Acclaimed artist Kurt Jackson took some time out to tell Survival why he’s donating six phenomenal paintings from his upcoming show ‘Forest Gardens’. A long-time Survival supporter, Kurt has travelled extensively and visited many tribal communities around the world.

‘Forest Gardens’ runs at Messum’s Gallery in London from 15 to 31 January 2009.

This week, tribal peoples responded as governments worldwide formulated a collective response to climate change at the UN conference in Poznan, Poland.

Strong-arm tactics from the US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada led to the removal of a statement of ‘rights’ for indigenous peoples from the Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) accords.

‘The forest cannot be bought; it is our life and we have always protected it. Without the forest, there is only sickness, and without us, it is dead land. Give us back our lands and our health before it’s too late for us and too late for you.’

– Davi Yanomami, a shaman of the Yanomami people.

In a recent discussion on our Facebook page, we were asked whether Survival monitors or acts upon the plight of the Tuareg, and if not, why not.

The Tuareg are a semi-nomadic people from North-West Africa, presently involved in an extremely serious conflict with government forces across their homelands.

Tuareg men sit around a well
funded by Survival.

Although we have funded two projects with the Tuareg, one to construct wells in Niger, the other to provide basic medical care with Tuareg in Mali, it’s not one of our active campaigns at the moment.

That’s why, for example, there’s no Tuareg entry on our website, which only features tribes we have a relationship with.

Concerned in all cases

We can’t take on all of the cases we would like to but we try to keep up with the changing circumstances of as many tribes as we possibly can, including the Tuareg, so that in future we can be confident that we have the knowledge we need to act.

Gathering trustworthy information and maintaining reliable contacts on the ground is one of the most difficult, and most important, parts of our job. Without these connections, we cannot speak with the authority we need to campaign effectively.

When we take on a campaign at Survival, we’re in it for the long haul – that means decades of dedicated campaigning for a particular tribe.

Now that’s great, because it means we can really get to know the tribe and their problems, and they know they can trust Survival to stick by them when new challenges loom, or when they’re no longer the charity sector’s flavour of the month.

But it also means that taking on a new campaign is a hugely significant event that can change the entire structure of our organisation forever – we have to know that we have the capacity to make a difference, without letting any of our other campaigns suffer in the mean time.

Campaigning for widespread change

Our thematic campaigns, like the anti-racism campaign ‘Stamp it Out’ and the campaign for ‘Convention 169 – international law for tribal peoples’, are important for all tribal peoples everywhere.

They’re definitely slow burners, but in the long term these are the issues that will force a change in global attitudes about tribal peoples and their rights.

When attitudes change, so do actions. It’s the only way to safeguard all tribal peoples’ rights in the long term.