The plight of the indigenous peoples around the world uncovered in RTD’s tribal documentaries

The indigenous people of the island of Palawan in the Philippines are fighting illegal loggers for their very existence. Their campaign is documented in the film Palawan Lost. Even though the idyllic island has UNESCO biosphere reserve status, the uncontrolled logging continues. The native people use civil and legal action as they seek an end to the destruction of their homeland. The rainforest in Brazil has become the home for a unique doctor. Erik Jennings gave up being a neurosurgeon to bring primary healthcare to the native tribes of the Amazon basin. His struggle against bureaucratic antipathy is documented in the film Jungle M.D. The Maasai people of Kenya have become like a second family to Russian travel photographer Olga Michi. In the movie Maasai: From Sand to Snow, she escorts a group of tribes’ people from the warmth of the savannah to the snows of Moscow. For the Maasai, it’s the first time they’ve experienced weather so cold or so much snow.