International human rights’ organization Survival has appealed to Avatar director James Cameron on behalf of an Indian tribe in an advertisement in the film industry magazine Variety, published on February 8th, 2010. In the simple but effective advertisement, Survival asks Cameron to help the Dongria Kondh tribe of Orissa, India, whose story is uncannily similar to that of the Na’vi in Avatar.
The advertisement asks Cameron to watch Survival’s ten-minute film ‘Mine: story of a sacred mountain’ - narrated by Joanna Lumley - exposing the Dongria’s plight and how British-based Vedanta Resources is determined to mine their sacred mountain’s rich seam of bauxite.
Survival International’s director Stephen Corry explains the campaign:
Just as the Na’vi describe the forest of Pandora as ‘their everything’, for the Dongria Kondh, life and land have always been deeply connected. The fundamental story of Avatar – if you take away the multi-coloured lemurs, the long-trunked horses and warring androids – is being played out today in the hills of Niyamgiri in Orissa, India.
Like the Na’vi of ‘Avatar’, the Dongria Kondh are also at risk, as their lands are set to be mined by Vedanta Resources who will stop at nothing to achieve their aims. The mine will destroy the forests on which the Dongria Kondh depend and wreck the lives of thousands of other Kondh tribal people living in the area. I do hope that James Cameron will join the Dongria’s struggle to save their sacred mountain and help secure their future.
Visit: http://www.survivalinternational.org/
Via Ecorazzi
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