Source: Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand
22-year-old Fijian Indian curator and community organiser Dylan Chand was announced today as the winner of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s Gary Ware Legacy Award.
Chand has a background in social impact work, is the Founder and Director of the Youth Climate Collective, recently returned from the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, and has facilitated powerful intergenerational conversations about justice, equity, and belonging. He will use the $9000 award to develop and host the Girmitiya Exhibition, which aims to bring to light the lived realities of Indian indentured labourers, known as Girmitya, who were taken to Fiji under the British colonial system from 1879 to 1916.
On hearing the news, Chand said, “To me, winning the Gary Ware Legacy Award means recognition of the Girmitiyas (Indian Indentured Labourers) and the sacrifices they made so that their descendants could have better lives than the ones they were forced to endure. It feels like a moment where their stories, which were long silenced by trauma and forgotten by colonial history, now have the opportunity to be acknowledged and heard.
“The incredible support from Amnesty International and the Ware Family, allows me to carry out deeper research and map out a meaningful story for young Indo-Fijians, Tangata Moana, Tangata Tiriti, and the wider Aotearoa community. It’ll allow me to build on the legacy and work of Indo-Fijian historians who have dedicated their lives to preserving Girmitiya stories, often with limited resources and support.
“As the Indo-Fijian diaspora grows, I hope The Girmitiya Exhibition will provide a place for young Indo-Fijians to connect with their identity, learn about their ancestors, and understand the sacrifices that have shaped their lives today.”
The Gary Ware Legacy Award is a funding opportunity from Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, designed to empower and equip people under the age of 25 with a passion for protecting and promoting human rights. Launched in 2020, the award is made possible by the generous support of the Ware family, facilitated by the Acorn Foundation, who each year provide $4500 for a young person or group to turn their human rights vision into action. This year, to mark Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s 60th birthday, the award was doubled to $9,000.
Entries were received from rangatahi across the motu, with a range of inspiring ideas and initiatives. They were then judged by a panel of young people, with the winner announced on 10 December, which is celebrated around the world as Human Rights Day, commemorating the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Gary Ware was a passionate human rights advocate who inspired generations of young people to get involved in the work of Amnesty International during his lifetime. As a lover of music, he organised concerts and events to raise money and awareness for human rights over the years, as well as serving multiple terms on the Amnesty International Board. The Ware family has gifted this award as a beautiful lasting legacy of Gary’s life.
Gary’s granddaughter Neve Kortegast, who was on the judging panel this year, said, “This award is really special to me, as my grandfather was a passionate activist with a big heart. He took pride in empowering others and supporting them to make a positive difference. This award serves as a piece of the everlasting and impacting legacy he left behind with us.”
Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand and the Ware family commissioned the contemporary Māori artist Todd Couper to design a taonga to accompany the funding of the Gary Ware Legacy Award. Couper, of Ngāti Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Kahungunu descent, is based in the Bay of Plenty and has created a beautiful wooden whakairo (carving) to reflect the kaupapa of the award.
