The book Vital Voices: 100 women using their power to empower”, the testimonials of commitment from one hundred women who count today in the world. Among them, indigenous and committed women are delivering their visions and struggles, at the crossroads of feminism and ecology.

“Changing the course of human history.”

Xiye Bastida is one of them. Originally from the indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec people, she fights against climate change as a woman from an ethnic minority. “The indigenous people have been taking care of the land for thousands of years, because it is in their culture,” she says, rooted in the manner of the Peul activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim.

At only 18, she sees her youth as an “element of urgency” and strongly claims that indigenous people are, in essence, defenders of the planet. “For me, being an environmental and climate justice activist is not a hobby – it is a way of life,” says Xiye Bastida.

Vital Voices also introduces us to lesser-known activists, such as Kakenya Ntaiya, who benefits from the notoriety of Meghan Markle, Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Hilary Clinton, also in the summary. This Maasai woman is the creator of the Kakenya Center of Excellence, an educational establishment established in the village of Enoosaen.

Reserved for girls whose parents are opposed to sexual mutilation and forced marriage, it guarantees the security and future of these young women. “In ten years, we have trained and empowered more than five hundred girls in our schools and placed 48 young women in universities around the world,” says Kakenya Ntaie, who adds, “now everyone is enthusiastic about girls’ education.

Illustrated by Gayle Kabaker’s paintings, their stories are inspiring life stories. The aim of the book, according to its author, Alyse Nelson, “to develop a unique style of leadership that our world needs, now more than ever”.

Image: Portrait of Xiye Bastida by Gayle Kabaker.

Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower