“In our territory, we the Saamaka people are struggling to protect and defend our forest..” – Hugo Jabini , Lawyer, human and environmental rights defender, Saamaka, Suriname

"This is a view from Bakaaboto, Suriname River, in the middle of the Amazon Forest, in South America from the Saamaka land, I just want to show you the green, the Nature, the beauty of our territory, where we as Saamaka people, are struggling to defend and protect our Forest. Right behind me, you can see the nice River, clean water, what we used to enjoy.

But, a couple of hundred kilometres from here, there is a lot of Forest destruction taking place, caused by multinational logging companies, who trapped our people, our livelihoods, trapped the forest. We are now calling for action, to strengthen our people, to help us to protect and save this beautiful part of the world. Thank you for listening. My name is Hugo Jabini, a Saamaka, environmental, and human rights defender."