New Delhi, India (CNN) — Campaigners fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples have appealed to the makers of the movie “Avatar” to help an Indian tribe protect its home from a real-life threat.
London-based Survival International has drawn a parallel between the Na’vi of “Avatar” and the Dongria Kondh tribe in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, who it says are struggling to defend their sacred mountain from being mined by British firm, Vedanta Resources.
The global human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has also lashed out at Vedanta over its plans at Orissa’s Niyamgiri Hills.
“The proposed mine threatens the very existence of the Dongria Kondh, an 8,000-strong indigenous community that has lived on the Niyamgiri hills for centuries,” Amnesty noted in its report.
In its condemnation of the firm’s controversial project, Survival International placed an advertisement in the Hollywood magazine Variety, urging “Avatar” director James Cameron to help the Dongria Kondhs.
“Like the Na’vi of ‘Avatar’, the Dongria Kondh(s) are also at risk, as their lands are set to be mined by Vedanta Resources who will stop at nothing to achieve their aims,” said Survival director Stephen Corry in a statement. “The mine will destroy the forests on which the Dongria Kondh(s) depend and wreck the lives of thousands of other Kondh tribal people living in the area.”
“‘Avatar’ is fantasy… and real,” read the Survival advertisement.
The group has not said if there has been any response from the movie’s producers.
Amnesty International also accused Vedanta of threatening the health of local communities in Orissa with what it said was air and water pollution from its aluminum refinery in the same region.
“People are living in the shadow of a massive refinery, breathing polluted air and afraid to drink from and bathe in a river that is one of the main sources of water in the region,” said Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, Amnesty International’s researcher on South Asia. “It is shocking how those who are most affected by the project have been provided with the least information.”
But Vedanta has defended its venture in Orissa’s Lanjigarh area, accusing Amnesty of challenging the Indian government’s credibility.
In a statement the company insisted the report of the rights group was based on outdated documents, which it said had already undergone scrutiny by Indian regulators and the Indian judiciary.
To read more click below…
‘Avatar’ becomes reality for Indian tribe fighting mining company
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by muslimvoiceofamerica, muslimvoiceofamerica, Lisa, Attia N., DLCI and others. DLCI said: RT @dchughes: RT @muslimsvoice: ‘Avatar’ becomes reality for Indian tribe fighting mining company http://bit.ly/cqDcuz via @lisaofarabia [...]