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Acoma Pueblo
Akuntsu
Algonquin
Anishinaabe
For me it's a gathering, a chance to see what our work has in common with others.
In July this year's selection committee came together,
and we shared our experiences after viewing all these images,
looking at how creatively they are used to talk about our everyday problems and struggles.
It's very important that we know how the international system works,
what co-responsibility we have as peoples.
When I say peoples, I'm not only referring to indigenous peoples but all human beings,
brothers of African descent and from all sectors.
Evidently, if we don't know how international instruments work, regardless,
what they do about us at an international level affects our communities at a local level.
Nowadays we have media
like social networks
and the internet,
and Sarayaku is privileged to be connected from the forest to the world.
If you understand your culture,
you can appreciate what is foreign.
If you're indigenous and you forget where you come from, then you are lost.
Therefore if you know about western technologies and our technologies
then you are able to confront any challenge that comes.
We're using tools that are foreign to us,
we're adopting them,
but with a dream,
and that dream is
to use these tools
to protect what we consider to be collective property,
such as images and knowledge
that guarantee the existence of our territory
so our culture always remains.
Because we want to be given the space.
What we want is to speak out.
Many of us have had to remain silent, and what we really want to do is work.
So the moment we pick up the camera
we are self-representing ourselves.
We thank those who have spoken for us
and for their teachings,
but we are old enough to represent ourselves through images.