Cultural Survival is excited to announce the addition of Alicia Moncada (Wayúu) as our new Director of Advocacy and Communications. With 13 years of experience transforming narratives and public policies to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Alicia brings extensive expertise in advocacy strategies, research, and human rights communication at the international level.
By Bryan Bixcul (Maya-Tz’utujil), SIRGE Coalition Global Coordinator
Alicia Moncada (Wayuu), Director of Advocacy and Communications, brings over 13 years of experience in human rights advocacy, research, and communication, with a focus on Indigenous Peoples' rights, gender justice, and climate justice. Moncada was born in Venezuela, sought refuge in Mexico, and is now based in London, England. Her academic background includes degrees in Law and Women's Rights, with specialized training in International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law. Her professional experience includes researching human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin, serving as a professor at Universidad Central de Venezuela, and working as Research and Media Coordinator at the Foundation for Justice and the Rule of Law, where she focused on migration policies. At Amnesty International, she was a researcher in Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights for the Venezuelan section, and later became the first Climate Justice Researcher and Climate Justice Americas Program Officer, leading the organization's climate justice strategy for the Americas. Reach Alicia at alicia.moncada@culturalsurvival.org.
By Morne Pietersen, Radio Station Manager
A local community radio station, Eden FM, is playing a pivotal role in preserving the cultural heritage and history of the Klein Karoo region through two distinct but interconnected research projects. The initiatives, undertaken with support from Cultural Survival’s Community Media Grant Fund, documented Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and the personal stories of forced removals under the apartheid-era Group Areas Act.
Diana Ariza Monroy, Community Media Program Assistant, is from Santander, Colombia, but is based in Cauca, in the Nasa community, and holds a degree in Industrial Engineering. Her work is rooted in long-standing community engagement focused on human rights, cultural resilience, and youth empowerment, shaped by six years of experience in the Nasa territory. Diana speaks Spanish and English, and has an understanding of Nasa Yuwe. Reach Diana at diana.ariza@culturalsurvival.org.
By Sandra Peláez (CS Intern)
By Nailejileji Asia Tipap, Executive Director IWDA
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
