By Satej Chakma (Chakma), sub-editor, IPNEWS BD

In Bangladesh, a country with a long history and deep traditions, the stories of its Indigenous Peoples are often missing from the news and other media platforms and don’t always get heard. A newsgroup called IPNEWS is trying to change this narrative.

By Gwendolyn Gay L. Gaongen

Sagada Community Media Network's radio station, Radyo Sagada 104.7 FM, has seen a boost thanks to a year-long project called "Iyebkas mo, Ibikas ko." Funded by Cultural Survival's Indigenous Media Fund, the initiative ran from July 2023 to April 2024 and focused on enhancing radio communication skills and creating content specifically for Indigenous communities.

Omar Esparza

Hoy el mundo se debate en una crisis económica y ambiental por el calentamiento global. La nueva realidad social post pandemia, ha modificado nuestras prácticas sociales, culturales y cotidianas; las guerras por el agua y los recursos estratégicos son algunos temas actuales que se vuelven desafíos. La realidad actual requiere de una posición política clara, y de crear proyectos alternativos y transcribir la narrativa que dé certeza al poder salvar nuestra casa común y las muchas especies, entre ellas la nuestra. 

By Community Radio Nasa Stereo

The Nasa community is located in the ancestral territory of Toribio, Cauca, Colombia, comprised of three Indigenous reservations Tacueyo, San Francisco, and Toribio. 96% of its population is from the Nasa Indigenous People and the remaining 4% is recognized as mestizo or as part of other Indigenous Peoples, mainly Guambianos. The Nasa Indigenous People carry out resistance actions articulated from communication for the defense of the territory, the care of life, and the strengthening of cultural identity.

By Marizol Huarachi Colomi 

Imagine traveling 150 kilometers from Cochabamba, Bolivia for approximately 5 hours and with great caution to reach the municipality of Independencia on a dirt access road that is narrow and winding. This journey is an opportunity to see dazzling desert, tropical, and valley landscapes and to experience their respective climates.

By Sani Musa Gamaliya, Program Producer, Progress Radio, Nigeria

By Rayyan Musa Lere, Station Manager, Radio Liberty Kaduna, Nigeria

Radio has long been a powerful tool for informing and connecting communities and promoting community resilience during periods of health crisis, which has become even more evident in recent years. One example of radio’s effectiveness in this regard is the year-long campaign launched by Liberty Radio 91.3 FM in Kaduna, Nigeria, with financial support from Cultural Survival.

By Manickam A.

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 Tokunbo Dada (Yoruba)

In Nigeria, many farmers didn't trust vaccines for COVID-19, making it hard to fight the virus. With financial support from Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Community Media Fund, Paramount 94.5 FM Abeokuta in Nigeria, undertook Project New Hope, which used radio broadcasts to teach about vaccines in a way that was culturally relevant in the Yoruba language. The station built a bridge between doctors and farmers, showing them how vaccines could save lives.

By Bandana Danuwar (Danuwar)

By working in community radio, a group of young Indigenous women in Udayapur district in eastern Nepal is making their voices heard and winning the trust of their communities. Now younger generations are inspired by their work.

Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Community Media Fund provides funding opportunities, accompaniment, and training to Indigenous community media platforms to carry out their crucial informational, documentary, and cultural work within and outside their communities. Since 2017, the Indigenous Community Media Fund has awarded 298 grants, supporting community media projects in 29 countries across 3 continents, totaling $1,772,361.