Episode 3 : A member of the Ogiek Community on what the climate crisis means for indigenous peoples

Interview with Ms Cindy Kobei.
About this episode
[Editor’s Note: At 00:23:47; Cindy refers to a climate finance promise of $ 100 Billion to indigenous
people. To clarify, and for the avoidance of doubt, the sum that was promised to indigeneous peoples at
COP26 in Glasgow is $1.7 Billion made by a coalition of governments and stakeholders across public and
private finance over the next four years towards Indigenous Peoples and Local Community (IPLC)]
Welcome to the third episode of the Hali Hewa Podcast.
‘Hali Hewa’ is a Swahili term for ‘climate ‘ and this podcast series is hosted and produced by Kenyan
climate change activist, Abigael Kima.
Every month in the lead up to COP27, Abigael will be interviewing African climate change experts on the
issues that matter to them most and inviting them to share what they feel the next international climate
conference must deliver on.
We are joined today by a very special guest from one of Kenya`s indigenous communities.
Cindy Kobei is a feminist and human rights activist, who is a member of the Ogiek indigenous community
of the Mau Forest in Kenya. Cindy has a background in law and indigenous peoples’ rights. She is a recent
law graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and was a 2020 participant at
the Global Leadership School for Indigenous Women by International Indigenous Women’s Forum ( FIMI).
She is currently pursuing a postgraduate in Law at Kenya School of Law to become an Advocate of the
High Court of Kenya. She is also the Chair of the Tirap Youth Trust (Tirap means “safe haven”) formally
known as Ogiek Youth Council where she has been actively promoting the rights of indigenous peoples,
youth and girls in Kenya.
In this episode, Cindy takes us through her experience as an indigenous person growing up in Mau
Forest: what it was like and what has changed now in the wake of land rights issues and the climate
crisis. She speaks about her work at the Tirap Youth Trust, which focuses on capacity building, advocacy
and empowerment of indigenous communities in Kenya. And she shares with our audience a beautiful
song written by young people from the Ogiek community that speaks to the protection of the forests and
which acts as an educational tool within the community.
Cindy signs off the show by sharing what she wants the upcoming COP27 climate conference in Egypt to
deliver for indigienous communities and countries across the African continent.
Enjoy the show!
To support Tirap Youth Trust find their contacts on their website : https://tirapyouth.org/
Find the song by the Ogiek Youth on protections of the forest on this link:https://youtu.be/7JAO5cOpaJA
Twitter : @ogiekyouths| Facebook: @OgiekYouthCouncil

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