AFRO-NETS> The Drum Beat - 118 - Indigenous Communities

["Warren Feek" <wfeek@comminit.com>]

The Drum Beat - 118 - Indigenous Communities  
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Website: http://www.comminit.com

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Below are some examples of communication programming activities ini-
tiated by indigenous communities, communication projects that address 
issues specific to such communities, organisations which aim to net-
work and document indigenous knowledge, and a few events and publica-
tions that relate to and expand these issues. For more information, 
click on the links included.

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PROGRAMMES
http://www.comminit.com/programmes.html

1. Wila Kasta - Bolivia - 
A radio soap opera addressing aspects of reproductive health includ-
ing the relationship between reproductive health and traditional cus-
toms and medicine. The target audience included youth of the Aymara, 
people indigenous to the Bolivian highlands. Wila Kasta, meaning 
"Line of Blood" in Aymara, was broadcast in several instalments 
reaching the high plains through popular radio stations. Several mu-
sic concerts promoted the programme regionally. 
http://www.comminit.com/pdspsiwb/sld-1228.html 
Contact mailto:psibol@caoba.entelnet.bo

2. 'Fertilizer Bush' Drama - Nigeria  
A play, which used drama to communicate new and improved farming 
techniques to Nigerian men and women farmers. A 5-member team of vil-
lagers were brought together to develop and participate in the play. 
The drama used a combination of catchy tunes and good scripts to im-
prove farming knowledge and practices. The play made use of indige-
nous communication patterns and styles to better communicate the new 
ideas. http://www.comminit.com/pdsmay15/sld-1192.html 
Contact:mailto:CIKARD@iastate.edu

3. HIV/AIDS: Afro-Brazilians - Brazil  
Religious Support Against AIDS (ARCA-ISER) launched this initiative 
to address HIV/AIDS through examination of techniques used in tradi-
tional ceremonies. Many rituals performed by the indigenous people 
involve blood, and thus can cause the spread of HIV/AIDS. Religious 
leaders and traditional healers were consulted to determine what was 
being done about HIV/AIDS in their areas and to implement strategies 
to communicate to people the dangers of specific religious ceremo-
nies, and other modes of contracting HIV. Religious-cultural tradi-
tions were used as the medium for understanding new practices and 
concepts. 3 Candomble stories in comic strip form were created: 
50,000 were distributed to priests and priestesses; 200,000 to their 
followers. 
http://www.comminit.com/pdsmay15/sld-1190.html 
Contact mailto:layoli@ax.apc.org

4. Community Based Drama - Tanzania  
Two short community based plays were designed to sensitise the Bar-
baig community (a nomadic ethnic group in northern Tanzania) on the 
negative impact of female circumcision (FGM), domestic violence and 
the importance of sending girls to school. A 3 week creative session 
was held among The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Department of Fine 
& Performing Arts at the University of Dar es Salaam, along with 
HAWOCODE (Hanang Women's Counseling & Development Association) to 
produce the plays. The plays were performed and then discussed with 
the community. Key question asked after the performance: What posi-
tive alternative can be suggested to this cultural activity (FGM) 
rather than simply telling them it is bad and should be stopped? 
Contact Dr. Augustin Hatar 
mailto:hata@twiga.com 

5. Ardicom - Canada  
In the Northwest Territories, a region serving 10.4 million square 
miles with isolated inhabitants, an aboriginal based company Ardicom 
Digital Communications is connecting 58 of the Arctic's population 
centers with terrestrial and satellite nodes. This will deliver high-
speed Internet access, videoconferencing, telemedicine, and distance 
education to this region isolated by its geography. Youth produce lo-
cal programming for television and distribution on the web. Most of 
the computers will be distributed to schools for educational pur-
poses. 
http://www.comminit.com/pds02-23-99/sld-722.html 
Contact Greg Fandrick mailto:gfandrick@ardicom.ca

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Please contribute to our network of resources the concepts that you 
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Contact mailto:wfeek@comminit.com

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6.Manuel Sant­Ecuador - 
A comic book initiative addressing community development and 
empowerment designed to reach hard-to-reach indigenous groups
  in Ecuador. 4 issues of the popular Manuel Sant­series were
  produced. The series featured a principal character, Manuel 
Sant, who faced adventurous challenges, which brought out the social 
development messages of the project. The distribution system was 
unique. A network of commercial comic vendors was cultivated; these 
vendors bought the comics from the project and then sold them at a 
slight mark-up to their regular customers.
http://www.comminit.com/pdskaiser/sld-1297.html 
Contact Vicky Rideout mailto:vrideout@kff.org

7. Centro de Mujeres Comunicadoras Mayas (CMCM) - Guatemala  
The Center for Mayan Women Communicators functions primarily as a 
place for indigenous women to unite, communicate and develop skills 
in communications technology to enable better representation in the 
world and in the media. The indigenous women who participate deter-
mine activities. Workshops and training are offered in skills of 
video, photography, computer use and internet communication. Produc-
tion services are also offered in multimedia, web pages and video.
http://www.comminit.com/pdsaug/sld-1028.html 
Contact mailto:cmcm@rds.org.gt

8. People's Forum for Human Rights, Bhutan (PFHRB) - Nepal 
Established in exile in Nepal, PFHRB advocates for the human rights 
of the Bhutanese people. In 1988, the Bhutanese Government passed 
and implemented a series of laws denying the nation's ethnic groups
the right to freely practice their culture and religion. PFHRBs 
members are comprised almost exclusively of refugees who were forced
  out of Bhutan after 1988. They work to secure, protect, and safeguard
the rights and dignity of individuals in Bhutan irrespective of ethnic-
ity, caste, sex or religion. Their goals include increasing knowledge 
about human rights in the Bhutanese community and 'working for a 
peaceful resolution of the ethnic crisis '. 
http://www.comminit.com/pds9-2001/sld-3011.html 
Contact D.P. Kafley mailto:rizal_pfhrb@jhapa.info.com.np

ORGANISATIONS
http://www.comminit.com/links.html

9. Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture & Rural Develop-
ment (CIKARD) - to preserve and use the knowledge of farmers and ru-
ral people around the globe to facilitate participatory and sustain-
able approaches to development. Its goal is to record indigenous 
knowledge and make it available to local communities, development 
professionals, scientists and scholars. 
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~anthr_info/cikard/

10. HANND (The Horn of Africa NGO Network for Development) - a col-
laboration of some 40 indigenous organisations and civil society 
leaders in the countries of the Horn of Africa.
http://www.hannd.org/

EVENTS
http://www.comminit.com/2001-events.html

11. Zimbabwe Traditional Medicinal & Cultural Expo 2001 was held Oct 
25-28 2001 in Harare  
Aims included: promotion of indigenous knowledge systems invested
in various cultural forums that are linked to medicinal practices
such as sculptors, curios, traditional dressing, literature and 
traditional music; and, promotion of research that contributes 
to indigenous scientific knowledge system thus correcting the 
dominant official scientific view. 
http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2001/518-event.html 
Contact mailto:fpoint@mweb.co.zw or mailto:inter@samara.co.zw

12. Indigenous Peoples & The Free Trade Area of the Americas - 
An Alternative Summit was held Apr 19-21 2001 at Salle Kondiarionk,
Huron Reserve, Quebec City, Canada - Highlighted the issues in and 
around the relationships of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas to 
the proposed FTAA. 
http://www.comminit.com/events_cal/2001/55-event.html 
Contact:Tony Hall mailto:hall@uleth.ca or 
Linda Sioui mailto:linda.sioui@sympatico.ca


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The next DB Classifieds: Training, Books, Consultants - will be is-
sued Nov 7.  

Please contact Janice Innes jinnes@comminit.com to post your consult-
ant services, events, and publications in the DB Classifieds.

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MATERIALS
http://www.comminit.com/materials.html

13. Images of the World: Globalisation & Cultural Diversity - 
This is an edited selection of the speeches that took place during 
'Images of the World,' a festival held in Denmark during Aug and Sept 
2000. Includes: "Dominance, Minorisation, Linguistic Genocide & Lan-
guage Rights"; "When the Market only Wants 'Acceptable Exotism'"; 
and, "Indigenous Memory & Traditional Belief in a Globalised World". 
http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3025.html 
Contact mailto:images@images.dk

14. The Paradox of Africa's Poverty: 
The Role of Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Practices & Local In-
stitutions - The Case of Ethiopia, by Tirfe Mammo - The author argues 
that the root cause of Africa's poverty lies in the neglect of the 
indigenous knowledge, traditional practices and local institutions of 
the continent's peoples. 
http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3196.html

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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for de-
velopment activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement 
or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - 
Deborah Heimann 
mailto:dheimann@comminit.com

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