Leaders back Survival’s message

April 10, 2007

This page was created in 2007 and may contain language which is now outdated.

Leading figures in British public life, including the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster, have backed the message of Survival's cartoon book There you go! that enforced development destroys tribal people.

There you go! offers a radically new approach to looking at development and its potentially devastating impact on Indigenous peoples. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has described it as a ‘little book with a big message'.

There you go! has been sent to every UK MP and peer, every member of the US Congress, every development education centre in the UK, and members of the World Bank, IMF, the EU and the UN. Tony Blair has declared that the book, ‘help[s] raise understanding about the complexities and potential pitfalls of offering development assistance.’

Dr Terence Gomez, research coordinator for the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development was very impressed by ‘the simplicity with which complex issues are illustrated’ and distributed the book at a recent UN workshop on Indigenous rights.

The popularity of There you go! has spread internationally – since its launch, there have been offers to translate it into Japanese, Korean, Finnish, Hungarian, Lao and Chinese.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry says, ‘The book delivers a common-sense message which too many have forgotten, that if we want to help societies our first job is to listen, rather than dictate what we think they need, and we must be prepared to be surprised. This is not just to do with remote tribal peoples: it’s of vital relevance to all in a world where ideas of multiculturalism are misunderstood and under attack, and where some increasingly want to force their views on others.’

To read further endorsements click here

Review copies available.

To view There you go! online click here

To purchase There you go! call (44) (0)20 7687 8700 (RRP £4.00)

There you go! is also available in Italian and Spanish

For further information contact Catherine Haxworth on (44) (0) 20 7687 8700 or email [email protected]

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