Background
The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation was created over 30 years ago by the federal government as part of the Inukshuk Project. This project was created as a response to the fact that northern communities were being flooded with southern-centric programming that was putting their unique culture, already weakened from the impact of decades of outside trade, education and religion, in more danger. In 1975 the Canadian government introduced the Accelerated Coverage Plan (ACP) which mandated that every community, over 500 people, in Canada would be provided access to the CBC. The purpose of this initiative was to provide “Canadian” content but in the North no consideration was given to the fact that content gave no access to the local culture, language or experience. Inuit leaders were quick to realize that this conduit to non-Inuit southern Canadian and American culture had a very powerful influence on their youth and could lead to a degradation of their language, culture and the very fabric of their communities.
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In response, the leaders of the north began pilot programs under the Inukshuk project to broadcast and teleconference between remote Inuit communities in the north. The program started very small with rudimentary facilities in 6 communities staffed by small teams of Inuit trainees and only lasted about 8 months. Nonetheless it was proof of concept that the Inuit people were able and willing to embrace this new technology as they had done in the past with others and mold it to suit their needs. In 1981 the CRTC granted a network license to the Inuit Tapirisat (the national voice of the Inuit people) and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation was formed. The first official broadcast occurred on January 11th, 1981 and was a 90 minute special introducing the network to the people of the N.W.T.
Mission
The founding, and current day, purpose of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is to give a voice to Canada's Inuit population and allow them to have control over their own message. Inuit leaders see this technological jumping off point as essential for Inuit people to share their culture with the rest of Canada.
Education
Furthermore, a cornerstone to the creation of the IBC was as a vehicle to educate the youth of the Inuit community. They have achieved this goal in two main ways.
The first is to provide a platform for the elders of the community to pass on important lessons and knowledge to the youth in shows like Ilinniq (Learning), which showcases Inuit people with unique skills.
The second way is that they use shows like Takuginai (Look Here) to explore and passes on important life lessons that are relevant to Inuit kids in their own language, Inuktituk.
The first is to provide a platform for the elders of the community to pass on important lessons and knowledge to the youth in shows like Ilinniq (Learning), which showcases Inuit people with unique skills.
The second way is that they use shows like Takuginai (Look Here) to explore and passes on important life lessons that are relevant to Inuit kids in their own language, Inuktituk.
Takuginai serves to both preserve the language of their people and the educate their youth. Each 30 min episode explores themes like; having a healthy lifestyle, making things in the traditional way and inuit music. It also acts as a place where social problems like solvent abuse, alcohol abuse and domestic violence are looked at. The show has won numerous awards and is still going strong today over 20 years after it was first broadcast in 1983.
Training
When the IBC was taking shape it was important to the leaders of the north that this project needed to be not only about the Inuit people but be created by the Inuit people. That would be the only way that they could ensure that they had complete control over their own network. To achieve this goal the IBC established 5 Inuit-staffed production centers around the north and initiated a 2 year training course for camera people, editors, switchers, sound recordists, lighting technicians content producers, managers and administrators. At the end of the 2 years, 16 of the 18 people who started the course graduated and thus created the foundation of Inuit produced content for the Inuit community. This dedication towards training has continued for the past 25 years and hundreds of of people have followed in the footsteps of these 16 trailblazers. In fact almost everyone working in the production of film, television and new media in Nunavut today were trained at the IBC. It is this history of training that gives the IBC its status as one of the premier programs for the preservation, promotion and progression of aboriginal culture through the use of technology in the world today.
The Future
Currently, the IBC has partnered with the National Film Board (NFB) to venture into the arena of computer animation. They recently have acquired animation computers and trained 15 people to become artists. The ability for IBC to partner with outside organizations has also allowed for some interesting opportunities for the IBC to grow and diversify its mission. For example they have worked with NHK Japan and the broadcasters in England as well as the possible sale of Takuginai to Greenland.
Another exciting step into the future for the IBC is the opening, on December 2nd, of their brand new, state of the art, 8.5 million dollar building, The Nunavut Media Arts Centre in Iqaluit. This building will bring High-definition media production, digital editing and digital media storage to the IBC and open the next chapter into its history
Fast Facts
Shows
The video clips include some past programs and the following programs currently broadcast in the Inuit language (with English subtitles or overdubs) on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN):
Takuginai (Look Here) -- a show for kids
Qanurli? (What's Next?) -- a youth show
Niqitsiat (Healthy Food) -- a cooking show
Ilinniq (Learning) -- a show with profiles of interesting Inuit
Qanuq Isumavit? (What Do You Think?) -- a live phone-in show
Takuginai (Look Here) -- a show for kids
Qanurli? (What's Next?) -- a youth show
Niqitsiat (Healthy Food) -- a cooking show
Ilinniq (Learning) -- a show with profiles of interesting Inuit
Qanuq Isumavit? (What Do You Think?) -- a live phone-in show
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