A panel discussion engaging with the role of vernacular, local and indigenous knowledge in transforming our food systems.

WITH

• Elle Márjá Eira (Artist, composer, filmmaker and producer)
• Gala Berger (visual artist and independent curator)
• Metsa Rama (Shipibo artist, educator and translator)

MODERATOR

• Saskia Vermeylen (Researcher, University of Strathclyde)

The way ‘Western’ cultures relate to land is often shaped by extractivist and agricultural practices framed by an ideology that sees land as a ‘thing’ that can be owned and exploited for the benefit of human development. There is hardly any acknowledgement of the importance of non-human or more-than-human beings, nor an understanding that we are all interconnected into this world. Against the background of rapid climate change, we are forced to contemplate the loss of land and ecosystems on which we depend for our everyday life. In this informal conversation with Indigenous knowledge holders we explore how we can reconnect again to the land and nurture a renewed sense of place, country, and belonging as the bedrock of a decentred relationship with nature and more-than-humans? 

The aim is to feel the land, not as a resource or scenery but as an inner territory, as a member of the family, reflect on the loss of this intimate relationship with the land in Western culture and nurture a new sense of place and belonging based on the wisdom of Indigenous peoples. And to raise awareness amongst the audience about the relationship of indigenous people to land and country, explaining why it is under threat and what solutions could be found.