Seed Sovereignty Documents | Call for Contributions for Exhibit and Report on Maize for the Conference of the Parties, Convention on Biological Diversity, Cancún, Mexico, Dec. 1-3, 2016.

















Rainbow
corn. Zuni red flint from the seed library collection of the Acequia Institute.


Grown at 8,100 feet above sea level in Colorado (USA). Photo by Devon G. Peña.



Moderator’s
Note: Delegates from 168 countries that have signed the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) will be meeting in Cancún, Mexico for the 13th meeting of the
Conference of the Parties (COP) to be held Dec. 4-17. A group of Native
American, Chicanx, and allies from the USA have joined forces with Indigenous peoples
and allies from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Japan, China, South Africa,
and other countries to assert an Indigenous presence in Cancún and present
proposals for the protection of maize cultures. We will be reporting on this project from Mexico in
December, so please visit this site for updates from the field. We will also be
posting some of the stories and photographs from the report and multimedia
exhibition. It bears asserting here that the USA is not a signatory to the CBD; we intend for this project to be part of growing efforts to revive the campaign to get the USA to sign and approve this important treaty. 


In the meantime, if you have maize stories,
photographs, short video vignettes, and other materials to share with the
delegates to the 13th COP meeting of the CBD, please email us (see
addresses and links at the bottom of this post). The exhibition itself will take place from Dec. 1-3 at a site where COP delegations will be present.


The
deadline for stories is October 15, 2016; for photographs, video clips, and
other exhibition materials: November 1, 2016.


CALL FOR
CONTRIBUTIONS


VOCES DE MAÍZ


VOICES OF


















MAIZE 


Voices
of Maíz is a collaborative project among various organizations, communities,
and individuals coming together to amplify the voices of communities
internationally to restore and re-engage the sacred in corn, and to show the
fundamental role of Indigenous cultures in the creation and conservation of
maize.


About


This
storytelling collaboration “Voices of Maíz” comes in response to the threats
corn cultures are
facing through the globally imbalanced relationship to maize. This imbalanced
relationship has caused a deterioration of the genetic base of maize and in the
extraordinarily rich and important ways in which local stewards have maintained
agrobiodiversity as part of their cultural fabric.


We
will launch a report and present a multimedia exhibition at the time of the
Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cancun,
Mexico in December 2016.


Goals


The
goals of the report and exhibition are to:


·     
Highlight
the role of Indigenous communities in the maintenance of agroecological diversity
and the genomic and place-adapted diversity of maize


·     
Show
the importance of traditional knowledge as it relates to maize and local seed
systems


·     
Bring
understanding to the threats corn communities are facing from contamination and
loss of diversity


·     
Strengthen
international networks to maintain maize centers of origin and diversification.


CALL
FOR CONTRIBUTIONS:
We are soliciting
both written and photo
contributions that tell the story of the fundamental role of Indigenous
communities in maintaining the diversity and deep cultural significance of
maize.


·     
The
deadline for submission of stories is November 1, 2016. The deadline for submission of
photos for the exhibit is October 15, 2016.


MAJOR
THEMES:


Through
this collective report and exhibition, we seek to highlight these major themes:


1.  
Cultural
narratives and stories around the origins of maize.


2.  
The
domestication of maize and major centers of origin and diversification.


3.  
The
interconnectedness between corn cultures, biodiversity, traditional knowledge
and agricultural practices.


4.  
Stories
of communities maintaining and revitalizing seed systems and knowledge.


5.  
Cultural
expressions inspired by or connected to the life cycle of maize.


6.  
Threats
to maize–environmental, climate change, political, economic, social, cultural.
 



REPORT
CONTRIBUTIONS:


The
particular focus of the report is to show:


1.  
The
profound cultural significance of corn and the role of Indigenous communities
in the maintenance of agroecological diversity and diversity of maize


2.  
Threats,
both internal and external to corn


3.  
Inspiring
stories of communities maintaining and strengthening their seeds


Please
submit 4-5 pages in total, including written text and photos that touch upon
these particular topics relating to maize and maize cultures.


Deadline:
November 1, 2016





PHOTO
CONTRIBUTIONS:


1.  
Please
submit 10-20 photos out of which 4-5 will be selected for the exhibition.
Include one page of text and quotes with each photo.


2.  
Photos
should have a minimum quality of 12 megapixels.


3.  
Photos
to be included in the report can be of much smaller size, but the exhibit needs
to include large printable quality.


Deadline:
October 15, 2016


Submit contributions by visiting:


www.voicesofmaiz.org


Or via email to:


devonpena@gmail.com


karen@voicesofmaize.org




















































































































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