A civilian peacekeeper explores the role of biocultural rights and responsibilities in achieving reconciliation and a lasting peace in conflict areas. Paulin Regnard It was with some trepidation that, in April of 2016, I set foot in Bunia, the capital of the Congolese province of Ituri in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of

A community advocates for land rights and protects its ancestral forest with mapping technology. WORDS AND IMAGES Rudo Kemper   The Ogiek of Mount Elgon are an Indigenous group native to western Kenya. They have lived across the vast swathe of moorland and forests of Mount Elgon since before colonial occupation and the subsequent creation

A forest community in Gabon affirms its will for self-determination and responsible management of its ancestral land. WORDS Benjamin Evine-Binet | IMAGES Nsombou Abalghe-Dzal Association   Ours is a real story, one both lived and shaped by the Kota community of Massaha — a group of villages located in the Ogooué-Ivindo province of northeastern Gabon,

Every being on Earth has both inherent rights and the responsibility to participate in the web of life. WORDS Mashudu Takalani and Gertrude Pswarayi-Jabson | IMAGES Tim Hawkins The Gaia Foundation is an international organization with nearly forty years of experience accompanying allies to revive biocultural diversity. Having graduated from Gaia’s three-year, UN-recognized “Trainings for

Reflecting on his life’s path, a young writer from Ghana realizes that there are no rights without responsibilities. Abraham Ofori-Henaku Back when I was a kid, living out my prepubescent years with no worries about responsibilities whatsoever, I had every excuse to enjoy the bliss of ignorance. Shamelessly, I carried on with this fatuous sense

The Maasai take their culture with them wherever they go. WORDS AND IMAGES Melanie Furman “My grandparents only ate cow’s milk, cow’s meat, cow’s blood, and wild fruit they would find while grazing cattle. They still don’t eat maize meal, but now we have to. They never go to a hospital when they get sick.

A young Ghanaian muses about his Indigenous identity, traditional values, and biocultural diversity. Abraham Ofori-Henaku   “Ouch!” I exclaimed, after hitting my pinkie toe against the leg of a table that stood idle in my path. I’d been busy brainstorming ideas for this piece, and while at it I paced the corridors of my apartment,

WORDS Abraham Ofori-Henaku IMAGES Abotchiethephotographer . It’s been quite a long journey growing up in a society that very much holds on to its rich way of life — something that I always took for granted. And now, it’s all coming back to me in regret. Oh! Pardon me! Where are my manners? Hi there! I’m Abraham

Edna Kilusu   “Do not come back after I lock the door,” my mother says, warning me not to be late returning tonight. While she milks the cows, I quickly build the fire and ensure that it is ready for making ugali, an everyday meal of corn flour and water eaten in most Maasai communities in

Laissa Malih My video, River of Brown Waters, is the story of a river called Ewaso Ng’iro in northern Kenya. The river arises from the west side of Mount Kenya and flows through the pastoralist counties of Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo, and Marsabit. It supports wildlife and many other species and has been, and continues to