By Phrang Roy
As Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive in Kaziranga to witness the rich biodiversity and meet the indigenous communities around the reservation it is important to revisit the video-recorded message from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales to the 606 delegates from 62 countries and representatives of 169 indigenous communities who participated at the Indigenous Terra Madre 2015, that was held in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Many might question the importance of this message but we at the North East Slow Food and Agro-Biodiversity Society consider it crucial to remind ourselves that the indigenous peoples’ of the world might have many of the answers to the current ecological challenges that we are buffeted with such as severe climatic vagaries. That the developed world is looking to indigenous peoples’ for answers to some of the most baffling environmental challenges requires that we show greater responsibility in leading the world towards a more sustainable mode of living and use of natural resources. It would not be appropriate to summarise what Prince Charles has spoken with so much conviction. Hence it is only fair to reproduce what he said.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, having been invited by Carlo Petrini to give the opening address at the very first Terra Madre event in Turin in 2004. I cannot tell you how delighted I was to receive an invitation from Phrang Roy, to address the first Indigenous Terra Madre gathering in India. I need hardly say how extremely sorry I am, not to be with you in person. Now, as Pope Francis recently said in his encyclical Laudato Si…the indigenous peoples are the not merely one minority among others, but should be principal dialogue partners. For them land is not a commodity but rather a gift of God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact, if they are to maintain their identity and values. Yet in our modern world we are totally disconnected from the wealth of traditional knowledge that has up till now guided countless generations, to understand the significance of natures process and economy. How has the world come to face such a plethora of intractable problems?
In the 40 years or so that I have been attempting to understand and address this question, I have tried to ask myself what is it in our general attitude to the world that is ultimately at fault? And I have come to realize that the essential unity of things as reflected in nature has become dangerously fragmented and deconstructed. The modern world has shifted away from the holistic indigenous cosmology of seeing ourselves within nature, to our standing apart form it. So if we wish to maintain our civilizations we must look after the earth and actively maintain its intricate balance, so that it achieves a state of harmony and health. But we have fallen short and consequently the sustainability of the entire system is collapsing. In failing the earth we are failing humanity. Indigenous peoples, like all of us, are standing at a moment of substantial transition, where we face a world view and an economic system with enormous challenges, paired with an environmental crises including climate change and excessive population growth, which threatens to affect us all.
Of course, we have achieved extraordinary prosperity since the industrial revolution but we in the industrialized world have increased our consumption of the earth’s resources to such an extent that as a result our collective demands exceeds nature’s capacity for renewal by some 25%. With this in mind, how can we better empower all communities to create a participatory economic model that safeguards culture, diversity and the environment, one that makes a clear distinction between the maintenance of nature’s capital reserves and the income it produces? By looking to indigenous wisdom, we can develop an approach that acts locally by thinking globally; just as nature does, with all parts operating harmoniously to establish a coherent whole.
I wanted, therefore, to offer my warmest congratulations to the organisers of this unique gathering of indigenous food communities, not only for defending indigenous food sovereignty but also for envisioning future food systems that maintain the resilience of the entire ecosystem by promoting rich biodiversity. You, ladies and gentlemen, are a model for linking our traditional indigenous thinking with modern science as equal partners, a beacon of inspiration for others to learn from. We stand here at a historic moment where we can only enable a transition to living within our planetary boundaries if we adopt a more reverential approach in recognizing that we are not separate from nature, but actually part of it, and that if we listen to the wisdom which is still embodied in your cultural and spiritual traditions we can find the guidance we need to live in harmony with the world around us. Now, I have no doubt that the necessary spirit of leadership lives within your communities and I wish you all much strength and good fortune in your efforts to influence a more positive future for humanity during the coming days.”
This speech was shared with the gathering of more than 1000 guests at the inauguration of the Indigenous Terra Madre on 2nd November 2015, including the 606 delegates of ITM 2015, the Chief Guest, Honorable Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Ministers of the Government and other international academicians and dignitaries.
(Information Courtesy NESFAS – North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society)