Cultural Survival offers its deepest condolences to all the victims’ families of last Saturday’s earthquake outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. The thoughts and prayers of all Cultural Survival Board and Staff are with the many affected by this disaster. We especially stand with the Indigenous Peoples of Nepal who make up 40 percent of the national population (26.5 million) and face marginalization in the long term recovery efforts.
On Tuesday April 21, 2015in partnership with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Cultural Survival began regional visits to various Indigenous community radios in Guatemala. As part of ICFJ’s Regional Initiative for Investigative Journalism in the Americas, this second phase has selected 20 Indigenous journalism projects focused on improving community radio programming to receive funding. An ICFJ trainer has been serving as a mentor and guide to the community journalists as they produce investigative radio stories.
By Ben R. Ole Koissaba
Background
Statement by the Maya Leaders Alliance
April 21st, 2015 – The Caribbean Court of Justice, Belize’s highest appellant court, yesterday reaffirmed the unbroken chain of lower court affirmations that the Maya Indigenous People of southern Belize have rights to lands they have customarily used and occupied. The Court affirmed that these traditional land rights constitute property within the meaning of the provisions of the Belize Constitution that generally protect property free from discrimination.
Proud to Be Indigenous Week starts Monday, April 20. Are you part of it yet?!
On January 19 – 30, 2015, the 21st session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) took place and included the review of Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Guyana by the UN Human Rights Council. Several areas related to Indigenous Peoples were addressed.
Over the past few weeks, Guatemala has witnessed some of the worst violence against journalists in recent times. Election years are the most dangerous times for journalists in Guatemala, regardless of their political leanings. So far in 2015, three journalists have been killed, many have received threats and been assaulted, and over 10 Indigenous community leaders have been jailed.
The Maya people of Toledo are scheduled for a hearing to reaffirm their land rights case at the regional Caribbean Court of Justice in April of 2015, after almost a decade of back and forth in the national courts in Belize. Their claim to the land has been upheld twice in the Supreme Court, once in 2009 and again in 2013. The government of Belize continues to assert that the land title the Maya hold should not be considered Native or Indigenous land title, but merely based
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.
