Dev Kumar Sunuwar

Dev Kumar Sunuwar is an Attorney and an Investigative Journalist in Nepal. Together with his colleagues, Dev founded Indigenous Media Foundation, several community radio stations and Indigenous Television, Nepal’s, in fact South Asia’s first and only Indigenous community television station. Comes from Koĩts-Sunuwar indigenous community, Dev holds masters’ degrees in journalism and mass communication, political science, and law, specializing in international law and human rights from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. He has worked in different media for more than 15 years, including print, radio, TV and online and also teaches international law. He also has worked as a column writer on Indigenous Peoples and minority groups for mainstream newspapers. He currently works Cultural Survival as Community Media Grant Program Associates.

Contact Dev at dev.kumar@cs.org.

Avexnim Cojti

Avexnim Cojti (Maya K'iche'), Cultural Survival Community Media Grants Project Manager. Avexnim is from Chichicastenango, Guatemala. She is a sociologist with more than ten years of experience in the fields of immigration, community development, Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, and Indigenous rights in Guatemala. Most of her experience is in managing or delivering programs and projects that aim to improve the conditions of vulnerable populations. She has volunteered at community radio stations in Canada and is also part of the Community Radio Program and Indigenous Rights Radio team.

Contact Avexnim at avexnim@cs.org.

Tuhi Martukaw (Jocelyn Ting-Hui Hung Chien)

Tuhi Martukaw (Jocelyn Ting-Hui Hung Chien) from the Kasavakan Community of the Pinuyumayan Peoples in Taiwan. BA in Diplomacy from National Chang-Chi University, Taiwan and MA in European Studies from University of Hamburg, Germany, currently acts as a freelance journalist and the coordinator and founder of the LIMA Taiwan Indigenous Youth Working Group. She is an active Indigenous youth at all levels. She was the co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, which is the working group recognized by the UN Permanent From on Indigenous Issues from 2010 to 2015. She founded the LIMA Taiwan Indigenous Youth Working Group in 2013 with the vision to connect the indigenous youth across the borders and continents, to share views and experiences, to contribute in the struggle of their rights and to build up their capacity to shoulder the responsibility of carrying on their cultural heritage and advocacy for equality and justice.

Contact Jocelyn at jinumu@gmail.com

Jenni Monet

Jenni Monet is an award-winning journalist who writes about Indigenous rights and injustice for such publications as The LA Times, The Guardian, the Center for Investigative Reporting and others. Jenni received top honors for her coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline battle in which she chronicled the movement for six consecutive months, resulting in her arrest and ultimately her acquittal. Jenni is a tribal citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna and divides her time between New York and the Indigenous world.

 Contact Jenni at jennimonet@gmail.com

Jiten Yumnam

Jiten Yumnam is a journalist, human rights advocate and environmental activist in the state of Manipur. He is columnist with Imphal Free Press, Sangai Express, E-Pao.net and so forth and also has produced several documentary films on various Indigenous Peoples issues in India. He has a deep understanding about the economics and its effects. He is from Meitei indigenous community, Manipur. He is a part of the group, Center for Research and Advocacy Manipur (CRAM) along with many other human rights groups have been involved in protesting against the exploitation of natural resources and human right violations in the Manipuri state. They have been working towards promoting sustainable development in the region. Shri Jiten has been giving a strong opposition against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and its enforcement to justify extra judicial killings of many in Manipur. He had been arrested in 2009 for continuously raising voices against the act but was finally released after human rights groups' pressure. He is one of those people who has deep understanding of the issues in North East India on human rights and environmental awareness. 

 Contact Jiten at mangangmacha@gmail.com

David Hernández Palmar

David Hernández Palmar is Wayuu (Iipuana clan) from Venezuela.  He is a photographer, producer, filmmaker, journalist and independent curator.  He programs and curates the International Indigenous Showcase of Venezuela (MICIV) produced by The Wayaakua Indigenous Audiovisual Foundation of Venezuela and The Wayuu Film and Video Showcase. David is also Political Advisor of the Latin American Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples Film and Communication (CLACPI).@davidhpalmar

Contact David at shiaakua@gmail.com

Shaldon Ferris

Shaldon Ferris started his journey to find out about his roots after his mother told him that her maiden surname, Damakwa, was a clan name of an indigenous Khoe people. While discovering his roots, he became a film maker, winning an award at the Durban International Film Festival. Shaldon started volunteering at a local community radio station, Eldos FM, in 2009 and has occupied different roles as a presenter, producer, programs manager and marketing manager at the station.

Shaldon is an Indigenous Rights Radio producer at Cultural Survival. 

Contact Shaldon at shaldon.ferris@culturalsurvival.org

Mary U. Carling

Mary U. Carling, A Kankaney who traces its Roots in Sagada, M.t Province, Cordillera Region. Born in Dec. 08, 1959; Graduated in College in 1983 with a Degree in Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at the University of the Philippines, Baguio City, Cordillera region. Mary is a founding member, and later Chaired the organization of cultural workers and artist of the Dap-ayan ti Culture iti Cordillera (Cultural Council of Workers and Artist of the Cordillera). Mary is a Community organizer in Itogon Benguet (among the Ibaloi Tribe), providing coordination in their struggle against the San Roque Dam along the Agno River of Benguet.

And also has facilitated the formation of Radio Organization in Sagada and served as point person in the establishment and continued operation of the Radio. Station Manager of Radyo Sagada.

Contact Mary at radiosagada@gmail.com

Reynaldo Morales

Reynaldo Morales was born in Peru, developing an extensive career as investigative journalist, educational media producer and documentarian assisting and empowering Indigenous learning communities. He lives in United States since 2000, obtaining a masters of science in Curriculum & Instruction and Digital Media with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a fellow researcher and dissertator pursuing a joint PhD between the School of Education and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. His research highlights the shifts in science and environmental research related to the restoration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the protection of Indigenous cultural and genetic resources. 

In United States, Reynaldo has served for many years American Indian Nations and Tribes working as Educational Media educator around science and environmental education incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and culturally relevant pedagogies, using media and technology from Indigenous perspectives. Reynaldo also served during the last 6 years the Tribal Youth Media project and Global Health Field Course to train and bring together Tribal media producers and researchers and practitioners, to improve community health, education and environmental programs. Reynaldo organized and facilitated an international seminar on "Global Indigeneity and Sustainability" with the Institute for Regional and International Studies, and recently co-organized the Indian Law Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Reynaldo teaches an Ethnic Studies course at University of Wisconsin-Platteville called "The Native American Experience."

Contact Reynald at ramorales@wisc.edu

Nina Sangma

Nina Sangma (Garo) is an Indigenous rights advocate and Communications Programme Coordinator at the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, a regional organization based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which promotes and defends Indigenous Peoples’ rights and human rights and articulates issues of relevance to Indigenous Peoples.

She has over 17 years of experience working as a copywriter, television news producer, editor, and brand strategist in radio, TV, and digital media. As one of the first Indigenous journalists from the Garo Peoples from Northeast India, her focus now is to create active spaces for Indigenous Peoples in digital domains where they can extend their advocacy and media campaigns, thereby attempting to narrow the digital divide that has excluded Indigenous Peoples from meaningful representation and participation.

She can be reached at: nina@aippnet.org

Satej Chakma

Satej Chakma (Chakma) is a young Indigenous journalist with over a decade-long experience in the field of reporting on Indigenous Peoples’ human rights, climate and environment including land grabbing in Bangladesh. Currently, he is serving as Sub-Editor of Indigenous Peoples’ News, Bangladesh (IPNEWS BD), a Dhaka-based and Indigenous-led media organization that works for the promotion and protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh.

In 2021, he was awarded the ActionAid Young Journalism Fellowship Award by Action Aid Bangladesh. During his fellowship, he marked his excellence in his reporting on the challenges and possibilities of young Indigenous entrepreneurs in Chittagong Hill Tracts. He also writes articles on contemporary issues for different newspaper, magazine, and journal outlets. Earlier, he played a leadership role in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Hill Students' Council, a student and youth-based organization that also works for the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.

He can be reached at : satejchakmadu1998@gmail.com

Skype: Satej Chakma

Phnom Thano

Phnom Thano (Karen) is from the vibrant city of Chiangmai, Thailand. He is the co-founder of Indigenous Media Network (IMN) established in 2014 to network Indigenous broadcasters and communicators and contribute to promote and amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples across Thailand. Through his involvement with IMN, he has emerged as a respected figure not only within the Karen Peoples but also within the broader context of promoting diversity, inclusivity, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand.

He can be reached at: pwproject2@gmail.com

Kimi Colney

Kimi Colney (Mizo ) is an Indigenous journalist from Mizoram, working for East Mojo, a digital news media provider based out of Northeast India. She focuses on marginalized sections of the community with topics ranging from religious oppression to casteism. She is also actively involved in the reporting and documenting of the Myanmar refugees, as most of the refugees have camped in her home state of Mizoram, India. She is the first journalist from her home state of Mizoram to be nominated for the Red Ink Awards.

She can be reached at: kimi.colney01@gmail.com

Naung Sam Oeung

Naung Sam Oeung (Tompoun) is a founder and current Executive Directive of the Conserve of Indigenous Peoples Language Organization (CIPL). He has a long history of working to amplify the voices and strengthening the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Ratanakiri province through community media, radio broadcast, audio/visual media. He oversees capacity building of community media and radio producers. With his leadership, CIPL was able to set up community media centers and community radio stations at villages level broadcast in Indigenous languages. In addition, he has worked to build media skills and leadership in youth journalists, video producers, sound editors, and social media creators who are based in community media outlets.

He can be reached at: cipl2017@gmail.com

Gwendolyn Gay L. Gaongen

Gwendolyn Gay L. Gaongen (Kankanaey and Bontoc) is a community radio broadcaster who currently serves as a station manager of Radyo Sagada FM 104.7 Mhz, based in Sagada Mountain Province in the Cordillera region in the Philippines. She has worked as a journalist for more than a decade, especially in community radio broadcasting. She has also actively engaged as an environment defender and advocate for Indigenous Peoples, women, and human rights. She represents the Kankanaey and Bontoc Peoples in the Cordillera region.

She can be reached at: inan.albani@gmail.com | radyosagada2022@gmail.com

Mario Kuraki

Mario Kuraki (Rendille) is a journalist from Kenya. He is the founder and director of Fereiti FM Radio. He started his career as junior journalists in Northern Kenya, Where he worked for various media stations before scaling up for mainstream media as special correspondent. From there he gained prominence in his career as journalist and communication and media expert. He hold Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass communication from Mount Kenya University.

He can be reached at: mariokuraki@yahoo.com

"Rosy" Sul González (Maya Kaqchikel)

María del Rosario "Rosy" Sul González (Maya Kaqchikel) is the current manager of the Indigenous Rights Radio Program at Cultural Survival. Previously, she produced and supervised radio content for Cultural Survival's Radio Derechos Indígenas program. Rosy is from the town of Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.

She studied communication sciences at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City and, for five years, volunteered at Radio Ixchel, the local community radio station in Sumpango, where she hosted live talk shows and entertainment programs and promoted human rights. She has traveled as a representative of Cultural Survival to communities in Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico and to various international forums, such as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in the United States and the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Switzerland.

 She shares community radio's purpose, challenges, successes, and importance in each place as a development and community organizing tool. At the international level, she has worked to demand that community radio be respected globally so that Indigenous Peoples can freely access the right to communication.

Contact Rosy at rosy@cs.org

Makepeace Sitlhou

Makepeace Sitlhou is a well-recognized independent journalist based in north-east India and a Fulbright fellow. Her Emmy award-winning work spans human rights, social movements, culture, and travel, and has been featured in national and international publications. Her focus on border and indigenous issues in India’s Northeast, Tanzania, and the American South West has earned her several awards and fellowships, both in India and abroad.

To reach out to Makepeace, email her at makepeace.sitlhou@gmail.com

Johnson Jament

Hailing from a Mukkuva community in South India, Johnson Jament is an Honorary Research Fellow with the University of Sussex, UK, where he previously worked on their research project on how Kerala Indigenous fishers engage with localized weather forecasts and how these enhance safety and economic resilience in the face of climatic and environmental changes.

His research degree and master's in education were with the University of Northampton, UK. Very recently, he has set up an Ocean and Coastal Resource Centre in Kerala to promote high-quality and impactful research work concerning coastal Indigenous Peoples and to foster educational engagements among students from the community in South India.

Radio Kadal was his online community media initiative with the Coastal Students Cultural Forum, which is instrumental in developing SeaTribes media. With the formation of the Association of Artisanal Fishers in Kerala, he is engaged in activities to protect and promote marine biodiversity and traditional ownership of the customary rights of coastal Indigenous Peoples over ocean resources.

The impact study by the Adani group, conducted with other researchers and scientists about the Vizhinjam seaport construction, was his latest contribution: He collaborates with mainstream journalists to facilitate trustworthy ocean/coastal communication.

He can be reached at: jjohns79@gmail.com

Jacinta Kerketta

Jacinta Kerketta is an Adivasi poet and journalist. She is from Jharkhand, India, and belongs to the Oraon Adivasi community. She writes in Hindi. Her poetry collections include Angor, Land of Roots, and, most recently, Ishvar, our Bazaar. She has won multiple awards, including the 2014 Indigenous Voice of Asia Award 2014, from AIPP Thailand. In 2022, Forbes India included her name as a self-made woman.

Guadalupe Pastrana (Nahua)

Indigenous Rights Radio Producer in Cultural Survival, is originally from the Malacachtepec Momoxco community of Milpa Alta, southeast of Mexico City. Her community is one of the last surviving Indigenous communities in this area. She studied Communication Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and is now finishing her Master's degree in Latin American Studies.

She has collaborated on community communication projects in Milpa Alta and other communities and organized community multimedia production workshops. She is the producer and scriptwriter of a radio series on Radio Educación, a Mexican public station dedicated to raising awareness about the struggles and experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Mexico.

Her community experience has made her sure that the conservation of land by Indigenous Peoples is the only way to ensure continuity of life, and in this journey, Indigenous Peoples' having their means of communication is fundamental.

Contact Guadalupe at guadalupe.pastrana@culturalsurvival.org

Diana Pastor

Diana Pastor (Maya K'iche') is a social worker and a current student pursuing a Master's in International Media Studies at Deutsche Welle. She studied social work at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and social work and collaborative community leadership at California State University in Monterey Bay, United States.

Diana has worked on projects to support journalism in Guatemala and Central America and as a consultant for local and international NGOs. She is the Media Coordinator at Cultural Survival and produces the Cultural Survival Quarterly magazine in Spanish. She is the former editor of EntreMundos Magazine, a publication on development and human rights in Guatemala.

Contact Diana at diana.pastor@cs.org