KICKSTARTER LAUNCH!

Kantza is a film project envisioned and produced by members of the Shuar nation, indigenous caretakers of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

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Human Rights

Indigenous peoples in the Amazon live in extremely remote locations where they have virtually no access to the outside world. They currently do not have efficient communication tools for urgent needs and adequate political representation.

Culture

400 indigenous groups in the Amazon are waiting to speak for themselves to the international community for the first time. The communications equipment will provide a means for the tribes to preserve their cultures through self-archiving: sharing their medicinal knowledge, sustainability practices, spiritual heritage and cultural ways through online repositories.

Environment

When a tree falls, the world will finally hear. Through a communications network of local media centers using portable technologies, indigenous communities can alert officials on illegal forest degradation, educate others about sustainable forestry practices, and strengthen scientific efforts to monitor the forest.

Youth Empowerment

Cultural archiving tools provide the youth with inspiring artistic projects that bring the focus away from external cultures back onto their own, encouraging them to convene with elders to capture rich cultural music, stories, medicinal knowledge, and histories of the land. Cultural erosion is prevented through access to online education that eliminates the need for children to leave their homes to attend distant schools where they lose their cultural values, native language, and environmental knowledge.