Sharing the same vision, compassion and drive to expose injustice in the world, Yvonne Dudock and Nicole Franken started the project Indigenous People Today. Our drive is for a future where First Nations deep knowledge and wisdom is better incorporated into decision-making at all levels.
We visited communities in Canada, Sweden, Greenland, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, Morocco, the Philippines and Bangladesh and noticed that global warming is changing the landscape and ecosystem in which they live drastically and that they are facing major challenges. Not only is their food supply under pressure, but so is their emotional and spiritual bond with nature.
This multi media project consists of 9 features and documentaries and shows the personal, daily stories behind the shocking statistics. With this series we highlight the irreversible consequences of climate change on indigenous people. A part of the series has been published in several media already, such as Trouw, MO* magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, De Morgen and Internazionale.
“The Chinese, the people in Europe and America are the major polluters. They cause climate change. Not us. As a result, it will become much warmer all over the world, but especially here in Greenland. For that reason I will soon no longer be able to ice fish, no longer sled with the dogs, no longer hunt for my food.” – Malik Olsvig (10), Greenland.
“Floods and landslides are becoming more frequent, taking the fertile soil and crops with them. Due to the relatively short season, we only have one harvest per year, which is getting smaller and smaller. The land simply does not produce enough to provide for our livelihood.” – Lhakpa Wangdu, Nepal.
“We have been noticing the effects of climate change for more than fifteen years and hardly anyone listens to us. We are an indigenous people, a minority, and if we disappear there is no one left to understand and protect nature. That is a hard fact, not only here in Sweden, but all over the world.” – Marja Skum, Sweden.
