The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (IDWIP) is observed on August 9 each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. This event also recognises the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. This year's theme is:

The role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge

Indigenous women are the backbone of indigenous peoples’ communities and play a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge. They have an integral collective and community role as carers of natural resources and keepers of scientific knowledge. Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of indigenous peoples’ lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.

However, despite the crucial role indigenous women play in their communities as breadwinners, caretakers, knowledge keepers, leaders and human rights defenders, they often suffer from intersecting levels of discrimination on the basis of gender, class, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

The documentary Risking Light: Forgiving the Unforgiveable highlight three stories, one about Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Debra Hocking.

From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of lutruwita/Tasmania, Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia come the powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion.

RISKING LIGHT is a thought-provoking documentary that explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, RISKING LIGHT challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and ask “What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?"

Contact the host of IDWIP Film Night