By Jeannette KAZERA, Organization Coordinator

In the Fizi territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the illegal and unregulated exploitation of transition minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper, gold, and cassiterite has long threatened the environment and human rights of local Indigenous communities. To combat this, the Union of Indigenous Women for Integral Development (UFAPDI), funded by Cultural Survival, launched a project to strengthen Indigenous leadership and empower communities through media. 

By Victoria Nolasco, Executive Director

In the face of a massive mining threat, a new generation of Indigenous youth in Mindanao is using citizen journalism as a powerful tool of resistance and cultural preservation. Through a project supported by Cultural Survival and led by Mindanao Climate Justice, young advocates are receiving the training and tools needed to tell their own stories and challenge dominant narratives about their communities.

By Hendro Karundeng, Kelung Contributor, Tontemboan Tribe, Minahasa Nation

In the misty hills of Kolongan, a group of young Minahasan men and women gathered with a shared purpose: to reclaim their ancestral stories and traditions through the power of writing and media. This marked the beginning of “Mapantik ne Kelung” (The Writing of the Shield). The name evokes a powerful image of a kelung (shield), a tool once used by ancient Minahasan warriors, now wielded in a new kind of battle—one fought not with steel, but with words and images.

The Seque Jahuira community, part of the Aymara Nation in Bolivia and located in the municipality of Viacha, began a determined struggle in 2024 against 23 mining plants installed on their territory. These plants are responsible for leaching mining waste brought in from other regions of the country. Mining activities have caused ecological devastation throughout the region near the Seque Jahuira community, contaminating water and soil, causing the death of animals, affecting agricultural production, and forcibly displacing community members.

Por Ñani Pinto, de Avispa Midia

By Rikson, 94.1FM Mars FM

By Xiting Tong (CS Intern)

“We who have the spiritual strength and relied on our land as a source of life are now selling our wealth and allowing them to be devastated in the name of progress…So what kind of progress is this?” asked the resident of the Jequitinhonha Valley, questioning the false promise of lithium mining corporations.

Cultural Survival expresses our deep concern and indignation in the face of the continuous criminalization and rights violations against Indigenous defenders in Bolivia. In October 2024, the Quechua community of Totoral Chico rejected a farce consultation by mining company La Salvada Sociedad Colectiva, which was already operating in their territory. Now, the leaders are being threatened and criminalized. All eyes on Bolivia!

For centuries, the Indigenous Peoples who live in the north of Argentina in the province of Jujuy have maintained their culture and ways of life differently from people from other parts of the country. In Jujuy, there are more than 400 Indigenous communities, a majority of whom are Kolla Peoples, but also Guaraní and Oclolla.