A call to action!

There is a growing recognition of the urgent and central role Indigenous peoples might play in monitoring, mitigating, adapting to and averting the worst possible outcomes of the climate crisis. But the majority of these communities lack the skills, platforms and confidence to genuinely shape policy, solutions and narratives locally, regionally and internationally.

Given how disproportionately at risk these peoples’ unique ways of life and very survival are from the climate shocks and biodiversity losses that industrialised societies’ emissions have caused, we believe it is morally imperative that we all work faster to ensure these communities have the means to shape decisions and attitudes to nature, whether about their own lands, or internationally.

We believe digital activism and participatory storytelling now represents the most powerful and cost-effective way of doing so. Equipping Indigenous groups with digital activism and participatory storytelling skills has been InsightShare’s relentless focus since our inception in 1999.

‘Climate change is not far, it is a reality we are facing. Pastoralism and nature or natural resources are in a state of crisis all over Maasailand in Tanzania and Kenya.’

– Samwel Nangiria, Maasai Community Leader,
Tanzania OLM video hub

Maasai Kenya participatory video

Our field has grown rapidly in the past 20 years, and InsightShare is now one of a number of expert and agile organizations with a wealth of insight and experience in how to deliver this powerfully enabling work.

But much more needs to be done if we are to realize the opportunity of genuine Indigenous self-representation and for these groups to play their fullest part in ensuring our planet remains habitable at this perilous moment.

 

We believe now is the time to raise our collective ambitions and share our expertise, resources and plans in order to rapidly increase the numbers of Indigenous groups accessing this training, to build a genuinely worldwide network of Indigenous media hubs, and bring the skills of self-representation to as many groups as possible by the next UN-COP.

Specifically, we are calling on:

  • Governments, trusts and foundations, especially those that are starting to make climate funding pledges, to make funding digital activism and participatory video within Indigenous communities a priority
  • Media organizations to give more prominence to Indigenous-authored stories on your platforms; to open up your training courses to Indigenous youth and to broker new mentoring opportunities with your workforce with participatory video delivery partners
  • NGOs and charities that work with Indigenous groups to work with us to train your partners or grantees in digital activism and participatory video
  • Media training organizations to work with us to develop and roll out online training courses tailored to Indigenous communities, and professional membership organisations to create bursary places and awards
  • All groups to think about how they might use their physical estate/events/media space/editorial to platform Indigenous voices

We urge any organization of any size anywhere in the world interested in seeing the improvement of the quality, range and uptake of digital activism tools, training, funding and advice to join our network. Please get in touch with our Director Nick Lunch at nlunch@insightshare.org

Download our full report

Listening to the Land

Since 1999, InsightShare has pioneered the use of participatory video and storytelling to support the self-representation and self-determination of Indigenous peoples. We enhance Indigenous capability to gather and influence civil society through the powerful medium of video.

Maasai Tanzania COP26

In September 2021 young first time filmmakers from southern and eastern Africa embarked on pilgrimages to sacred sites, forests, oceans and local communities to speak with elders about the impacts of climate change.

The journeys undertaken by the 6 Indigenous video hubs with their elders and cultural singers, have reinforced culture and spirituality, promoted intergenerational and intercultural exchange, and we are now ready to share their insights with global audiences!

We are screening these films at live events across Glasgow during COP26, and sharing them across our social media channels. We will also host online Q&A sessions with the Indigenous filmmakers.

Events dates and times are as follows:

Make sure you join us for the Listening to the Land Series!

Maasai, KhoiSan, Xhosa, El Molo, Turkana, Rendile and amaMpondo video teams from eastern and southern Africa have filmed pilgrimages to sacred sites, forests, oceans and local communities to speak with elders about the impacts of climate change. Our work at COP26 and beyond aims to inspire people to reimagine development and conservation, and the way we relate to each other and to Mother Earth.

 

 

Support for this programme is spearheaded by the Bertha Foundation.

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