Every once in a while comes an art exhibition that is not just aesthetically pleasing and tasteful, but raises piercing questions about human rights, equity, and justice. And there is one such unique, yet unsettling, exhibit on the upper section of the Nepal Art Council in Baber Mahal that will go in till March 2024.&nbsp; The &nbsp;Sovereign Forest is certainly not art for art’s sake. It is a &nbsp;multimedia installation of film, large books, as well as artefacts from the mineral-rich but dirt-poor Indian state of Odisha where indigenous people have been driven out to make way for natural resource extraction. Visitors step into sudden darkness, and it takes time for the pupils to adjust to the dim interior. Unlike conventional exhibitions, this one is purposely designed to evoke outrage at the blatant injustice and oppression that underlies the plunder. The show invites a new kind of engagement that challenges perceptions and expectations in which various art forms are curated to shock observers out of apathy and recalibrate their moral compass.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231221061228_f1d2cc741f15f07422f8cadf095fd2b527d48693b9b275d38e0c4661567b50cb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231221061228_f1d2cc741f15f07422f8cadf095fd2b527d48693b9b275d38e0c4661567b50cb" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="sovereign forest"> </figure>  The &nbsp;Sovereign Forest is put together by the Indian filmmaker Amar Kanwar and offers a compelling and immersive narrative through a blend of visuals, artistry, archival materials, and the screening of a &nbsp;documentary.&nbsp; Kanwar has been documenting through art the activities of the mining-industrial complex and how it has impacted the farmers and indigenous communities in Odisha. Some Nepali visitors may not immediately find a connection to one of the less known and underserved states in India, but the greed and abuse that drives the extraction machinery there has parallels to what is going on here. Kanwar’s exploration of exploitation is projected powerfully through a unique narrative style devoid of a concrete subject. Some in the audience might be lost, and engaging with Kanwar's message demands patience as he intricately unravels the story of an activist killed during a farmers' &nbsp;protest, and goes into the profound grief of a woman mourning his loss.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231221061228_ee8a9829571f76ea0f2e364ddb0c112003c0e021b58292c63646d3eefdd7d4be.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231221061228_ee8a9829571f76ea0f2e364ddb0c112003c0e021b58292c63646d3eefdd7d4be" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="sovereign forest 4"> </figure>  The film's captivating visuals immerse the audience in the farmers' plight, offering us a window into the destruction of nature and the people who have traditionally lived in harmony with it. &nbsp; The &nbsp;Sovereign Forest is divided into four distinct spaces, inviting audiences to interpret the essence of the Constitution and what it means in reality on the ground. Kanwar’s visual depiction of the funeral of Shankar Guha Niyogi in Chattisgarh in 1991, and flashbacks to the activist’s premonitions of demise through the text of the cassette records and diaries add a haunting dimension to his story. There are revelations of injustices perpetrated by India’s and the world’s richest conglomerates: the Jindals, Tata, and the Korean company, POSCO. &nbsp;It is an age-old story of the struggle of those who live off the land against those who want to own it.&nbsp; The show also exhibits 272 seeds meticulously preserved by a farmer in Odisha, and forces us to think about native seeds that are being driven into extinction by hybrids. This has resonance in Nepal, where seeds adapted to Himalayan microclimates and soils are similarly being replaced by high-yield monocultures that need expensive inputs.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231221061228_efe9148d95f7780c3570337e4f5d02aa7a5868b3dec14e786d60df9cca75eac1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231221061228_efe9148d95f7780c3570337e4f5d02aa7a5868b3dec14e786d60df9cca75eac1" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="soverign forest3"> </figure>  “There is an urgent need to explore similar untold stories also in Nepal, &nbsp;shedding light on communities marginalised in the name of progress, &nbsp;modernisation, and industrialisation,” says Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati of <a href="http://photo.circle/" target="_blank">photo.circle</a> that brought Kanwar’s exhibition to Kathmandu. “It forces us to reflect upon and connect with the struggles faced by indigenous groups also in Nepal, and offers a deeper understanding through art of the socio-economic challenges of development,” she adds.&nbsp; Replace Chhattisgarh with <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-is-it-vital-to-protect-the-chure" target="_blank">Chure</a>, and Shankar Guha Niyogi with <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/sisters-carry-on-slain-brother-s-fight" target="_blank">Dilip Mahato</a> and suddenly it becomes clear that the Sovereign Forest is also about us. &nbsp;It is a clarion call for citizens to struggle for justice and morality against the acquisitiveness of the big, rich, powerful entities. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231221061228_95120fc6ff49105abe2d8831884539bf82086f0f037b7983b964165d705ab1b3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231221061228_95120fc6ff49105abe2d8831884539bf82086f0f037b7983b964165d705ab1b3" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1366" loading="lazy" alt="sovereign forest 5"> </figure>  Ultimately, &nbsp;The Sovereign Forest can spur solidarity and action against structural inequity and abuse of power not just in Odisha, but also in Nepal, 500km away to the north. &nbsp; The Sovereign Forest&nbsp; by Amar Kanwar in collaboration with Sudhir Pattnaik, Samadrusti and Sherna Dastur&nbsp; Nepal Art Council&nbsp; Till 31 March, 2024

Alisha Sijapati

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Seeing the forest and the trees

Much of our species’ 300,000 years of existence has been spent foraging, hunting, and gathering in the forests. And <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-salt-of-the-earth">nomadism</a> is in our blood, as it were. Our ancestors were still nomadic when they left their African homeland 100,000 years ago and ultimately colonised all six continents. But even after leaving Africa, they continued practicing nomadism for tens of thousands of years. Although nomadism has been the primary way of life for most of human evolution, 10,000 years ago some of our ancestors gave it up, settled down, and began farming– a practice that continues today.&nbsp; The success of early agriculturalists inspired most cultures across the globe to transition to farming settlements. Slowly, nomadism became the norm of the past.&nbsp; Yet, some human populations resisted the new ways of life and continued their foraging, hunting, and gathering lifestyles. Only a handful of them have survived to this day. The Raute of Nepal are the last of the <a href="https://nt.exposure.co/last-but-not-least">nomadic hunter-gatherers</a> in the Himalaya. In 2006, while I was researching about the indigenous peoples of Nepal for a study in human genetics, I was surprised to find a chapter in Dor Bahadur Bista’s book, &nbsp;सबै जातको फुलबारी in which he described the Raute as one of the ancient peoples of Nepal.&nbsp; Bista highlighted that there was not enough study on the Raute but postulated that they potentially descended from an Australoid population. The origins and history of the Raute remains unknown to this day. In 2016, I finally got the opportunity to meet with the Raute people. From Kathmandu, my fellow researcher Yoshina Gautam and I flew to Nepalganj, where we met Prof Guru Prasad Gautam, who has established a long working relationship with the Raute.&nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/imagine-no-possessions"> Imagine no possessions</a>, Kunda Dixit  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111040_dded3a3a20e2701ee88db1bf18b2341ecaab8615ca52cf5304031ea022fe2205.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231019111040_dded3a3a20e2701ee88db1bf18b2341ecaab8615ca52cf5304031ea022fe2205" data-rendition-name="original" width="1493" height="848" loading="lazy" alt="Raute map"> </figure>  We drove up the winding accident-prone Karnali Highway for several hours and reached Tunibagar of Dailekh district, a small town serving as a rest stop for trucks. We hiked several hours the next day to reach the Raute camp located on the banks of a small river in Achham district. At first the Raute were apprehensive of us, but they gradually opened up.&nbsp; The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=434">Raute</a> are elusive and mystical, divine yet destitute, enlightened albeit unschooled, appreciated and disliked by mainstream society. Because of their nomadic lifestyle, duodecennial nature, and preference for obscurity the Raute are portrayed as fearsome and savage in folklore.&nbsp; Yet the Raute consider themselves divine: direct descendants of Lord Ram, and therefore entitled to rule the forest as kings. They also hunt monkeys, a sacred Hindu symbol that local farmers would not dare to harm despite the nuisance and toll the monkeys take by destroying crops.&nbsp; They navigate high hills of far western Nepal with precision and are remarkably knowledgeable about the nutritional and medicinal value of hundreds of local plants. The Raute do not seem to disturb the settlers’ lives and livelihoods at all, yet their existence seems to irritate them. While later settlers sometimes regard the Raute with curiosity, most of them flatly reject the Raute way of life. Their claims of divinity despite their destitution are incomprehensible to the settlers. The only desire the Raute have is the right to their isolation, and the settlers promise them everything except that.&nbsp; This dichotomous relationship appears to have existed for a long time because the Raute have incorporated aspects of Hindu culture to establish themselves as equals and not inferior to the higher caste settlers. Whether such elements are superficial and used by the Raute only to deal with the settlers, or it has influenced the Raute identity and self-perception remains unknown.&nbsp; Even though the Raute have endured immense pressure to give up their nomadism and settle down, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11239">dwindling forests and increasing urbanisation</a> has added to the pressure to assimilate. Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-last-of-the-kusunda">The last of the Kusunda</a>, Sewa Bhattarai  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231019111048_ce8d6dd4c509ea645ed4d3f5c6628a32148d4a76df3ac7778ebb5329bae17e8d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231019111048_ce8d6dd4c509ea645ed4d3f5c6628a32148d4a76df3ac7778ebb5329bae17e8d" data-rendition-name="original" width="533" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="exploring genetic roots of the raute"> <figcaption>A temporary Raute settlement in Salyan district of Nepal.(Photo: Kishor Sharma)</figcaption> </figure>  The Himalayan foothills were once home to several other nomadic groups including the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15950">Kusunda</a>, the Ban Rawat (Dadeldhura Raute), the Raji, and the Chepang. All of them have succumbed to the pressure to settle and this transition has left them fragmented.&nbsp; They have suffered massive loss of culture, many of their deities have been forgotten, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lost-in-translation">their languages are dying</a>, and these ancient cultures are rapidly becoming extinct. Such loss of cultural heritage makes Nepal’s much-vaunted ethnic diversity poorer.&nbsp; Importantly, the nomads and their ways of life provide us a means to gaze into our past. Understanding their lifestyle, culture, and diet allows us to peek into how our own ancestors lived.&nbsp; The Raute are the last nomadic group of Nepal, and therefore are the only means through which we can peek into the past to understand the ways of life of our ancestors.&nbsp; However, the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12649">Raute way of life</a> is understudied. From the little ethnographic and linguistic data that exists, the Raute appear to be descendants of an ancient population. Their aboriginal lifestyle is ancient, and their Khamchi language also appears to be among the ancient Himalayan dialects.&nbsp; Since historical, anthropological, and archeological data on the Raute is limited, my laboratory at the New York University Abu Dhabi (The Genetic Heritage Group) is relying on genetic analyses to address some of the outstanding questions regarding Raute population history.&nbsp; We are analysing genetic variation within the Raute to understand how members of the group are related to one another, which may benefit the Raute to avoid consanguineous marriages. This data can also be useful to estimate Raute population sizes over time, which can provide key pieces of information to understand their history.&nbsp; Furthermore, we are comparing genetic data of Raute with many other Asian populations to demonstrate how they could be related to neighbouring Nepali populations and their distant cousins elsewhere in the region.&nbsp; Finally, we seek to compare Raute DNA with publicly available genetic data from ancient populations obtained from thousands of years old bones excavated from archeological sites across Asia. They could tell us more about the origins of the Raute. The research is ongoing, but we believe the results will provide solid scientific evidence to establish the Raute as the living national treasures of Nepal. &nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/chepang-and-their-chiuri">Chepang and their Chiuri</a>, Bhadra Sharma Aashish Jha, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology at the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Exploring the genetic roots of the Raute

The Tharu made up 6.2% of Nepal’s population in the 2021 census in 2021, outnumbering other indigenous communities: the Tamang, Newa, Limbu and Gurung peoples.&nbsp; The rest of the country has just begun to learn about the unique history and heritage of the Tharu people, the important role they play in Nepal’s conservation as well as increasing engagement in national politics. But the rich tradition of Tharu songs and music are less well known. There are songs for every occasion: Maagar songs for auspicious occasions, Barkimar and Sakhiya dances for Dasain, Dhamar and Maghauta for Maghi.&nbsp; The Tharu people traditionally live along the malarial jungles along Nepal’s southern plains bordering India. But from east to west there is great diversity among the Tharu people and language, and this is reflected in their songs. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/bridging-the-andes-and-himalaya-with-music">Bridging the Andes and Himalaya with music</a>, Sewa Bhattarai  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023073109070_17ec0ecf90ae76f4a7d1eba7bf1f6e5de4b13b6813314121d0adcb1ee669da64.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023073109070_17ec0ecf90ae76f4a7d1eba7bf1f6e5de4b13b6813314121d0adcb1ee669da64" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Songlines of the rivers and forests NT"> </figure>  With YouTube and social media, some genres of Tharu music are going commercial and gaining popularity. But others languish in obscurity. For instance, Jhumra is a genre of songs sung during Dasain and other fun moments have become popular on the Internet. It used to be only men who sang and danced the Jhumra. Although the Tharu community does have occasions for women to dance, those are celebrations rather than performances.&nbsp; For example, all girls of the village are allowed to sway to group dances like Sakhiya and Barkimar. But, Jhumra is more of a performance where only two people dance for the entertainment of the rest. “Parents have no problems if girls dance to Sakhiya and Barkimar, because everyone is dancing. But they hesitate to let girls perform the Jhumra,” explains Basanti Chaudhary of Dang, a commercial singer from the community. “Men even used to dress up as women to perform that dance.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-last-of-the-kusunda">The last of the Kusunda</a>, Sewa Bhattarai  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023073109070_88e5eaba9297b3a19e2b9cadd3434e5cac1d0e9d4fc53cd69b3b042334038fef.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2023073109070_88e5eaba9297b3a19e2b9cadd3434e5cac1d0e9d4fc53cd69b3b042334038fef" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Songlines of the rivers and forests NT"> </figure>  Chaudhary has recorded many Jhumra songs, and also performs them on stage. It was her maternal grandmother who inspired her to take up music.&nbsp; “She was quite advanced for her generation. She used to play the madal and harmonium and make everyone dance. All the other dancers used to be male,” she recalls. Jhumra is easy to dance to and fits any festive occasion. It is popular on YouTube, in Tharu films, and in music festivals, and many women dance to it. “Jhumra is a colourful world, we sing it when we want to sing and dance and have fun,” says Chaudhary. An example of the lyrics of a duet by Basanti Chaudhary:&nbsp; Man: If a sackful of money is required, so be it But I will not give up this pretty girl Woman: I will dance in the yard But I will only exchange my beauty for money Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/on-a-high-note/" target="_blank">Tibetan music in Nepal’s sacred valley</a>, Sewa Bhattarai  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023073109070_63c8b95652bf85316e52bf556aa501054c0990d34e1d406f5a3a46ec8e7afd78.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2023073109070_63c8b95652bf85316e52bf556aa501054c0990d34e1d406f5a3a46ec8e7afd78" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Songlines of the rivers and forests NT"> <figcaption>Photo: Sewa Bhattarai</figcaption> </figure>  Chaudhary is not just a commercial singer, but is also interested in the cultural roots of her community, and tries to preserve songs that reflect Tharu culture.&nbsp; Recently, with the help of the music festival 'Echoes in the Valley', she worked with musicians Simma Rai and Hishi Dolma Sherpa to revive Sajana, a popular melody in Tharu culture. Sajana is sung from Saraswati Puja in December to Hareri Puja in August to invite rains if they are late. Or, women in distress also sing it to communicate with their husband and family. Chaudhary, Rai and Sherpa learned these songs from a Tharu elder, Nirmala, and then recreated the song with modern music. The song is now on YouTube, and they also performed it at the Echoes in the Valley Festival in March. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/eastern-melodies-in-kathmandu/" target="_blank">Eastern melodies in Kathmandu</a>, Sewa Bhattarai <div class="embed-block"><div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="//cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F1QWb6DhiPUTT7UAXWfb74G&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen allow="clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; picture-in-picture *;"></iframe></div></div>Singer Basanti Chaudhary brings us a bhajhan--sung to console people after the death of a beloved one--and a few other Tharu songs from Dang.</div> We went fishing In the Rapti river The angar katuwa insect Bit my toe I sat on the shore and cried The Bhauji takes the Tapiya basket The Nandi takes the Helaka basket The Bhauji kills Raini fish The Nandi nets in tiny shrimp fish The song depicts the Tharu livelihood of fishing in rivers, and the role of different kinds of equipment and fish in their lives. The songs entertain as well as educate about Tharu culture and are gaining new audiences through the Internet. Songs considered ‘serious’, however, are still confined within the community. One such solemn song is sung to console relatives after a death in the family, and incorporates belief in rebirth.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/fire-in-the-belly-2/" target="_blank">Still dancing and singing for Nepal revolution,</a> Sewa Bhattarai  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023073109070_5c6efb916a40e363e02a874de44946faad07e2e5ce99e79c60d4cdfd1d857588.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="2023073109070_5c6efb916a40e363e02a874de44946faad07e2e5ce99e79c60d4cdfd1d857588" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Songlines of the rivers and forests NT"> </figure>  O soul, let's go to that country Where the dear, true Lord lives O soul, O soul Where will you make a home now? You have forgotten the stress of attachments Half the sinners are gone And the mortal body is still on the way “Death is inevitable after birth. If your loved one is dead, how do you console such a person? The body is here, but the soul is gone. Our mortal body is a sinful one. It is here today, and gone tomorrow,” Chaudhary explains. “Tharu bhajan are very touching. We can use them to revive lives devastated by the loss of a loved one.” The song portrays the mortal body as transient, and the soul as permanent. In essence, this song contains the spirit of the Nirgun philosophy, which holds that death is not the end, but the beginning of a journey to the divine. The song expresses the immortality of the soul, the transitory nature of the material world, the longing for liberation from the cycle of birth and death, and the desire to be one with the divine. The fact that the song has captured such a vast philosophy in very succinct words is proof that music is not just entertainment, that music can portray the full spectrum of human experiences and plumb the depths of human emotions. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-gift-of-music-to-nepali-children">A gift of music to Nepal's children</a>, Marty Logan  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023073109070_084a0c9fcbba42f7163e9f3c4d7e51e01418be6cdd0433edc073e29031e685cb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="2023073109070_084a0c9fcbba42f7163e9f3c4d7e51e01418be6cdd0433edc073e29031e685cb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Songlines of the rivers and forests NT"> </figure>  The Nirgun tradition has deep roots in South Asia, it believes that attachment and sensory experiences lead to sorrow, the world is illusory, the body is impermanent and only the soul is permanent. Concepts like these can be found in ancient scriptures like Mahabharata, Bhagawad Gita, in the teachings of the Buddha, and in modern times in Nepal in the Ramayana of Bhanubhakta. Even though Tharu songs are now going commercial and widely disseminated, spiritual songs still have only limited reach. Other communities in Nepal also have songs to provide solace in difficult times, and open doors to knowledge and philosophy. But many languish in obscurity awaiting younger generations to take notice. Tharu songs are an example of the increasing market for entertainment and dance numbers in indigenous languages of Nepal, but we may have to wait for the time for more serious lyrics and melodies to gain wider listenership.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/ghatu-dance-of-lamjung/">Ghatu dance of Lamjung</a>, Sewa Bhattarai Sewa Bhattarai is a freelance journalist. Her series, On The Margins, will focus on folk music, folklore, and mythology of Nepal's marginalised communities.

Sewa Bhattarai

Songlines of the rivers and forests

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714114/636903279c7e80680e037ca6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="810"/><figcaption>Photo: Kunda Dixit</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714114/6369032a9c7e80680e037ca7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="819"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>SIGNS OF THE TIMES: A gate in Phidim of Panchthar put up by Limbuwan activists (left) and a traffic sign in Quebec.After many years of working in Nepal, in 2014 I moved to Vancouver for a university job where many of the objectives outlined by Nepal’s adivasi janajati movements are being implemented by the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities that have lived for thousands of years in what is now Canada.Indigenous nations comprise just over 4% of Canada’s population, whereas <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10776#.W2vvdVUzbIU">adivasi janajati make up more than one third of Nepalis</a><a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10776#.W2vvdVUzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.</a> Yet, Canada is far ahead of Nepal in creating a just society in which indigenous voices are uplifted, indigenous knowledge woven into the public education system and the uninterrupted indigenous connection to traditional territory is recognised and respected.Canada has been no haven for indigenous peoples. Canada’s federal and provincial governments institutionalised racist legislation that dispossessed indigenous peoples from their lands, tearing children away from their parents, lodging them with white foster parents or shipping them off to assimilationist Indian residential schools where many students died and all were prohibited from speaking their ancestral languages.Until 1952, Canadian legislation prevented indigenous people from turning to the courts for help with government injustices. Only in 1960 did the government grant indigenous people the right to vote in federal elections without losing their treaty rights and ‘Indian’ status. Settler colonialism which sought to replace the original and indigenous population with a new and invasive society of uninvited settlers remains Canada’s original sin.The insatiable European appetite for new land and natural resources necessitated the marginalisation, relocation and ultimately the eradication of the original inhabitants of kanata—an Iroquoian word meaning ‘village’ or ‘settlement’ from which the nation of Canada derives its name.Also read: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=434#.W2vvOlUzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal's last hunter-gatherers</a>, Sagun S LawotiT<a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16971#.W2vvfFUzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he Mongols are coming</a>, Rabi ThapaGiven this painful and recent history, the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, promoted by the government as Canada 150, felt more like Colonisation 150 for many of my indigenous students and colleagues. The story of the resilience of indigenous communities across Canada over the last 150 years is one of local endurance and immense perseverance against the very objectives of the nation itself.Yet, over the last few years, Canada has been experiencing an ‘indigenous moment’. Many are asking how long it will last and whether the pivot is a temporary and expedient response to an emerging political necessity or whether it will lead to lasting change.Since becoming prime minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau and his Liberal federal government have pledged to develop nation-to-nation relationships with the elected governments of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities (formerly referred to by the unwelcome collective term ‘Aboriginal’) and to implement each of the 94 Calls to Action released by the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/truth-about-truth-commission,3565" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth and Reconciliation</a> Commission of Canada.Read also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4140#.W2vvf1UzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Some reservations about reservations</a>, Naresh Newar<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/As-It-Happens/lessons-for-nepal-from-Indias-patel-movement,559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lessons from India's Patel movement</a>, Om Astha RaiCanada is receiving international media attention for newly proposed national legislation officialising <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Mind-your-languages,133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indigenous languages</a>, and renaming public buildings that carry problematic colonial names with more inclusive designations. Across the country, programs that honour indigenous history and understandings are being rolled out at elementary, secondary and university levels.Overall, Canada’s indigenous communities are in the limelight, albeit in sometimes uncomfortably instrumentalised ways. The bitter irony of the current context is inescapable: colonial governments have for centuries marshalled their economic, military and administrative might to extinguish indigenous peoples. Now, in the eleventh hour, they are looking to strengthen and celebrate the very diversity that they set out to destroy.Why is this happening? The simple answer is that much land and many resources are still legally owned and controlled by indigenous peoples in Canada -- land and resources that the Canadian state is eagerly eyeing to exploit, expropriate and monetise. A series of ground-breaking rulings by the Supreme Court over the last few decades have confirmed that indigenous title involves a real and tangible interest in the land, and provides the owner with the right to choose what the land can be used for.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Mind-your-languages,133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The place of Nepali</a>, Kanak Mani Dixit<a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15734#.W2vuj1UzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother tongue</a>, Mukta Singh TamangWhile Nepal has not had the misfortune of being colonised by European settlers, some have suggested that the historical oppression of indigenous and other marginalised communities has operated like colonisation. If Nepal has never been colonised, can it ever be, or does it need to be, de-colonised? This discussion is gathering momentum in the scholarly community. A well-attended panel entitled ‘Decolonising Research in the Himalayas’ at the Association of Nepal and Himalayan Studies Conference hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder, in September 2017 generated heated, if necessary debate.For most of my indigenous colleagues in Canada, decolonisation is not a metaphor. Rather, it involves implementing tangible, measurable and structural changes in who controls, creates and administers knowledge. Decolonising education and research are about substance not symbol, and necessarily involving a sincere commitment to promoting indigenous voices in the academy and in society.Nepal’s federal restructuring provides a unique opportunity for the state to engage deeply with th<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/hail-to-the-chiefs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">e needs, goals and dreams of the hundreds of indigenous communities </a>who contribute to this richly diverse nation. Celebrating and promoting inspiring indigenous voices (whether in Canada, Nepal or in other multi-cultural federal democracies) helps make a country stronger, more representative and more just. It is a chance not to be squandered. Mark Turin is a linguist and anthropologist who teaches at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver@markturinRead also:<a style="letter-spacing: 0.15px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17961#.W2vv51UzbIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ILO 169, Nepal as a model </a><a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15775#.W2v2I1UzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal's multi-ethnic future</a>, Shyam Shrestha

Do Nepali attitudes need to be decolonised?

The winter air pollution season started early this year with emissions, Diwali firecrackers and crop residue burning making the air unbreathable across north India. Much of the pollution was transboundary, with prevailing winds carrying the suspended particulates from Pakistan, across India to Nepal and beyond. All this pollution and domestic emissions killed 41,300 in Nepal in 2023, and 85% of all deaths were because of noncommunicable diseases such as heart and lung disease, lung cancer, diabetes, and dementia, according to the State of Global Air (SoGA) 2025 report released Thursday. With the onset of winter, Kathmandu Valley’s own emissions are trapped in a surface inversion layer and as in previous years will have some of the worst air quality in the world.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251023131016_7c42a4e8b0dce01dfeeaaf89dbb10dbfa036b41163f3ebada88c7ce17dbded49.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251023131016_7c42a4e8b0dce01dfeeaaf89dbb10dbfa036b41163f3ebada88c7ce17dbded49" data-rendition-name="original" width="921" height="850" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollution killing season starts early NT"> </figure>  The SoGa report says air pollution has now become the leading risk factor for deaths in Nepal, ahead of tobacco and high blood pressure. Interestingly, while the health impacts due to environmental risk factors such as unsafe water and sanitation have reduced significantly since 2000, the opposite is true for ambient PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 microns). Globally, 7.9 million deaths were attributable to air pollution– about 1 in 8 deaths – in 2023. Of this total, 4.9 million deaths were attributable to PM2.5 exposure, 2.8 million were from household air pollution, and 470,000 were from ozone. Similarly, dementia attributable to air pollution resulted in 626,000 deaths and 40 million healthy years of life lost. And 95% of air pollution attributable deaths in adults over the age of 60 are due to noncommunicable diseases. The burden of noncommunicable diseases in relation to air pollution is rising worldwide and in Nepal. The SoGA report shows that nearly nine of ten global air pollution deaths are from chronic ailments, and half of all respiratory disease deaths are attributable to air pollution.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251023131020_8577f464b4a73007de5dd018b8ac91dae3a9c732dbb81a44b6aa5a0ced7df3df.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251023131020_8577f464b4a73007de5dd018b8ac91dae3a9c732dbb81a44b6aa5a0ced7df3df" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1080" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollution killing season starts early NT"> </figure>  In Nepal, air pollution is responsible for three out of four COPD deaths, one out of three heart deaths and one out of five diabetes deaths. More than one third of lower respiratory infection deaths were due to air pollution. “The data presented in the State of Global Air report highlight the significant impacts of poor air quality on the health and well-being of billions of people around the world, especially those living in Asia and Africa,” says Pallavi Pant of the Boston-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) that released the report in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the NCD Alliance. She adds: “Growing momentum on air quality management across those hard-hit locations, including expansion of air quality monitoring, adoption of air quality regulations, and sector-specific interventions are yielding improvements for those most impacted.” Low- and middle-income countries stand to gain most by reducing air pollution, with particularly strong impacts on children, older populations, and people with pre-existing health conditions. Indeed, of the 41,300 air pollution deaths in 2023 in Nepal, 31,600 were in adults over the age of 60 years and 3,500 in children below five years. Death rate for air pollution in Nepal, which is 178 per 100,000, is more than 10 times higher than high-income countries, which is at 17 per 100,000.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251023131020_604e852aed4ffde0dc7d1df72fcd3e73d904136dfb1bb2407e53b7445f3ef72c.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20251023131020_604e852aed4ffde0dc7d1df72fcd3e73d904136dfb1bb2407e53b7445f3ef72c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1078" height="423" loading="lazy" alt="Air pollution killing season starts early NT"> </figure>  “Win-win solutions for air pollution and NCDs exist, with added benefits for climate, physical activity, nutrition, and many other global development priorities,” says Alison Cox, Policy and Advocacy Director at the Geneva-based NCD Alliance. “These policies are effective and deliver a strong return on investment - for the sake of our people and the planet we need to implement them faster.” Fine particle pollution (ambient PM2.5) is the largest driver of air pollution’s burden of disease worldwide as kit attributed to 4.9 million deaths and 124 million healthy years of life lost in 2023. Vehicles, power plants, factories, and homes, as well as agricultural and industrial activities, waste burning and wildfires are some of the biggest sources of pollutants. South Asia is among the regions of the world with the highest exposures to ambient PM2.5 , while more than 36% of people around the world live in areas where PM2.5 levels do not meet even the least stringent interim target. As per the report, 78% of Nepal’s 30 million population lives in areas where annual PM2.5 exposure exceeds the least stringent WHO Air Quality Interim Target of 35 µg/m3. Meanwhile, exposure to household air pollution due to the use of solid fuels for cooking remains an important driver for the disease burden in the country. “Ongoing efforts to meet global development goals are not achievable without directly addressing air pollution,” says Maria Neira, Commissioner of Our Common Air. “Countries and cities must focus their efforts toward reducing air pollution emissions, including household air pollution, which has particularly severe impacts on young children and older people across Asia and Africa.”

Air pollution killing season starts early

Nepal needs to enact and enforce animal law

This year, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/quo-vadis-un-80-9vthn7mg">United Nations is marking its 80th anniversary</a> and it is being celebrated with special events across the world to commemorate its establishment on 24 October 1945. It has also been 75 years since the first UN adviser, the Swiss geologist Toni Hagen, was sent to Nepal to explore development opportunities. In 1950, there were no roads and Hagen walked on foot across the length and breadth of Nepal’s mountains, valleys and plains. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Nepal, and much of Hagen’s work laid the basis for the UN’s involvement in education, health, and connectivity in Nepal’s future development. Despite frequent changes in government and political system, Nepal has made remarkable progress. The poverty rate has gone down by half in the past 30 years to 20.27% of the population. Much of it has to do with remittances from Nepalis working overseas, but it is also a result of the Nepal government’s investment in education, health care and social welfare.&nbsp; There have been special initiatives like the Prime Minister’s Employment Program that have provided jobs to nearly 800,000 people in the country’s 743 municipalities — especially in those areas with lower Human Development Index (HDI) like the far-west and the Tarai.&nbsp; This year’s HDI report by UNDP shows that Nepal’s score had risen to 0.622, whereas it was only 0.404 in 1990. In the past 33 years, the average lifespan of Nepalis has risen by 15.6 years to 70.4 years, whereas it was only 54.8 in 1990. However, the country’s HDI ranking is still 145 among the world’s 193 countries. “Yes, there has been significant improvement in living standards in the past 60 years, road connectivity has improved, the maternal mortality rate has gone down dramatically, almost everyone has phones, there are schools,” says Saru Joshi of the thinktank Nepal Policy Institute. But, she adds: “It is still difficult to get citizenship papers, especially in the name of the mother, and this has excluded many women from banking services, inheritance. After all our progress in physical infrastructure, Nepal now needs to prioritise inclusive social development.”&nbsp; Some of this is also happening. Eighteen years ago, Nabaraj Subedi, 49, of a village in Baglung decided not to join his peers &nbsp;fleeing the Maoist conflict to find work overseas. He invested Rs500,000 to buy a diesel generator and start a small furniture business.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251024071044_eeef308e19a73de507a425b2c6afc47269884549cf4c8fac07ca9a4898c8e031.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251024071044_eeef308e19a73de507a425b2c6afc47269884549cf4c8fac07ca9a4898c8e031" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nawaraj Subedi"> <figcaption>Nawaraj Subedi, 49, proprietor of Tarakhola Furniture Factory. </figcaption> </figure>  Today, with the installation of the 380 kilowatt small hydroelectric plant, he does not need to depend on his unreliable generator to power his equipment anymore. There is now a road connecting his village, and Subedi has generated local jobs, opened a sales branch in the city, and gets orders from as far away as Pokhara and Chitwan. “My costs have gone down drastically because of the electricity, and sales have gone up because of the road connecting my furniture to markets. My business has expanded,” Subedi says. Back in 1960 in a report he prepared for the Nepal government on behalf of the United Nations, Toni Hagen had emphasised just this: investing in electricity generation and connectivity to uplift the remote rural areas of Nepal.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251024081024_188ab121dc3cf2816ee71a72cb3687493eda37ab99ecc04802d647c8c9b4cd2d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20251024081024_188ab121dc3cf2816ee71a72cb3687493eda37ab99ecc04802d647c8c9b4cd2d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Tarakhola Furniture Factory"> <figcaption>Subedi's staff at the Tarakhola Furniture Factory.</figcaption> </figure>  Subedi’s furniture factory gets its electricity from the nearby Tarakhola Hydropower, a company set up eight years ago with financial and technical support from UNDP’s Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) project. &nbsp; “The project completely transformed living standards in this village,” says municipality chair Dhan Bahadur BK. “It has helped create jobs locally, there is now money to invest in education and healthcare. Households can pay their electricity fees electronically through smart billing.”&nbsp; After working with the government on rural electrification, UNDP is focussed on using that power for local employment creation. A women’s group, for example, has bought an electric-powered potato processing machine that can produce chips.&nbsp; “We are 12 of us mothers, daughters, daughters-in-law who process, package and market the potato that we grow ourselves, and it has raised our income,” says Sukmaya Roka, 57, who chairs the group.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251024071044_70b22418699178bcdd0abb0aa308796980ecd29634bcda6ff113a7624e709751.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251024071044_70b22418699178bcdd0abb0aa308796980ecd29634bcda6ff113a7624e709751" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Sukamaya Roka"> <figcaption>Sukamaya Roka, 57, chair of Sipa Aalu Chips Utpadan Samuha from Tarakhola Rural Municipality, Baglung. </figcaption> </figure>  Today, 6.1 million households in Nepal (92.2% of total) have electricity in their homes, up from 17.9% 30 years ago. Access to electricity has not just brought lights to homes, but improved everything from productivity, quality of education, healthcare and phone connectivity.&nbsp; “To see what electricity and roads can do, just look at our municipality,” says chair Dhan Bahadur BK, “citizens have become more self-reliant, more aware of the outside world.”&nbsp; NETTLES INTO CASH&nbsp; Just a little bit of training, resource backup and local empowerment can uplift the living standards of Nepalis. The progress made in harvesting abundantly-available allo (nettles) and turning it into household products is an example. When a landslide swept away his home and farm in a flood 40 years ago, Buddhi Purja of Parbat became destitute. But he took part in a government training program supported by UNDP and Australia to harvest the wild nettles that grew on mountain slopes and turn the fabric into bags.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251024071048_56c440c478dffbc13911369b6f4133baf658cc3667773cdb44b7c40e006463ce.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20251024071048_56c440c478dffbc13911369b6f4133baf658cc3667773cdb44b7c40e006463ce" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Rhitu Saugat Handicraft"> <figcaption>A worker at Rhitu Saugat Handicraft making a bag out of nettles.</figcaption> </figure>  “After the landslide, we had to go hungry if we did not get a day job,” Purja recalls, “but after this training we have found that we can turn nettles into cash.” His allo bags are now hanging in tourist shops in Pokhara Lakeside and Thamel.&nbsp; The idea that nettles can be processed into useful fabric has not spread across the country, and new ecologically conscious consumers in Europe and elsewhere now import Made in Nepal nettle products.&nbsp; Purja started out with an investment of Rs500,000, and had a Rs20 million business that employed 25 workers. The Covid crisis in 2020 affected the sales, but Purja has recovered from it, sent his daughter off to study abroad, and is thinking of diversifying his product range.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251024071044_ab6d15abcbb9a643e12a384f4bc488b7e210a8c95303fbe1b2f77716d26eede9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20251024071044_ab6d15abcbb9a643e12a384f4bc488b7e210a8c95303fbe1b2f77716d26eede9" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Buddi Purja"> <figcaption>Buddi Purja, proprietor of Rhitu Saugat Handicraft in Pokhara.</figcaption> </figure>  While UNDP’s project has made successful businessmen out of people like Purja, nationwide it has created 187,000 jobs in rural medium-scale industries. Much of what has worked in Nepal has been at the community level with decentralised projects like these that use the entrepreneurship of people like Buddhi Purja, Navaraj Subedi, and Sukmaya Roka. It is tantalising to imagine how much more progress Nepal would have made if their work could be replicated nationside and upscaled to the state-level.

Think locally, invest locally

Public anxiety about immigration has become a powerful political currency across many liberal democracies. In Australia, as elsewhere, legitimate concerns about housing and economic fairness can be, and increasingly are exploited by anti-democratic actors who frame migration not as a policy issue but as a cultural threat.&nbsp;
When these narratives move from online spaces to public rallies, they do more than divide opinion; they erode the social trust and pluralism on which democracy depends. Understanding how populist and far-right movements weaponise migration debates is crucial to recognising the early challenging signs of liberal democracy.
Immigration has become one of the most politically charged issues in Australia, not only because of the numbers but because of its entanglement with cost-of-living pressures, housing shortages, and rent spikes.&nbsp;
The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/september/how-we-live-latest-hilda-data-gives-insight-into-a-changing-australia">data</a> shows rising household financial stress as Australian households spending more on rent and income tax. These changes likely reflect a mix of economic and policy factors but create a lot of room for people to hold inaccurate and occasionally contradictory attitudes on these issues.&nbsp;
While net overseas migration has started to decline from its post-pandemic peak, public concern remains high, amplified by populist rhetoric. Some surveys have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/04/australians-want-less-migration-but-oppose-cutting-international-student-numbers-study-finds">revealed</a> a nuanced picture: most Australians want lower migration overall but oppose cutting international student numbers, and support targeted skilled migration to address workforce gaps.&nbsp;
As former Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil <a href="https://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/ClareONeil/Pages/how-australia-broke-its-migration-system.aspx">argued</a> in 2023, Australia’s migration system is “broken and un-strategic”, not delivering for business, for migrants, or for the larger population. This is a situation that frustrates both sides of the debate and makes immigration an easy political flashpoint.
The recent <a href="https://marchforaustralia.org/">March for Australia</a> rallies turned these anxieties into street-level mobilisation. Tens of thousands <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjmre371l1o">protested</a> at what they called ‘mass immigration’, while far-right groups seized the opportunity to inject xenophobic slogans and calls for ‘remigration’ into the public space. These demonstrations were not only about visa caps or housing and jobs; they became performances of who is entitled to belong.&nbsp;
When immigration is framed not as a policy question but as a cultural test of Australianness, it risks shrinking the demos, the very community that democracy is meant to represent.
What made the March for Australia so striking was not only its size but its composition. Recent investigative reporting <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/don-t-mention-hitler-and-you-re-sweet-the-great-march-for-australia-deception-20250909-p5mtlc.html">revealed</a> that neo-Nazi groups were not merely present at the March for Australia rallies but played a role in covertly organising them. They amplified messaging online, coordinated attendance, and sought to mask their involvement to broaden appeal.&nbsp;
This highlights that democratic erosion is rarely spontaneous; it requires actors who deliberately exploit social grievances, mistrust, and polarisation to mobilise anger for their anti-democratic ends. The banners reading ‘<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/01/how-do-i-feel-safe-after-march-for-australia-anti-immigration-protest-ntwnfb">Stop Immigration</a>’ revealed that public hostility towards migrants, <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/pressure-mounts-for-price-to-apologise-to-indian-australians-20250908-p5mt7x">particularly</a> from the Indo-Pacific, is growing.
For many migrants, these displays are more than conceptual debates about white national identity. They are experienced emotionally. Writing shortly after the rallies, Melbourne-based writer Jafrin Kabir <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/01/how-do-i-feel-safe-after-march-for-australia-anti-immigration-protest-ntwnfb">reflected</a> that she had never felt so foreign on Australian soil. She pays taxes and inflated rents, contributes skills in the national interest, cheers for the Tillies and calls Melbourne “home”, yet suddenly felt unsafe because of the origin and colour of her skin.&nbsp;
Similarly, Chinese national interviewed by media outlet <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325127/i-feel-insecure-chinese-nationals-australia-blindsided-anti-immigration-marches">reported</a> cancelling weekend plans and feeling “blindsided” by the scale of the marches.
Scapegoating migrants especially in times of economic stress is an age-old phenomenon and is not just limited to Australia. Across the democratic world, from the United States to the UK and parts of Europe, hostility toward migrants and minorities has become a route for anti-democratic forces. Populist actors often <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/27/peter-dutton-keeps-blaming-migration-for-the-housing-crisis-but-can-it-really-be-that-simple">use</a> cultural anxiety and demographic change to justify illiberal and undemocratic measures, claiming to restore order while actually dismantling checks and balances.
By analysing democratic decay, scholars like Lydia Khalil at the Lowy Institute, <a href="https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/features/democratic-erosion/">argue</a> that democracies rarely break down at once. Instead, they incrementally weaken through vicious cycles: declining trust in institutions, entrenched division based on hate, the normalisation of political violence, and the bit by bit removal of norms and guardrails.&nbsp;
Though some of the conditions are present in Australia to be exploited by anti-democratic actors, for example, almost two-thirds of Australians believe their leaders intentionally mislead them, according to the <a href="https://www.edelman.com/au/trust/2025/trust-barometer">2025 Edelman Trust Barometer</a>, &nbsp;but their presence is not determinative.
Australia’s democratic guardrails remain strong: independent courts, transparent elections run by the AEC, and a free press continue to hold power to account. Federalism and active civil society further diffuse power and create space for contestation.&nbsp;
But if public trust continues to erode and social divisions deepen, these safeguards will come under strain. Early recognition and action are crucial to ensure that today’s street-level hostilities do not translate into institutional regression.
Preventing such outcome requires a socially embedded understanding of migration, an understanding that goes beyond simplistic optimistic and pessimistic views. Policy makers should go beyond Push-Pull models, functionalist and neoclassical and historical-structural theories.&nbsp;
Consulting the work done by <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/The-Age-of-Migration/Haas-Castles-Miller/9781462542895#:~:text=International%20Population%20Movements%20in%20the%20Modern%20World,-Hein%20de%20Haas">Hein de Haas</a> et-el, migration should be conceptualised as an intrinsic part of broader processes of development, social transformation and globalisation rather than a 'problem to be solved'. We need more nuanced views that have an eye for the complexity of migration processes and the diversity of its causes and impacts.
Sohail Akhtar is a Melbourne- based researcher focusing on governance, public policy, and migration. He contributes to Lowy Institute Sydney.
This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished from <a href="https://toda.org/global-outlook/2025/is-street-level-hostility-a-challenge-to-liberal-democracy-reflections-from-australia.html">the original</a> with their permission.

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