Today on Twitter, people were flipping their profile pictures upside down to support those without citizenship. We live in a world today more intrinsic and complex than ever before. Our borders are tighter as border-security focuses on keeping those (without citizenship / or unwanted refugees, stateless, "other" persons) out of their lands. It was less than a century ago that borders, countries and citizenship to a bounded land was in existence. More than ever, those whom were lost in the idenity/citizenship scuffle were the indigenous peoples, comprising over 350 million individuals and 5000 ehno-linguistic groups in the world today.
Who exactly are indigenous peoples?
According to Jose A. Martinez Cobo, the Special Rapporteur appointed in 1971 by UNHCR to conduct a study of indigenous peoples, recognized their "land-rootedness" as the primary marker of indigenous identity:
Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems.Essentially, their fundamental survival as a community and as a distinctive people is inextricably tied to their right to occupy their traditional and original communities.
Furthermore, according to the UN on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities ...
Article 3: Indigenous peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.But as noted by Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities and as discussed in, "Indigenous Peoples' Rights to Self-Determination and Territoriality" by Maivan Clech Lam:
A complex issue concerns the relationship between culture and citizenship. Since the French Revolution, modern states have tried to solidify their hold over citizens by merging the two affiliations -- one thick (culture), the other thin (citizenship). The attempt is misdirected in general, and especially unsuccessful in the case of indigenous peoples.Millions of people today are those that have been uprooted, forcefully displaced and even ethnically cleansed. Our recognition and the awareness of such a problematic sheds light unto those that deserve their ultimate human right and human dignity through simple recognition. It may be insufficient to simply "flip" our photos on Twitter ... but when international law can't bring it back ... a collective movement and will to stand with a just act will bring through an effect ...
As a twitter follower noted:
it is not fair indeed. good effort
ReplyDelete