Advocating for Food Security

Anastia Broman will present on Advocating for Food Security during the Arctic Congress 2024 in Bodø, Norway this May.

Food sovereignty within arctic populations represents one of the most important battlegrounds of both global warming and anti colonization. Educating communities on which avenues they can use to advocate for change, while maintaining an optimistic view of the future, can be a pivotal move in sparking growth.

This section will explore food options available in northern Canada through an artistic, immersive workshop addressing food security: Past, Present, & Future. We will highlight one section of Niriqatiginnga’s Facilitator Guidebook for Hosting Immersive Experiences. Our focus on the “Past” will entail bringing participants in to view art of their ancestor’s homeland. Participants will be provided with materials to write or draw cultural memories, and facilitators will offer to write or draw on behalf of participants to accommodate any who are not literate.

Our focus on the “Present” will briefly cover frustrations in their current communities. Facilitators will offer to transcribe, or provide the means to transcribe their communities’ frustrations. We will display ‘art’ in the form of photos displaying the effects of a lack of strong support from the Canadian government for recycling, as well as bundles of single-use waste products. Our final focus, “Future”, will spark optimism. Facilitators will provide participants with samples of non-colonized foods,  in addition to envelopes, postage stamps, and letter templates. These letters will implore politicians to work with them to create robust recycling programs and invest into their starving communities. Facilitators will once again offer to transcribe or draw all information the guests wish to convey