Tjavai tjavai, kia ora, buorre beaivi, aloha, dia dhuit, madinn mhath,
August 9 is the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, a day to celebrate and acknowledge the progress, efforts, and achievements of the Indigenous Peoples around the world.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in 2007 states that ”Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination,” and that “States shall take effective measures to ensure that State-owned media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. States, without prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage privately owned media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural diversity.”
The main aim of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN) is to unify television broadcasters worldwide to retain and grow our Indigenous languages and cultures. Through developing the collaborative relationships among our members, we are constantly creating opportunities for our members in terms of content exchange, knowledge transfer, and contributing to the quality of our programs and schedule for our audience. We are proud to say that WITBN has made many “first-times” for the Indigenous media around the world:
- The first collaborative international Indigenous news and current affairs program, Indigenous Insight;
- The first continuous and ongoing programs exchange scheme that provides at least 30 hours of TV programs with diversity;
- The world’s first Indigenous television and broadcasting conference, WITBC;
- And WITBN itself is the first global network to unite Indigenous television broadcasters and works closely to develop the alliance for the benefit of respective broadcaster, and, ultimately, our audience.
At four, WITBN is still very young, that is also why we are trying our best to approach other Indigenous media, especially television broadcasters, to join our alliance. In the past year, our membership increased to 14 from nine in 2010. It is worth pointing out that earlier this year, we were thrilled when we were approached by Charles Fox, executive director of First Nations Experience (FNX), a new partnership between the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and San Bernardino-based KVCR television.
United States is one of the countries that previously voted against U.N.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Although the Obama administration now endorses the right, the country still does not have any government funded Native American television or channel, nor are there any television broadcasters mandated to broadcast Native American content on a regular basis. 'Ōiwi TV, the first Native Hawaiian broadcaster is also self-funded. Once FNX is officially aires in late 2011, it will be the first Native American television broadcaster ever launched in North America. In July, WITBN’s executive committee unanimously approved FNX’s application and we are pleased to welcome FNX and extend our reach to the contiguous U.S.
As a way of commemorating International Day of the Worlds Indigenous People, we are dedicating this special edition of the newsletter to the progress and growth of the world’s Indigenous media. We wanted to highlight the role of Indigenous broadcasters across the globe and answer the following questions:
1. Who are we?
2. What and how do we do?
3. How does our existence influence the society and help change the stereotypes towards our People and community?
4. More importantly, where are we heading?
5. As Indigenous media, will we achieve and succeed in shaping a “mainstream” of the cultures, languages, and issues of our people as we continue to fulfill our mission?
First in this issue, Masao Aki, chief director of TITV, shares the difference before and after TITV, and how the station has been working with our partners in the hopes that it will become an autonomous station in the future.
In March 2010, attendees of WITBC were all overwhelmed to hear about Aboriginal Peoples Television Network’s experience live broadcasting the 2009 Winter Olympics. The games were covered in eight Indigenous languages and in English and French, making APTN the first Indigenous television to broadcast the Olympics. In APTN: World's First Indigenous National Broadcaster, Jean LaRose, CEO of APTN, talks about the network’s milestones since 1999, its strategy, and how it provides training and opportunities to its staff.
As part of building for the future, Māori Television recently underwent some reorganization. In Restructuring for the Future, Jim Mather, chief executive officer of Māori Television shares details of the reorganization, including the objectives and goals of the new Digital and Production divisions, as well as the digital plan of the station.
Did you know the first radio news program in Sámi language dates back to 1946? In 1985 Nils Johan Heatta was appointed director of NRK Sámi Radio and the station started a long-term strategy to develop a radio and television channel. This year, Heatta tells us about a web-TV, which is part of the station’s upcoming steps. In Telling Our Part of the Story, Heatta discusses how the station told the story from the Sámi perspective for the past decade as well as his vision for NRK Sápmi.
Finally, Tanya Denning and Tim Burke from National Indigenous Television shares The Old and the New, where they discuss how NITV tries to live up to the famous quote “the Medium is the Message”, as the station seeks to provide its television service free-to-air nationally.
I hope you enjoy the special issue as much as I do, as we can learn the difference and similarities from our partners. If you have any comments or suggestions, email us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Mali mali masalu, mòran taing, nga mihi nui,
Patagaw Talimalaw
ENDS
Patagaw Talimalaw (Paiwan, Atayal) is a news producer at TITV and is the current Secretariat Co-cordinator for WITBN.
Talimalaw joined TITV as a reporter and later produced and anchored the first Indigenous English weekly news program in Taiwan. In 2010, under WITBN’s staff exchange program, Talimalaw was invited to New Zealand’s Māori Television to produce WITBN’s pilot international Indigenous news program, Indigenous Insight.
