VOLUME XV, NO. 1 -- Spring, 2004

ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Steve Sachs

UNESCO
Sisters in Sprit Campaign
Survival International
Australian Aborigines
Advancement of Maori Opportunity (AMO) of New Zealand

With an average of two indigenous languages dying out every month, UNESCO, in February, called for national education systems to teach children in mother tongues from the earliest age as a means both of stimulating learning ability and preserving the world's rich heritage of linguistic diversity. For details go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9832&Cr=UNESCO&Cr1=#. BACK TO TOP

The Sisters in Sprit Campaign was launched, in March, to draw attention to "the tragedy of 500 missing aboriginal women in Canada and to the travesty that there is so little awareness of this" over the last two decades. The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) has been gathering the names and stories of Aboriginal women who have disappeared in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Fredericton, and many other communities. For information contact: Native Women's Association of Canada, 1292 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 3A9 (800)461-4043 ext. 229, sistersinspirit@nwachq.org, http://www.nwac-hq.org or sistersinspirit@national.anglican.ca. BACK TO TOP

Survival International has launched a postcard campaign calling on the public to boycott De Beers diamonds and Iman cosmetics. De Beers opposes the recognition of indigenous peoples' rights in Africa, and its managing director in Botswana has welcomed the eviction of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen from their land; Iman is De Beers's 'public face'. Meanwhile. Survival supporters around the world handed in a 100,000 signature petition to Botswana embassies and consulates to mark the second anniversary of the forced relocation of hundreds of Gana and Gwi ‘Bushmen’ from their ancestral land., as government persecution of the Bushmen continues, including the February arrest of a group of Bushmen for hunting near their resettlement camp. Amongst the Bushmen’s supporters were a delegation of Ogiek hunter-gatherers in Kenya. In a statement they said, ‘the heart of the Ogiek people goes out to our brothers and sisters the Gana and Gwi Bushmen... Brothers and sisters: do not let your persecutors make you forget who you are: no matter how far away from it you have been taken, the land and life your forefathers gave you belong to you. Be strong! You will see your land again!’ For more information go to http://www.survival-international.org/news.htm or contact Survival International at: Survival, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London EC1M 7ET, UK, Tel: 00 44 20 7687 8700, info@survivalinternational.org. BACK TO TOP

Australian Aborigines, who have been fighting to receive official title to their ancestral lands and for governments to acknowledge the difficult history of the removal of their children, are now campaigning for return of wages, pensions, inheritances and child benefits confiscated with government sanction, from tens of thousands of Aboriginal workers for much of the 20th century. One Aboriginal man, Fred Edwards, was sent out to work on a cattle ranch aged 12 and spent the next 25 years earning money that, for the most part, he never received. Under the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1897, the Queensland state government held it "in trust" for him. But the balance has never been settled, and, despite his long working life, Mr. Edwards, now 65 now cannot afford to retire. The practice went on to varying degrees throughout Australia, until about 1972, but appears to have been most prevalent In Queensland, where at least half the Aboriginal population - which grew from about 15,000 in 1910 to 40,000 in 1960 - is believed to have been affected. The situation was brought to light by Dr Ros Kidd, in the 1990s, while researching her PhD thesis on government controls on Aborigines. The Queensland government has offered a reconciliation compensation of between $2000 and $4000 per person, depending on the age of the claimant, but most Aboriginal people in Queensland reject this proposal as far to small an offer. The campaigners are supported by many of Australia's trade unions. For more information go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3590553.stm BACK TO TOP

Advancement of Maori Opportunity (AMO) of New Zealand has been engaged in rural Maori business development, while undertaking its second Ambassadors program of Maori leadership development, which earns academic credit at Te Wananga o Aoteroa (Maori University of New Zealand), with completion earning the Advanced Certificate in Ambassador and Leadership Development. AMO is preparing to run a pilot Rangatah (Youth) Ambassador Program for 13-19 year olds. For more information, contact AMO, Level 2, 153 Victoria Street, Hamilton, New Zealand, P.O. Box 4397, Hamilton East, Hamilton, New Zealand, Phone: +64 7 838 3030, sperls@ihug.co.nz, www.amo.co.nz. BACK TO TOP

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