"Roots of the Future" will bring together Indigenous leaders, academics, filmmakers, activists, and experts in human rights and environmental issues. Together, we'll explore the cultural value and knowledge of traditional communities, address the ongoing violation of their human rights, and engage in a constructive dialogue for a truly just and sustainable future.
This local-global dialogue will also include representatives from the Covas do Barroso community, deeply affected by the rush for lithium. Their participation highlights how challenges faced by local communities in Portugal intersect with the global struggles of Indigenous peoples. This promises to enrich our understanding of the impacts of energy transition on traditional communities and shed light on forms of community resistance.
Date: January 11, 2025
Venue: Pavilhão do Conhecimento, Lisbon
Admission: Free
Register for the event and stay informed about the full program.
Detailed program available here.
Each week, we'll share a profile of a guest speaker, highlight the topics to be addressed, and reveal the sessions and activities that will fill this day of dialogue, learning, and discovery. We have prepared various initiatives to enable everyone to actively participate in this event even before January 11. In the coming weeks, we'll propose and organize opportunities for engagement and connection with participants and speakers, as well as ways to deepen your knowledge of the topics under discussion.
Stay tuned - your engagement will be crucial in enriching this dialogue and amplifying the impact of "Roots of the Future".
Get ready to share your ideas, ask questions to our guests, and engage in stimulating discussions with people from around the world who share your interest in culture, human rights, sustainability, and environmental justice.
Featured Speaker:
Christine Kandie
Christine Kandie, from the Endorois community in Kenya, is a determined voice in advocating for the rights of Indigenous women and people with disabilities. As the Executive Director of EIWEN (Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network), which she founded in 2016, Christine fights for the rights of Indigenous women, girls, and people with disabilities within traditional communities across Kenya.
Christine's story is intrinsically linked to her community's struggle. The Endorois have faced forced displacements, first due to the creation of a tourist reserve at Lake Bogoria, and more recently, due to the impacts of climate change. These experiences have shaped her understanding of the connection between Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and sustainable development.
Listen to or watch the interview with Christine about the importance of recognizing the value of Indigenous lands beyond their economic potential, emphasizing their cultural and spiritual significance:
As an Indigenous woman and a person with disability, Christine brings a deep understanding of the multiple layers of marginalization within Indigenous communities. Her work with EIWEN ranges from documenting traditional knowledge to integrating it into resource management, as exemplified by the Endorois Biocultural Protocol.
Christine has shared her vision at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Her participation in "Roots of the Future" promises to significantly enrich our dialogue, bringing to light crucial issues about Indigenous rights, gender equality, and environmental justice.
Do you have a question for Christine? Write to us atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
EIWEN is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Kiliii Yuyan
Photographer Kiliii Yuyan tells stories of lives bound to the land and sea, which help humanity understand itself and it relationship to mother Earth. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) and Chinese, he searches for human insight through different cultural perspectives.
On assignment, he has survived a stalking polar bear, escaped pounding waves diving with sea otters, and found kinship at the edges of the world. For two years he built and paddled traditional kayaks, immersing himself in the practice of his ancestors.
In 2023, Kiliii received one of National Geographic's top honors, the Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling, and was named one of PDN's top 30 photographers in 2019.
He contributes to publications including TIME, Vogue, WIRED, and has been honored by awards including Pictures of the Year International, Leica Oscar-Barnack, PDN and ASMP. Kiliii is currently on speaking tour in 2024 with National Geographic Live.
He is based out of traditional Duwamish lands (Seattle), but usually found beneath the sea or floating on Arctic ice. Since 2023, Kiliii has served on Azimuth World Foundation's Advisory Board, where his knowledge and sensitivity help guide project funding and strategic decisions.
We interviewed Kiliii Yuyan for our Connecting the Dots podcast. Watch or listen here:
To Roots of the Future, Kiliii is bringing "Guardians of Life: The Wisdom of Indigenous Conservation"
To picture the beauty of the natural world is to conjure images of Indigenous protected areas: corals of the Pacific, rainforests of the Amazon, and the even Arctic ice. We see these ecosystems under dire threat from the people living within them. And yet, this is precisely the opposite of the true story.
Indigenous peoples are responsible for the stewardship of nearly 40% of all land, resulting in the single greatest bulwark against a changing climate and biodiversity loss. This success has been taken for granted, although awareness of this once-invisible Indigenous contribution is growing rapidly.
Guardians of Life explores the solutions of Indigenous climate stewardship.
Across the Amazon, the Cofán people have been fighting the deforestation of oil extraction and development for seven decades. In Mongolia, the rebirth of shamanism has led to the restoration of grasslands across the country. In Palau, coral reef resilience is supported by an enormous marine protected area. Aboriginal Australians tend their rainforests through the use of intentional cultural fire, preventing catastrophic wildfires.
These are the true stories of our time, the most spectacular solutions against ecological disaster playing out at scale across the globe. Indigenous peoples do more than steward their land- they also offer thousands of sustainable ways to live and the inspiration that human beings can continue to be caretakers of the Earth.
Do you have a question for Kiliii? Write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Follow Kiliii's work at his official website, or on Instagram.
Together, we'll explore and reflect on the roots that can guide us through present challenges to build a truly inclusive and sustainable future.
We are an ally to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities dealing with matters of access to Health and Water and the protection of the right to maintain traditional ways of living in harmony with Nature.
