SHILLONG: The much awaited Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM) a conclave centered on the philosophy of Slow Food, Agro biodiversity, Food Sovereignty, Agro-ecology, amongst others, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday at the Convocation Hall of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
Adapted in Meghalaya as International Mei Ramew, the inaugural ceremony saw some spectacular performances from a combined cultural troupe of Khasi, Jaintia, Garo and Rabha artistes.
Welcoming the delegates, mainly indigenous people from 58 countries of the world ranging from Mongolia to Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, USA, Tajikistan, Nepal, the African countries etc., and researchers, academics, media persons et al, Phrang Roy the President of North East Slow Food and Agro biodiversity Society (NESFAS), thanked the different organisations that have supported the event.
Roy said he was humbled by the response particularly of the Chef’s Alliance who have converged at Shillong to “learn from each other and to collectively interpret the theme – The Future We Want”.
Observing that the world is passing through unprecedented crises, Roy said it is tragic that we are still groping because there is no road map to get us to the future we want. “Most of us indigenous peoples have abandoned our traditional practices, our ideas are chaotic, ad-hoc and fragmented; we have suffered land grabs, cultural suppression, sometimes from our own communities and many of us are also victims of landlessness. Martin Luther King had said, ‘we have a dream but in our case, we have nightmares because the size of the problem is huge,” Roy said.
Speaking about the strength of matriarchal societies across the globe, Roy said matriarchal societies like those of Meghalaya could be the societies of hope, of balance and of decisions taken on consensus and democratic methods so that there is collective peace and harmony, of caring and sharing. He said local food systems are important drivers of our world and they are key to calming our fears. Emphasizing on the need to trust indigenous wisdom passed on by the ancestors, Roy said it is important for those vested with power to provide good governance by listening to the voices of civil society. “This is the future we want,” Roy concluded.
A surprise item of the inaugural session was a video clip of Prince Charles, heir apparent to the British throne, made especially for the event. Prince Charles regretted that he could not be present at the event but emphasized the need to defend indigenous food sovereignty and to promote and conserve the rich biodiversity by also linking them with modern science. “We stand at a historic moment and it is important to adopt a reverential approach and listen to the wisdom embodied in cultural traditions and the spirit of leadership among indigenous communities,” Prince Charles said.
Prof Krishna Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, NEHU welcomed the delegates not only to the venue, but to Shillong and India as well.
Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, urged the indigenous people to take ownership of their food cultures and framing systems. “I don’t speak English because I am Italian, all of us here should speak our own language and be proud of it. Indigenous people worldwide are exploited by multinational who promote intensive contract farming. Those who promote the idea of globalization of food corner all the profits. They have conquered the market but have unleashed a criminal system that destroys diversity which in turn destroys communities and their environment.” Petrini observed.
Pointing to the dangers of equating money with God, Petrini said, “If we don’t change our food systems we will collapse. Nowadays it is common to hear people speak of ‘sustainability.’ Even Macdonald’s and Monsanto speak of sustainability but it is the sustainability of their profits they worry about. Indigenous people have to resists and defend their right to grow and eat the food they want. Let us eat local and defend local sovereignty and local economies. Remember the eating is the first cultural act,” Petrini said, adding that the future is not in global economy and those who will show the way forward are women, indigenous peoples, farmers and the elderly.
Earlier, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma while addressing the audience said he was excited to meet so many indigenous peoples from different parts of the world. “Most of you have come from beautiful countries but I welcome you to the most beautiful hill station in the world. If you travel to Cherrapunjee or Mawsynram you can actually walk with the clouds. Four years ago we decided to partner with NESFAS in hosting the ITM under the dynamic leadership of Phrang Roy and I have never regretted this decision. This is a great opportunity for indigenous people of the region to connect with their counterparts from different parts of the globe and enrich ourselves through this sharing of knowledge,” Sangma stated.
Stating that it is imperative to promote rural livelihoods and rural economy, Sangma said people will live in rural areas only if they find it remunerative and the challenge for his government is to make that happen for that is the key to sustainability of the state and its people and finally of the planet.
“We have to leverage our huge biodiversity, natural resources and traditional knowledge by using scientifically appropriate technologies. This alone will help us tackle climate change and global warming,” Sangma said, adding that sustainable agriculture equals sustainable economy and both are crucial to a stable democracy.
Some scholars from indigenous communities also spoke at the inaugural session.
The highlight of the inaugural function was a presentation by the inimitable Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC) and renowned dancer Astad Deboo who danced to the tune of the Choir. SCC Director Neil Nongkynrih had trained 120 other singers some of them as young as 5 years for a special performance at the ITM inaugural function. Nongkynrih calls this group the Shillong Choral Group.
It may be mentioned that the workshops and taste sessions are being held in NEHU on November 4-5. Visit by the delegates to designated villages is on November 6. The programme culminates with the Slow Food Festival at Mawphlang on November 7.
The coffee table book ‘Meghalaya: Sifting Through the Clouds’ was released by the chief minister and Phrang Roy. A video clip of renowned scientist, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan was also presented. The team which brought out the theme song, for ITM 2015, “Ko Mei Ramew” was on stage to sing the song which had been released by the chief minister two weeks ago.
