‘We’d rather die than lose’: villagers in Indonesia fight for a land rights revolution
Leaders of the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta community meet to look over proposed land divisions. (Photo: Vincent Bevins)
'It is cold and late on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Huddled around a map, a group of elders are planning their battle strategy. In a milestone victory last year, they were promised rights to the land their village has controlled for generations, but today they have had bad news. The local inspector wants to slice off a piece of the forest where they harvest benzoin – a substance like frankincense – and give it to a large pulp company. They see this as a betrayal.'
An excerpt from the article by Vincent Bevins in Humbang Hasundutan
Read full article here
Related Project:
Land Grabs and Land Rights
The Territories of Life toolkit is a series of 10 short videos that share stories of resistance, resilience and hope with communities on the front-line of the global rush for land. These videos, available in English, Spanish, French, Indonesian and Swalhili and are currently being disseminated widely by community facilitators.
Oil Palm
LifeMosaic, in partnership with Friends of the Earth and Sawit Watch, coordinated a project aimed at bringing critical information about the impacts of oil palm to communities in plantation expansion areas, enabling them to make informed decisions about their lands and their futures.
Categories
Latest news
- From colonialism to COVID-19, Indigenous peoples show resilience in the face of evictions
- LifeMosaic is Hiring - New deadline 2nd April 2023
- Wayana omi alï - Tïpatakamo eitop
- Nemonte Nenquimo, a Waorani leader sends a strong message to the western world
- In Colombia’s Farthest Reaches, These Groups are Battling Covid-19
