Multimedia lab supports sustainable development

As we approach the new millennium the indigenous groups of America can use the latest interactive multimedia technology to embrace their language, culture, and traditional knowledge. In 1991, the author founded the Multimedia Memory of Maya Medicine (M5) project to explore the usefulness of multimedia for recording oral traditions and disseminating healing practices to nonliterate indigenous people. He compiled a video database of Maya medical practices. The M5 project demonstrated the potential of multimedia as an educational medium for Mexico's many indigenous groups and formed the basis for a permanent multimedia installation in Chiapas. The author presents the origins and setting of the Multimedia Laboratory at the College of the Southern Border (Ecosur) in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. He also discusses some ways of using interactive multimedia for sustainable development and describes several ongoing projects. The Ecosur Multimedia Lab is equipped for use by rural indigenous communities, researchers, and government policy makers. Together they can use interactive multimedia to share knowledge and experiences while exploring opportunities for sustainable agricultural development, preservation of biodiversity, and improved techniques for delivering health care.