Tony Bennett, Differing diversities - Council of Europe

Differing diversitiesWithin Europe, European Union funds created for cultural and economic developmentin sparsely populated areas have been used by the Sami to adopt digital technology tofurther the marketing of traditional crafts. However, the failure of the Swedish governmentto recognise Sami other than those engaged in reindeer husbandry as havingindigenous identity, has limited the extent of computer and Internet education. Only oneSami language has digital type fonts, moreover, and without support for font development,the potential of the Internet to assist in the survival of these endangered languageswill not be realised (Forsgren, 1998).33. For instance, even though most people in Burma are not permitted to use the Internet,Burmese in exile have taken advantage of it to spread information about repression inBurma and to organise resistance activities. Members of an indigenous human rightsand environmental organisation have travelled through border areas to teach computerskills to Mon and Karen peoples who have now developed digital fonts for use in communicationsthat document military abuses (Fink, 1998).34. Northern News Services copy editor, James Hrynyshyn, believes that “the Internet is anideal match for Aboriginal tribes, providing the necessary economy of scale to supportelectronic publishing for such small constituencies (…) because the Internet can supportan admixture of audio, video, and text, transcending the print medium, it is ideallysuited to the oral story-telling traditions of the Aboriginal Community.” (Zellen, 1998).Indeed, the small town of Inuvik has one of the fastest public Internet connections andthe Gwich’in and Inuvialit globally market traditional art from their home pages. TheOneida Nation had a web page before the White House did and through it has educatedan entire Chinese high school on Oneida culture, attracted visitors from Europe to itscultural centre, and created interest in the Middle East in the dissemination of Oneidadesign (Polly, 1998). In the south, interactive electronic conferencing has enabledindigenous peoples living in remote areas to share common concerns and exchangeinformation about their shared problems in relation to nation-states. The Zapatistauprising against the Mexican government upon the ratification of NAFTA marked thebeginning of the political use of Internet technology by indigenous groups. The Mayain Guatemala are attempting to electronically retrieve any and all information pertainingto their cultures to revive their traditional languages and to legitimate their claimsto their ancient territories. The Kuna in Panama have become international advocates ofindigenous peoples’ stewardship over biodiversity and its relationship to indigenousrights of self-determination. Digital video camcorders will enable indigenous peoplesto share cultural performances and practices, making ITKIP globally available, or atleast available to other indigenous peoples if that is the more desirable end. Stories toldby elders and traditional practices can both be filmed and recorded so that they can“speak” to their descendants for eternity. This is only valuable, however, in so far astheir descendants can speak their languages and have viable opportunities to use thesepractices in a context where they are respected and supported.35. Indigenous Assyrians, forbidden to teach their own language, develop their culturalidentity, or refer to themselves as a people in many Middle Eastern countries, have usedthe Internet to reconnect with Assyrians in exile all over the world and to educate theglobal community about their culture, persecution, and aspirations (Gabrial, 1998).Continued and renewed usage of the Syriac or Aramaic language through the WorldWide Web, however, will only be possible if compatible fonts are developed.36. The Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, for example, launched the website of theBelgian Clearing House on 7 October 1996. It was the second to be added to the officiallist of National Focal Point Clearing-Houses on the Internet and provides severaloptions for searching for information on biological diversity in Belgium and elsewhere.Like other such sites, it provides hyperlinks to other national, regional, and thematicclearing houses as well as linking to the CBD, and the United Nations Environmental192