Cultural Survival welcomes Nati Garcia, Indigenous Youth Community Media Fellowship Coordinator, as the newest member to our staff. Nati is Maya Mam from Ixtahuacan, Guatemala. She was born in a refugee camp in Campeche, Mexico as her family fled Guatemala in the 1980’s due to the military genocide operation that targeted Indigenous communities. At the age of 3 years old, her family received refugee in Canada.

"In my 12 years of being involved in community radio, I had never had the opportunity to produce my own radio spots. This was a task always performed by men, so I came to think that it was something complicated. Now after participating in this workshop I learned not only radio production but I also realize that there is nothing a woman cannot do,” said Petronila “Nila” Ch'umilkaj Tax of Radio La Niña in Totonicapán, Guatemala.

The celebration of Columbus Day for the past century in the US has perpetuated a narrative that glorifies a Eurocentric world view, while allowing us to ignore a history of violence and oppression towards Indigenous individuals throughout Turtle Island/Abya Yala, lands which were mistakenly referred to by Columbus as "The New World."

Radio Xilotepek, an Indigenous community radio station that has served the San Luis Jilotepeque community in Jalapa, Guatemala for over 13 years is a crucial source of information on Free, Prior and Informed Consent regarding the growth of extractive industries such as mining in the area.

On September 7-9, 2017, the second meeting of the Central American Network of Indigenous Community Radios, of which Cultural Survival is part, took place in Granada, Nicaragua. Members met to discuss next steps of the network and released the the following statement.

Unifying Communication Work in the Region