Report on community screenings (2013-14)
A trial series of community screenings coordinated by FERNS took place in collaboration with initiatives that meet the following criteria:
- Scope for entrusting young tribals with social responsibilities (e.g. Thrissileri, Pavana Center and tribal residential schools)
- Having facilities like a public library that attract local people for discussions (e.g. Gjaanodaya Vaayanashala and Kulangod)
- Providing a social and political space where tribals feel confident enough to intervene
- Availability of local knowledge in tribal colonies
Results and benefits
The community screenings have made local people aware of the need for educational activities on ecology. Each tribal facilitator in the community screening project approached the project differently. Some used used the opportunity to intervene in their own community space. They now realize what it means if traditional food cultures are lost. They have also become aware of the need to improve their knowledge about edible roots and mushrooms growing right there, in their own surroundings. As for the medicinal plants mentioned by Ramettan and Jochi Chechi in the “Arana” documentary, they exemplify local knowledge that, although still valued, remains in danger of being lost. All agree that something has to be done in order to ensure its continuity. Cheruvayal Raman and Jochi Chechi, the main persons portrayed in the “Arana” documentary, have resumed their lives as ordinary people after the film was made over a period of five years. Their efforts to understand and protect their environment as part of daily life have inspired the tribal facilitators.
Future plans
More community screenings are being planned. The women facilitators became more confident after each community screening session. One of them, Devaki, has become actively involved in Mahila Samakhya (NGO working for the empowerment of women). She plans screening the “Arana” documentary for members in different places. Their ambition is to take up the community screening project to a higher level. Their involvement in the community screenings convinced them that this documentary should be screened in all public libraries across Kerala and women’s self help groups. Their ooperation is helpful in efforts by FERNS, namely to focus on tribal and environmental issues together rather than separately.
Source: Email by Arun P.A., Secretary of the FERNS Naturalists Society, Mananthavady (Wayanad) 22 February 2014
“Tribal communities are a standing example of how women play a major role in preservation of eco historic cultural heritage in India.” – Mari Marcel Thekaekara (writer and Co-Founder of ACCORD-Nilgiris) | Learn more >>
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What does it mean to be Indigenous?
Indigenous Peoples can be identified according to certain characteristics:
They are politically and socially marginalized.
Most importantly, they self-identify as Indigenous Peoples.
They share an ancestral link with those who inhabited a country or region before they were colonized or before other peoples became dominant.
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There are more than 5,000 different Indigenous Peoples around the world comprising 476 million people – around 6.2% of the global population. They are spread across more than 90 countries in every region and speak more than 4,000 languages. | Learn more (Amnesty International) >>
Source: “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS” by Amnesty International
URL: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/indigenous-peoples/
Date Visited: 10 May 2025
Learn more on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, their Languages & linguistic heritage & Tribal culture worldwide >>
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