Indigenous peoples and traditional communities. Towards a sanctuary of the forests through the transmission of ancestral knowledge

The 3rd session of the cycle of intergenerational dialogues, organized by the Normandy Chair for Peace in collaboration with Sciences Po Rennes, will be held on May 28 at 8 pm.

The speakers will be:

Apollinaire Oussou Lio

Prince Djaka Whaénu Atawé of the Tolinou indigenous community of Benin, Nigeria and the Diaspora. He is the president of the NGO Grabe-Benin which works for the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of sacred sites. Geographer-Naturalist, expert in jurisprudence of the Earth, he works for the conservation of natural resources based on the knowledge of ancestors and through intergenerational dialogue. With his tree-life program he works for the restoration of sacred forests and reforestation. At the same time, Appolinaire facilitates community dialogues to revive traditional values and intergenerational exchanges on sustainable agriculture, agro-ecology, ecological governance, traditional seeds, etc. With his rich experience, he has developed communication skills and tools based on endogenous and modern knowledge, facilitating the integration of all social strata. At the international level, Appolinaire Oussou Lio is also involved as Vice President of the African Biodiversity Network (ABN) and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance of Guardians of Mother Nature, founded in 2015 at the call of the cacique Raoni.

Gert-Peter Bruch

Journalist, photographer, director but also author of two books: “Bernard Lavilliers, Escales” and “Sting, enquête de Police”, Gert-Peter Bruch met the cacique Raoni thanks to Sting, the source of his commitment for more than 30 years for the protection of the Amazonian forest. Founder of Planet Amazone, which supports indigenous peoples in their international fight against deforestation, he is the initiator of three international tours of Cacique Raoni including “SOS Amazônia” and “Urgence Amazonie”. Gert-Peter Bruch is also a member of the executive committee of the Alliance of the Guardians of Mother Nature of which he is one of the main architects. In 2019, he will direct “Terra Libre“, a documentary highlighting the inaction of governments and even their complacency in favor of a mass ecocide, scheduled for release before the summer of 2021.

The objective of this cycle is to sensitize the young and not so young to the issues and struggles of Aboriginal peoples by promoting exchanges with Aboriginal leaders.