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15 October 2010
Indigenous People’s life is becoming more difficult and complicated in this present age and time. Being an IP is a continuous struggle, which requires time, effort and sweat to retain their cultures and worldviews which have been destroyed by various factors:Large scale mining, illegal logging, plantations on ancestral lands, militarization, discrimination, displacement and unrecognizing of IP world views continue to threaten the lives of the IP’s. Capitalists benefits while IP’s suffer. There is an Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) yet it is threatened to be scrapped and worst, many people don’t know about it. IP cultures are laughed at while foreign ones are praised or deeply appreciated. IP’s remain at the bottom of our socially stratified society despite these struggles.
Yet, is there still a way out from all these?
No one can ever tell and nobody can ever be sure. But one thing is certain. It is so unjust to let the citizens of our own country cry and risk their lives to be respected, recognized and exercise their fundamental rights as people.
For years, there have been many struggles of the IP’s but unfortunately, their
voices remained unheard to society. If all these struggles will remain unrecognized, does it mean that IP’s will have to spend their whole lives in craving for respect, recognition and acceptance?
Come to think of it… Like you,IPs have rights too.
