Documentary series aims to ‘give power back’ to Indigenous voices in media
People in Victoria area can now apply to produce one-hour radio segments with CFUV that explore Indigeneity through topics such as culture, language and politics
A Victoria community radio station is seeking pitches for Indigenous-focused radio documentaries for a new series.
Victoria Campus and Community Radio (CFUV) will provide a $600 honorarium, training and support for up to 16 one-hour documentaries produced by Indigenous people who live in the Capital Regional District.
The documentaries will be aired as part of CFUV’s Indigenous Radio Documentary Series.
Indigenous Programming Co-ordinator Cassidy Villebrun-Buracas, who is from the K’atl’odeeche First Nation and Métis, says the series was started as a way to “give power back” to Indigenous people in the media.
One idea that Villebrun-Buracas would like to see in a pitch is related to futurisms.
“Imagining different worlds beyond colonialism, different ways of seeing the world and understanding the world,” he says.
“Shifting the narrative from how Indigenous people relate to colonial structures but that imagines Indigenous peoples telling their own stories beyond that.”
The goal of the radio documentaries will be to explore Indigeneity through topics such as language, culture, storytelling, arts and politics.
Glen Swarnadhipathi, the station manager, says it’s part of a larger effort to give voice to the communities that have been historically underrepresented or misrepresented by mainstream media.
The documentary series is being supported by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
“Our goal is for documentarians to create content by and for Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples,” Swarnadhipathi says. “And to build skills, training, and capacity for Indigenous documentarians, present and future, to participate in media.”
The deadline to apply for the honorarium is Feb. 7 and the documentaries will be completed by mid-July.
Author
We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.
And yet, I have hope for journalism because of the work we’re doing at IndigiNews.
At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.
As a registered charity, we are building a fire that allows our work not just to ignite but to thrive. Rather than relying on advertising or corporate acquisition, IndigiNews is sustained by people like you who believe Indigenous stories are important for the future of our communities.
Your support is making a real difference.
Our community of supporters, our Firekeepers, make it possible to grow our newsroom, publish award-winning journalism, train emerging Indigenous journalists through initiatives like the ReFocus Photojournalism Fellowship, and publish trustworthy stories that serve our communities across the country. Every story we publish helps fill in gaps left by mainstream media and ensures Indigenous perspectives are represented with care, accuracy and respect.
But there is still more work to do.
As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.
That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Firekeeper.
Firekeepers tend to and protect the sacred fire. Your monthly contributions directly support IndigiNews’s Storytelling Lodge, helps sustain our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom, and ensures future generations of Indigenous storytellers have the resources they need to do the work.
As a registered Canadian charity, all eligible donations receive a charitable tax receipt.
If you believe Indigenous stories matter, if you value independent journalism, and if you want to help build a strong future for Indigenous media, we invite you to join our circle of Firekeepers today.
Together, we can keep the fire burning.
— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews
Support us nowLatest Stories
-
‘Newfoundland’ claims Europeans arrived before the Innu. ‘People don’t disappear,’ counters archeologist
Smithsonian archeologist Stephen Loring’s research is being disputed by the province’s own Archeology Office. He fears the government’s censorship of Innu history is being used ‘to promote a political agenda like land claims’
-
Winnipeg cops unveil ‘reconciliation’ cruiser — but critics are unimpressed
Force says the police car emblazoned with Indigenous art not for enforcement but education. Advocates say the gesture is ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘unsettling’ — especially amidst a drug-use crackdown they say targets Indigenous people
