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The session started with music and song, a rarity in conferences, especially one that is convened by international bodies like the World Bank. But so is a panel of indigenous peoples in forums on communication and development. The invisibility and marginalisation of indigenous peoples from the development and communciation systems were the main issues that representatives of indegenous nations from Asia, Latin America nad Africa highlighted in a special session at the World Conference on Communication for Development currently ongoing in Rome.
The session started with music and song, a rarity in conferences, especially one that is convened by international bodies like the World Bank. But so is a panel of indigenous peoples in forums on communication and development. The invisibility and marginalisation of indigenous peoples from the development and communciation systems were the main issues that representatives of indegenous nations from Asia, Latin America nad Africa highlighted in a special session at the World Conference on Communication for Development currently ongoing in Rome.
One after another, indgenous speakers presented testimonies of issues that are left unadressed in the field of communications. They spoke about their 4000 languages and its signifcance in shaping thier own communication systems. They pointed out that their traditional forms of communication should have place side by side with their own adaption of new technologies. They stressed the importance of channeling their self-determined development including tradtional means of communication through these modern means of communication.
The panel presented a powerful, well-articulated and poignant advocacy which underlined the intent of the indigenous people’s network to engage new technologies to stenghten their communication channels but on their own terms. An impressive demonstration of this is the way the Keewaytinook Okimakanak of Canada have set up a broaband network and adapted internet technologies for their communities.http://www.knet.ca/
K-Net Computer Services was mandated by the Northern Chiefs in 1994 to fill a gap in the area of computer ommunications. The service includes e-learning, websites, broadband capacity for its ocmmunities, connectivity and advocates for full broad band capacity in member communities and delivers a wide range of training and capacity building programs aimed at strengthening computer and telecommunications expertise at the community level.
It is a model that indigenous nations from other countries hope to learn from. And one that also provides inspiration for community owned and managed communications system for all communities.
As one speaker put it, we have unique centuries old ways of communicating. We can communicate via email where there is a sender and receiver. But we also communicate with the past and the future.
I thought this to be one of the most convincing argument for the right not only to communicate but to a self determined right to communicate.
And just as it started, our indigenous brother sent all of us who have come to listen and learn with a song.
