“Relationship is the Key”
Food is so much more than “just food”.
This week Designers of Paradise host Erik van Lennep explores the concept of food sovereignty with Simone Senogles of the Ojibwe nation and the Indigenous Environmental Network.
Erik and Simone discuss the meaning of “food sovereignty”, its relationship to power, control and trauma; the importance of food in culture; cultural appropriation; and implications for the context of conversations. Simone explains that Food Security is about ensuring access to food, while Food Sovereignty is about a people having control over their relationship to their food. She emphasizes that food is part of a connected whole – between people and nature, as well as linking past and present.
Along the way, Simone tells personal stories of her own pursuit to regain her Indigenous language, preserve diversity, and value nuance.
Erik and Simone also discuss non-native interest and support for Indigenous peoples, cultural sensitivity, belonging and connecting. Simone highlights the importance, when a culture isn’t understood deeply, for newcomers to “step back and listen.” Fortunately, as Simone points out, there are “teachers everywhere.”
Go ahead, sit back, and listen to this personal, fascinating conversation.
References from the discussion:
- Indigenous Environmental Network
- La Via Campesina
- Red Lake Food Summit
- First Nation’s Development Institute
- US Food Sovereignty Alliance
- Black Mesa Water Coalition
- Indigenous Rising
- Native Seeds/SEARCH
- Rowan White, Seed Savers Exchange
Designers of Paradise is made possible, in part, by Mind & Media. Over the last quarter century, the writers, producers, storytellers and media specialists at Mind & Media have spearheaded a multitude of engaging and complex communication campaigns.
Disclaimer – Thanks for your patience with (at times) “kitchen table” recording quality. It’s our hope that you will enjoy hearing our interviews as if you were sitting in on the conversations. As we further develop our resources and capacity, we will be bringing the audio closer to studio standards. Meanwhile, thanks for listening!
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