Advancing Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Cultures Worldwide, since 1972

Dear Friend,

I would like you to meet Estrella Jhonaí Gutiérrez Vásquez. Estrella is a 17-year-old Mixe/Ayuujk woman from Santa María Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, and a Cultural Survival Indigenous Community Media Youth Fellow*. 

When Estrella was 2 years old, she participated at the local Radio Jënpoj and would sing a song she learned in preschool for morning listeners. When she was 9, she learned audio editing with the help of her father. From there, she became interested in learning more about community radio and wanted to become a program editor. By the time she was 15, she had created a radio program with her classmates about issues related to their school. 

She continues to learn and enhance her skills: as a fellow with Cultural Survival, Estella is working towards strengthening the Ayuujk language, worldview, and ancestral knowledge through a series of radio programs. Estrella has been organizing language workshops with children in Nejapa, Santa María Tlahuitoltepec. She also created an educational booklet for the children to continue learning Ayuujk and highlights the history, oral traditions, and land connections of the Ayuujk language. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she recently created a guide and radio program on how to use medicinal plants native to the forests of her community. 

Estrella says, “The fellowship is a great opportunity to gain knowledge in the area of Indigenous communication. It allows youth participants to be inspired and encouraged to enter the world of expression. As Indigenous youth, we can express ourselves through texts, images, audios and videos, and can help to rescue some elements of our cultures, this helps us not to forget who we are.”

Your support made this happen! 

Radio is a powerful tool for Indigenous language revitalization and for dialogue between generations. To maintain and revitalize a culture and language takes the work and passion of dedicated people like Estrella. We are counting on you to continue your support of this important work.  

September 5 is the International Day of Indigenous Women commemorated in honor of Aymara warrior Bartolina Sisa, who along with her husband Túpac Katari led an important part of the Aymara-Quechua rebellion against the exploitation and abuse of Spanish colonizers in Peru in 1780. 

Today is also International Day of Charity observed annually on September 5 as declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, we hope we can count on you!

Hain daa (Thank you) for your ongoing support and for joining us in this journey to secure a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.


In deep gratitude, 






Galina Angarova (Buryat)
Executive Director 

*The Indigenous Community Media Youth Fellowship, as part of the Community Media Grants Program, supports young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 16–26 who are eager to learn about technology, program development, journalism, community radio, media, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocacy. 

 

Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. We envision a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.