(Posted by Marta Berbes-Blazquez)
"Attawapiskat, images of people living in freezing tents and shacks, has captured attention across Canada and around the world. It has many asking why. Why are people living like this in Canada, a country ranked as one of the world's best to live in? Why are First Nations homes poorly made, overcrowded and without running water? Why do they experience higher levels of violence, addictions and disease? Why are more Aboriginal children in care today than at the height of residential schools?"
You can say it louder, but you cannot say it clearer. These are the words that researcher/writer Kimlee Wong, from the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, uses to open up her documentary "Civilized to death".
The documentary explores social determinants of health in Aboriginal communities to start making sense of the abysmal differences in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in Canada. It is a great, and troubling, example of how health is shaped not just by our medical conditions and lifestyle choices, but by our social environments, economic circumstances and colonial histories. It identifies the colonization of Indigenous peoples and the lack of control over decision-making for their own lives as key barriers to better health.
Click on the link to watch Kimlee's documentary: "Civilized to death (part 1)" and "part 2".
"Attawapiskat, images of people living in freezing tents and shacks, has captured attention across Canada and around the world. It has many asking why. Why are people living like this in Canada, a country ranked as one of the world's best to live in? Why are First Nations homes poorly made, overcrowded and without running water? Why do they experience higher levels of violence, addictions and disease? Why are more Aboriginal children in care today than at the height of residential schools?"
You can say it louder, but you cannot say it clearer. These are the words that researcher/writer Kimlee Wong, from the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, uses to open up her documentary "Civilized to death".
The documentary explores social determinants of health in Aboriginal communities to start making sense of the abysmal differences in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in Canada. It is a great, and troubling, example of how health is shaped not just by our medical conditions and lifestyle choices, but by our social environments, economic circumstances and colonial histories. It identifies the colonization of Indigenous peoples and the lack of control over decision-making for their own lives as key barriers to better health.
Click on the link to watch Kimlee's documentary: "Civilized to death (part 1)" and "part 2".