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You are watching UNICEF Television.

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Temperatures soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in this village market run by the Wayu people,

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the largest indigenous group in Venezuela.

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On a hot day like this, 11-year-old Blanca and her friends like nothing more than to relax in the shade

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while listening to their favorite radio show.

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I'd like to talk on the radio one day, so that I could be listened to, just like I always listen to them.

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I like the program, especially when they talk about our Wayu culture, the stories, the music and the drum.

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The hit radio show is broadcast here by a group of young people.

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Faced with social and economic exclusion like many other indigenous groups,

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these Wayu youth are determined not to lose their culture and identity.

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In our program, we encourage people not to leave our culture behind.

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We remind them not to forget about our customs, our traditional dress, our language, our music,

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and everything that has to do with our cultural heritage.

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The radio show is broadcast in both Spanish and Wayunaki, the native language for Wayu.

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It has become a vital tool in educating the new generation of children about their own language.

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Outside the radio station, the young people also meet within a network

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where they can make new friends and discuss issues concerning their indigenous community.

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Traditional rituals are performed for neighborhood children and their parents

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in a display of respect to the Wayu way of life.

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Back at the radio station, talks on the next new show are underway.

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Children and elders all contribute as keeping a culture alive is a task involving everyone.

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In Guajira, Venezuela, this is Kunli reporting for UNICEF Television.

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Unite for Children.