World Soil Day is held annually on December 5 as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. For generations, Indigenous Peoples have shaped landscapes through a reciprocal relationship with the land, thus preserving healthy ecosystems. The connection to the land is mutually tied with Indigenous worldviews. Supporting traditional farming for Indigenous communities is vital.
In September 2022, Cultural Survival and our partner Asociación Sobrevivencia Cultural submitted an alternative report for the 72nd session of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
According to the temporary export agreement No. 11-2021 between the Ministry of Culture and Sports and The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City (MET), October 30, 2022, is the deadline to return the Mayan masterpieces Trono I and Dintel III from Piedras Negras, Petén.
Officially, there are only two types of frequencies for radio broadcasting in Guatemala: radio frequencies for private stations and for public or State radio. There is no category for Indigenous community radio and no frequencies are assigned to them, despite the commitment in the 1996 Peace Accords to reform the law to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ access to radio frequencies and to be able to operate them.
A diario, las vidas y los medios de vida de pueblos Indígenas corren peligro en Abya Yala, donde los sistemas coloniales siguen oprimiendo los derechos y su lucha por tener una vida digna y respetada. Cultural Survival es una organización que apoya la autodeterminación y derechos de los pueblos y comunidades Indígenas desde 1972.
Por César Gómez (Maya Pocomam, personal de CS)
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.