A Siċaƞġu Goes to COP27
Matte Wilson, Director of Siċaƞġu Food Sovereignty Initiative, shares his experience attending and speaking at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27)
Matte Wilson (left) speaks at COP27.
A year ago, I put out into the universe that I wanted to do more traveling. I wanted to see how the world works. I wanted to take ideas and concepts that others are doing in their communities to see how, if possible, those same ideas and concepts can be applied here on Rosebud. Traveling pushes you out of your comfort zone and I also thought that I needed to get out of my own. When I had put my wish out into the universe, I never thought it would lead to me traveling abroad - let alone, traveling to Europe and Africa all in the same year!
Earlier this Summer, I was invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to attend COP27 in Egypt. I wasn't actually sure what COP was, so I did a little research before I accepted the offer. COP27 refers to the United Nations Climate Change Conference also known as the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC. This was going to be the 27th conference and was to take place November 6-18, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, a resort city located on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.
Rockefeller was planning to screen its new documentary, Food2050, at COP27. This full-length documentary was created to explore how food systems affect climate change, and what communities across the world are doing to address it in their respective countries and regions. The film highlights some of the visions from the Food 2050 series, short clips of the 10 visionary teams as part of the Food System Vision Prize. Sicangu Co and Rosebud’s vision was going to be highlighted in this film and I was asked to speak at post-screening panels. I was also asked to speak on several other panels in addition to Rockefeller’s. While public speaking is one of my biggest fears, I gladly accepted the invitation.
When I arrived in Eqypt, I could tell I was in a different part of the world. The sun and the smell in the air was different. As if international travel wasn't overwhelming, navigating the venue for COP was just as, if not, worse. I've never been to such a large gathering before. It was estimated that there were over 35,000 people in attendance. There were different zones for COP: Blue and Green. The Blue Zone is where the world leader summit and the side events that individual countries and NGOs put on. This is where all of my speaking events took place. In order to access the bluezone you had to be sponsored by a participating organization and had to get security clearance. To give you an idea of the space, imagine several, maybe 10, large warehouses that are clustered together. In each warehouse there were 50 or so pavilions for participating counties in the UNFCCC as well as NGOs. The other location, the Green Zone, was smaller in size and in another location that was close by. This was open to civilians. The green zone was geared more towards music, art, and education.
My first event was one of the Rockefeller screenings. I still haven't quite felt comfortable yet seeing and hearing myself on film. However, seeing others watch the documentary for the first time is a great experience. I cant help but smile when I see the words, “Rosebud, SD '' show up on the screen followed by images of home and buffalo. I get especially emotional when I see the children from Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci in the film walking through the greenhouse and eating some baby carrots. This is who we are and what we are doing. Systems transformation work for the next generations to come. When it was time for me to speak on the panel in front of a room full of people wearing suits and dresses, intrusive thoughts started coming. The feeling of me not belonging in these spaces came over me. However, I didnt let those feelings have power over me. I spoke and I made sure that others heard me in what I had to say.
My next events were with the World Wildlife Fund. These panels were a great opportunity to discuss regenerative agriculture. I was able to highlight the work that we are doing with Food Sovereignty, Keya Wakpala Gardens, and Wolakota. I also spoke on the fact that regenerative agriculture is an appropriation of Indigenous lifeways. While regenerative agriculture tends to be focused heavily on capturing carbon and regenerating the soil, it is based on nature, the natural systems that indigenous peoples have worked in harmony with. While the rest of the world is starting to adopt this concept, Indigenous people have been living this way. 80% of the world’s biodiversity can be found on the lands that are stewarded by indigenous people. As the world is working to define regenerative agriculture, the voices and perspectives of indigenous people are often left out of those discussions. The other panelist that I shared the stage with, shared similar perspectives. It was great to learn about similar work being done in their countries and in their communities. While the solutions that we are working on in Rosebud might not work in Kenya, and vice versa. There is a lot to learn and take away from each solution including understanding that these solutions are based in the people, challenges, culture, and values of the communities they were designed for.
After staying in Egypt for two weeks, I wrapped up my time at COP. One of the biggest takeaways that I left with is this: I feel neither more nor less hopeful than before attending. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to attend. Dont get me wrong. There were many connections made and I was able to share our stories and work we are doing on Sicangu Lakota Makoce with the world. I was also able to learn about what others are doing as well. There are many people across the world doing great and amazing work addressing, slowing, and reversing effects of climate change. I was also pleasantly surprised that there was an indigenous presence, albeit small, at COP. I know that more needs to be done to include more voices. As Indigenous people, we have no other choice but to fight against climate change and social inequity. We aren't just doing this work to preserve our land. We are also doing this work to preserve our lifeways, our foodways, and our identities. We do this work to make sure that we have a safe home for future generations. I also want the world to recognize that while Indigenous people are creating these solutions, we also contribute the least to climate change. We know that the natural system or natural relationships are not separated like they are in the colonized systems of thinking. I witnessed more talk than actual examples of actions that are being done on the ground. I think that is what is always missing in these worldly conversations around climate change and food systems. The voices of indigenous peoples, and the voices of people that are doing the on-the-ground work in their communities, especially farmers and producers. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the world’s problems. However, we can all learn from what others are doing in their communities and see what has the potential to work within our own. And in that, that is what gives me hope.