 The 9th of August. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Picture this. On top of a hill, somewhere in Africa, is a group of women. They are singing a traditional song, doing a traditional dance. Wood smoke and laughter cascade from the door of a nearby mud hut where Nafula is stirring, Uigali, a maize porridge, in a clay pot. Two other women are carefully preparing a traditional meal of nettles and fermented milk. These are the women of the Singware tribe. On this hill, they plan to build a cultural center for their community. The Singware, Indigenous Peoples have lived in the Mbabiu Forest in Kenya for at least 200 years. They want a place from where they can safely pass on their Indigenous language and distinctive way of life. They want a place to safely meet as a community and also to welcome visitors. But will a peaceful existence ever be possible? Not too far away from this hill, the same women have been experiencing violent evictions from their home, the Mbabiu Forest. The authorities accused the Singware of damaging the forest. They are evicting the Singware from the forest by burning their homes and using intimidation against community members. Now, many women are husbandless. Some Singware men who are still in the forest live and make shift homes or caves, or in the hollows of trees. The Singware is only one group in over 476 million Indigenous Peoples living in 90 countries across the world. These Indigenous Peoples account for 6% of the global population. Indigenous Peoples have a special relationship with their lands and are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions and languages. Many of these groups face eviction from their ancestral lands, physical attacks and treatment as second-class citizens. They are being denied the opportunity to express their cultures. That is why the UN decided that an International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples will be observed on 9 August every year. Nations are encouraged to participate in observing this day, to raise awareness and gain an appreciation and a better understanding of Indigenous Peoples.