MENTAWAI COMMUNITY READY TO SAVE THEIR CULTURE

We are now just 1 week away from launching the global 30-day ‘Watch a Film, Save a Culture’ #wafsac. The As Worlds Divide film is now available for purchase (download) on the iefprograms.org/wafsac page and our presenting sponsors, Patagonia, Garage and Madman Entertainment are offering some incredible rewards for those who give their support.

This is not a request for you to sign a petition or help stop a powerful corporation from violating the rights of an Indigenous people and in doing so destroying their cultural identity. This is a very real and unique opportunity to empower a community to save their culture. The Mentawai have developed a solution to prevent the loss of their precious culture and knowledge and are now ready to deliver. All they require is for us to purchase their film and hear their story – to simply ‘watch a film, save a culture’.

Last Friday I travelled back to Mentawai for the inauguration of their Suku Mentawai Education Foundation. This is an important event to formally introduce the Foundation, their cultural education program, staff and strategy to Mentawai government, village leaders and the wider community.

The response from these officials and the community was incredibly inspiring. The Mentawai are well and truly in control of their initiative and extremely humbled that outsiders care about them and the future of their culture. Here is a short video of the event captured by the local Foundation’s staff:

If you’ve ever wished there were more you could do to prevent poverty amongst Indigenous peoples, #wafsac is that opportunity. A few clicks now and over the coming years you will see the difference you’ve made to the lives of many.

Thank you.