Kevin Biglin, Author at Indigenous Africa - Page 4 of 4

Mbenga vs. Development in the Dzanga-Sangha Forest

The Mbenga people have lived in the Dzanga-Sangha Forest of the Central African Republic for centuries. However, maintaining a traditional livelihood is now a challenge due to logging, poaching, poor health, and servitude to the majority Bilo who exploit local resources. Photo Credit: The Guardian

Baka vs. Nki National Park

Traditions and practices, such as hunting and fishing, are being lost, as landless Baka now must live outside of their ancestral home. Conservation and development now threaten their entire way of life. Photo credit: The Guardian.

Basarwa/San vs. Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Basarwa/San are hunter-gatherers indigenous to southern Africa, traditionally living in the Kalahari Desert and Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Although the reserve was given to the group in the 1960’s, the Botswana government has forced them out over time to pursue mining development and tourism there instead. Photo Credit: SI

Amazigh vs. Violations in Algeria

Amazigh in Algeria face numerous violations of their rights in their quest for freedom of speech, language and cultural practices. Although the Algerian government passed UNDRIP, it still represses Amazigh freedoms.

The Eritrean Afar State in Exile

Caught in the Middle: Kunama Refugees

Indigenous Kunama people from Eritrea have sought refuge in Badme, Ethiopia, since the deadly Border War between the two rival countries. However, there may be hope for justice in 2018, including Ethiopian withdrawal from disputed areas near the border. Photo Credit: James Jeffrey/Al Jazeera

The University of Michigan has its origins in land coercively purchased by the United States Federal Government from the Anishinaabeg (including Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi) and Wyandot nations. While this project documents ongoing cases of land expropriation and dispossession outside of the United States, we are also based in a university that stands, like almost all property in the United States, on lands obtained from indigenous peoples, generally through violence, intimidation, and dishonesty. Knowing and acknowledging where we live and work does not change this, but a thorough understanding of the ongoing consequences of these histories must shape our research, teaching, and outreach to create a future that supports human flourishing and justice for all individuals.