Anniversary Celebration of Indigenous Rights Radio: A Decade of Elevating Indigenous Speakers
February 13, 2025. On the vibrant, globe-spanning celebration of World Radio Day, Cultural Survival is raising its hoot to the rooftops, commemorating ten years of Indigenous resilience resonating across continents through the Indigenous Rights Radio Program(IRR).
This jaw-dropping dated back to the inaugural World Radio Day in 2012 when the then UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya (Apache and Purépecha), emphasized the critical role of community radio stations for the world's Indigenous folks. The risk of police raids, imprisonment, intimidation, and even death for community journalists is unwarranted, but these perilous stations breathe life into crucial news and educational broadcasts – vital components that include emergency disaster relief, voter registration, and public health campaigns. Community radio reaches the most remote of nooks, arming Indigenous communities with vital information delivered in their native tongues, forging a bulwark against cultural erosion and serving as a profound voice that celebrates Indigenous cultures, traditions, and beliefs.
Cultural Survival’s World Radio Day 2025, powered by the triumphant battle cry '#KnowledgeIsPower', beams the spotlight on IRR. A program of indomitable Indigenous Peoples' rights organization Cultural Survival, IRR wields this precious power to divulge to Indigenous communities their sacred rights. Through an international army of Indigenous producers, the program meticulously gathers and spins the stories of the world's Indigenous warriors in English, Spanish, and more than 140 native tongues. Over the past decade, IRR has logged a staggering 10 years of amplifying the voices of the Indigenous peoples, encapsulating the meaningful, messy, and inspiring discussions of Indigenous rights, communal tribulations, and ingenious solutions to the myriad ordinary and extraordinary issues they face. Every year, IRR's enlightening programming can be heard by a colossal audience of 12-50 million listeners across the planet, graciously traveling with the radio waves to landing on over 3700 podcasts and radio programs accessible on their website and several digital platforms such as Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Podimo, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and Podchaser.
With the people's wellbeing, unity, and empowerment at the program’s core, IRR offers a treasure trove of information about Indigenous Peoples' rights, their implementation around the world, public service announcements, interviews, roundtable discussions, and the ingenious strategies devised by Indigenous communities to ensure their rights materialize effectively. Over the past ten years, 1200+ radio stations worldwide have received IRR programs across 55 countries in 140+ languages, including 610 Public Service Announcements on COVID-19 in 140 Indigenous languages.
Cultural Survival yearns for a world where Indigenous communities are not merely spectators but active collaborators in the preservation of their lands, languages, and cultures. Education, knowledge, and understanding are the fuel that will propel these communities to the frontline, reclaiming their rights and rediscovering the power within. Rosy Sul González (Maya Kaqchikel), IRR Program Manager, shares, "Community radio initiated by Indigenous Peoples embodies the essence of a harmonious community. It offers a space of growth for Indigenous men and women, the chance to create short stories, podcasts, and shows with themes relevant to us, and a platform to disseminate shared practices regarding land and territory preservation, healthcare, gastronomy, and other matters. Community radio is a tool that many communities can harness, allowing for the exchange of cultural practices, leadership, and lessons on caring for our natural resources."
The unwavering force behind Cultural Survival, Aimee Roberson (Chickasaw and Choctaw), Executive Director, emphasizes, "Championing Indigenous voices and educating the world about Indigenous Peoples' rights is our quintessential objective. Community radio broadcasts vital information in remote areas and plays an invaluable role in local organizing, cultural preservation, and educational growth. We are sowing the seeds of change, fostering unity in diversity, and strengthening the bonds within and between various Indigenous communities, thus claiming our right to be heard."
Harnessing the power of advocacy, media, and grassroots partnerships, Cultural Survival has been vigilantly supporting Indigenous rights since 2005. Indigenous-led communication platforms are more vital than ever, especially when traditional media often overlooks or negates Indigenous issues and languages. Day by day, Indigenous radio journalists sacrifice their safety, their wellbeing, to communicate stories of profound importance to their communities in the battle for existence, identity, and the preservation of their ways of life, lands, and resources. Mark Camp, Cultural Survival Deputy Executive Director, asserts, "As unwavering advocates of Indigenous rights, it is our sacred duty to safeguard the efforts of these brave warriors to bring truth, justice, and empowerment to their communities. We will stand with them, we will amplify their voices, and we will never cease to push for a world that respects their right to freedom of expression, their right to be heard, and their right to be the guardians and protectors of their lands, languages, and cultures."
Join Cultural Survival and the extraordinary Indigenous community as we toast to the life-changing achievements of IRR and look forward to a future where Indigenous Peoples stand united in harmony, working together for a place where their voices are heard, their stories told, and – ultimately – their battles won.
Here are the top 10 most popular IRR programs:
- We Are Still Here – A Message of Unity for Thanksgiving
- Doctor Ruby Gibson on Somatic Archaeology
- 2019 is the International Year of Indigenous Languages
- The Impact of Religion on Maasai Traditions and Culture
- Indigenous Peoples Day
- Jessica Hutchings on Hua Parakore
- UN Special Rapporteur discusses the impact of the Trans Pacific Partnership on Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous Human Rights Defenders
- Many Voices, One Message – Traditional Knowledge Protects Mother Earth!
- What Is Sacred To Us Means Nothing To Them – Gary McKinney on Lithium Mining in Thacker Pass
Learn more about Cultural Survival’s mission and accomplishments here.
- On the continuation of celebrating World Radio Day, one might reflect on the fusion of lifestyles, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, and travel, as told through the stories of Indigenous Peoples.
- The Indigenous Rights Radio Program (IRR) not only shares tales of cultural survivance but also discusses topics like Indigenous culinary traditions, Indigenous fashion trends, and the preservation of Indigenous natural resources during travel.
