Stories about Indigenous from September, 2012
Saudi Arabia: Celebrating National Day in Style
Saudi Arabia marks its National Day today [Sept 24] and young Saudis are celebrating the day in style. On Twitter, the day's events are tagged with a special hash tag #اليوم_الوطني, which translates to National Day. According to accounts on social media, young men took to the streets to celebrate the day, with dancing and street parades in their cars.
Panama: Interview on Struggle over Naso Territory
Intercontinental Cry shares a video interview with Adolfo Villagra of the Naso indigenous community in Panama: Tensions are mounting in the indigenous Naso territory in Bocas del Toro province, western Panama, where protestors have blocked access to the Bonyic Hydroelectric project, a 30MW dam currently under construction on the banks...
Mexico: A Photographic Glimpse into Midwifery Around the World
Intercultural Midwifery is the topic of this Offbeat Mama guest photo blog post by Brooklyn based photographer Alice Proujansky. While 5 months pregnant she traveled to photograph a cultural knowledge exchange in Quintana Roo where students from the only government- accredited program in midwifery went to study with Mayan traditional midwives from rural area.
China: Hulunbuir Grassland Destroyed by Coal Mining Activities
Hulunbuir Grassland, one of the most beautiful landscapes in inner Mongolia, is eroding as a result of coal mining near the surface of the ground. A Chinese blogger has pointed out that the mining activities are not only a destruction of the natural environment, but also a cultural invasion.
Brazil: Threat to the Autonomy of Indigenous Lands
The issuance in mid-July of a governmental measure, Decree 303, that restricts the autonomy of indigenous lands in Brazil has been strongly criticized by many social movements, both in Brazil and beyond, which fight for the rights of indigenous peoples.
Russia: Dreaming About Better Roads
Prime Minister Medvedev ordered the government to auction a construction contract to build another section of a still-incomplete toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. By signing the decree, Medvedev awakened a debate about the highway's negative environmental impact that only recently seemed to be subsiding.
Bolivia: Former Minister Demands Investigation of Indigenous Repression
Bolivia's former Minister of Defense, María Cecilia Chacón, wrote a Facebook note breaking the silence after almost one year of her resignation. The note criticizes the appointment of former Minister of Interior, Sacha Llorenti, as ambassador to the United Nations, while the repression of indigenous TIPNIS remains unenlightened.
Mauritania: A Diplomat's Take on the Azawad
Mauritanian writer and diplomat Mohamed Mahmoud Weddady writes a series of posts in his blog entitled: “Papers about Azawad” [ar], about history and people of Azawad region. This post, for instance, focuses on the relationship between the Azawad and Libya.
