This year's indigenous peoples' festival focuses on Covid-19 resilience

 

The celebration of this year's World Indigenous Peoples Day will go online with a focus on the community's resilience against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Organised by the Partners of Community Organisations in Sabah (Pacos Trust) in conjunction with the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Aug 9, the theme this year is 'Covid-19 and the Resilience of the Indigenous'.

The celebration this year from Aug 8 to 10 will focus on the experiences and knowledge of the indigenous community in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Among the activities that will be held online are sharing sessions on the traditional knowledge of indigenous people in contributing to resilience during Covid-19.

"In these sessions, panellists from Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia will share their experiences on traditional knowledge through administration, education, and food safety of the indigenous people," said Pacos Trust executive director Anne Lasimbang.

She said the main aim of the festival is to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples as well as to recognise their achievements and contributions, particularly in environmental protection and climate change.

She added that the celebration would usually be held face-to-face. However, due to the rise in cases, it has to be conducted online for the second year in a row.

“We have to adapt to this new normal.

“I hope that we, as an indigenous community, remain united and enthusiastic to celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples this year despite it being held online.

“I also hope that the world can heal quickly so we can celebrate in person next year,” she said.

The activities will be held via Zoom and Facebook Live on Pacos Trust's account. They are held in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia and the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns.

The festival aims to increase the support network between communities as well as increase awareness of protecting indigenous people in Malaysia.

Among the activities to be held are sharing sessions on indigenous people's traditions, cultural performances, and panel discussions on the protection of indigenous knowledge which is increasingly threatened by modernisation.

'Prioritise inclusion'

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) called on the government to immediately implement all of the commission's recommendations in their 2013 Report of the National Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Malaysia.

Among the recommendations include a review of domestic land laws, addressing problems faced by indigenous peoples in land claims, and protecting the indigenous people's right to land.

Suhakam, in a statement today, also called for information regarding vaccination to be made simple for better understanding by indigenous communities.

They acknowledged the government's initiatives including mobile vaccination centres and door-to-door outreach programmes for indigenous people.

However, they wanted more effort "to provide sufficient and accurate information in simple local language to encourage the indigenous communities to come forward for vaccinations."

Suhakam also stressed the importance of achieving the full realisation of rights deserved by the indigenous community as per Article 21 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

This includes the right to improving indigenous peoples’ economic and social conditions, without discrimination, in the areas of education, health, employment, and housing, among others. - Mkini