Synopsis: A 45 minute video documentary highlighting the thoughts and proposals of the Indigenous Peoples in Johannesburg at the World Summit for Sustainable Development. Download a 70 page United Nations guide -- the "Resource Kit for Indigenous Peoples' Issues.

After recalling the first intervention of Indigenous Peoples in Rio (1992 World Summit), the key aspects of territories, spirituality, cultures, traditional knowledge protection, languages, education, are discussed in view of the feelings and needs of Indigenous Peoples who are facing the promises of 'Sustainable Development' and the strains its implementation induces.

Indigenous People representatives gathered in 2002 for the World Summit for Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg.

They showed the emergency of global political actions to preserve natural and cultural diversity as well as spiritual values necessary for all of us.

This unique testimony emphasises how dependent we all are on global balance, and the need for identity, territory ownership, languages, ancestral knowledge, education and collective rights.

It calls for our cooperation towards the future of the planet and of humanity, and not just for "development and trade".

Credits:

Production: P. Beaudouin, A.C. Fouvet

Film Date:

2005

Film Length:

45 Min.

Languages:

French and English

Comments:

Nelson Mandela (South Africa): 'we must join our hands in new partnerships'

Marcos Terena ( Brasil) in RIO 'We did not come here to play Indians, we came here to fight for Life' and in Joburg: 'we are going to help everybody to live in a better world, and leave only the best for the future generations'

Oren Lyons (USA): 'Sustainable development to me is an oxymoron; it just does not work, for it does not take into account the finite resources of the earth'

Jacques Chirac (France): 'Globalization in a threat to cultural and natural diversity! A big threat!..'

Kenneth Deer (Canada):'We thought that the governments had finally understood that it was time to do something about the environment' and now, sustainable development really means Development and Trade'

Pauline Tangioria (New Zealand):'No sustainable development without ownership of land (and language) 'We taught the kids our language in shacks, tents, under umbrellas, and twenty years later, the Maori language is not dead'

Tom Goldtooth (Canada): 'We are in crisis; the world cannot abide to unsustainable greed?'

Rigoberta Menchu (Guatemala):'Our people have had this dream, not only to have water to drink, but that this water be clean, and safe to drink'

Ole Soyinka (Nigeria): 'The cultural genocide which is going on in our countries is due to the disdain of the government people for what I call the hidden cultures and the hidden religions of the world.'

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz ( Indonesia, Tebtebba): 'Education for all in 2015 will it teach what we want to transmit to our people, their culture, their traditional knowledge...'

Maya Shaman: 'Mother Earth is in pain 'We disconnected ourselves from her so many thousands of years ago'

Extras:

• Indigenous People Address at the Summit
• songs and dances of young South Africans
• a short document on the struggle of Dene Indians in the north of Canada