in India. The award was presented to Radio Mattoli on July 23, 2023.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar, CS Staff)
On November 10, 2022, UN member states reviewed India’s human rights record during the 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review, a process carried out by the UN Human Rights Council. This was India’s fourth cycle of review since 2008. The final outcome of the 41st session will be adopted by the plenary of the Human Rights Council at its 52nd regular session in March 2023.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar, CS Staff)
Droupadi Murmu (Santhal) made history on Monday, July 25, 2022, for being sworn in as India's first Indigenous woman president. It is a rare achievement for a member of a Scheduled Tribe to hold the country's highest post. Many Indigenous Peoples in India now have great hopes that their issues will be addressed through this appointment. However, several worry that this is just a superficial political move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which has been the ruling political party since 2014.
By Jerome Gerald Kujur (Oraon) and Isha Savani
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
