‘We Belong to the Land’: An Interview with John Mussington on the Urgency of Learning from Barbuda’s Communal Land System [videos]

John Mussington, of the Barbuda Land Rights and Resources Committee, has spent decades defending Barbuda’s communal land system, a centuries-old system that keeps land collectively held and protected from private sale. A marine biologist by training, Mussington became an activist through his work conducting environmental impact assessments across Antigua and Barbuda, where he witnessed the environmental destruction tied to tourism and luxury development projects.

In this interview, Mussington draws parallels between Barbuda’s struggles and those he saw in favela communities in Rio de Janeiro and returns to one central idea:

“We belong to the land. The land belongs to us.”

Watch this powerful interview with John Mussington, by Marj Osagie: bit.ly/ROWInterviewsJohnMussington

Watch the accompanying video on YouTube: bit.ly/JohnMussingtonBarbuda

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