Danielle Khan Da Silva will be speaking at Forests, People, Planet on 27 May.
They say actions speak louder than words. But what if words are what it takes to inspire and catalyze the action we need?
For Danielle Khan Da Silva, words can empower us all to fundamentally reshape the world as we know it.
“Every one of us is a storyteller, and every time we open our mouths, we have opportunities to shift the landscape,” she told us in an exclusive interview for 8 Women with a New Vision for Earth.
Khan Da Silva wears many hats: she’s an award-winning photographer, director, writer, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer. She’s also the founder and executive director of Photographers Without Borders, co-founder of the Sumatran Wildlife Sanctuary and founder of the Reclaim Power mentorship program, among other initiatives.
“Art can tell stories of resilience, regeneration, and hope – stories that empower people to take action towards a collective vision that benefits humans, wildlife and ecosystems alike,” she says.
So, how can we craft these stories in a way that resonates with those around us – and inspires them to join us in pursuit of a more just and sustainable world?
Ahead of her appearance at Forests, People, Planet, we’re publishing Khan Da Silva’s interview in full for the first time, along with some of her photos. We hope you find inspiration in her work, too.
Storytelling and photography are incredibly potent tools for sparking alignment between who we want to be and where we are in terms of social and environmental justice because they can make complex issues more relatable and tangible.
When we document worlds of possibility that disrupt the status quo, we invite imagination and regeneration.
Colonialism separates us from our connection to ourselves – to our emotions – and that’s why activating emotions can present critical turning points and ‘a-ha’ moments.
Furthermore, facts and figures only work for people who are already likely to care about an issue. If we want to reach everyone else, we need to know how to elicit an emotional response. People are more likely to activate emotionally to a story that feels personal, and that emotional connection can be the catalyst for action.
Photography in particular has the ability to transcend language barriers, providing a universal language that can cross cultures and reach a wide audience. It can also support the process of healing and community building that I believe is crucial in these moments.
Humans are not parasites by nature. People not only want to be ‘good’ – they want to be free of the anxiety that living in a colonized world creates. Storytelling can facilitate a remembrance of how connected we truly are and of who we truly are.
We need reminders that it’s not us – it’s the systems we live under that keep us and Earth sick; that the Earth needs us to step into our role as caretaker to see how our liberation movements are all tied together.
The word decolonization is thrown around a lot without a real understanding of what it actually means.
Decolonizing means firstly acknowledging we are all colonized and then taking action to repair that. Secondly, it means reconnecting with our own ancestors – not just the teachings of others, lest we simply romanticize Indigenous knowledge or worse, capitalize on it.
It means doing a lot of healing work, and then completely shifting the way we operate in accordance to the inner wisdom that naturally develops when we are doing ‘the work.’
The late Tony Cade Bambara once said: “the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” I couldn’t agree more.
Art provides an invitation to awaken. It can play a transformative role in fostering decolonized conservation practices by creating a space for Indigenous narratives and Indigenous science to be shared and celebrated, not just as side notes or ‘add-ons’ to mainstream conservation stories but as the foundation of how we understand our relationship with the land and water.
We would not need conservation without colonialism, and yet ‘big-C Conservation’ still prioritizes ‘experts’ over local people. Unfortunately, this is not working now and never has.
I must emphasize that the problems of conservation cannot be solved with the tools that created the problem, and certainly not by people and organizations that are unwilling to decolonize.
Art can challenge colonial narratives that have historically erased, marginalized or appropriated Indigenous wisdom, providing an opportunity to recognize and uplift the expertise of communities who have maintained deep connections with the environment for generations.
That means celebrating Indigenous cultural practices as central to conservation efforts rather than at the periphery as separate or ‘traditional,’ shifting it from a narrative of domination, dominion and exploitation to one of respect, reciprocity and interconnectedness.
Additionally, art can be used to expose the harmful effects of colonialism on both land and people, and it can foster understanding and empathy in audiences who may not be familiar with these issues.
By telling stories that reflect the experiences of equity-deserving communities, art can help dismantle systems of oppression that prevent those communities from accessing the resources and recognition they deserve in conservation efforts.
Through art, we can amplify Indigenous knowledge systems, respect cultural values and, importantly, work towards restorative justice and collective liberation.
For humans to step into their roles as healers and guardians of the planet, we need to decolonize and actively build towards collective liberation. The problem is that ‘what sells’ is not what takes us there.
There’s a delicate balance between using storytelling to raise awareness and avoiding the unintended consequence of exploiting or disturbing fragile ecosystems.
It’s clear that simply showcasing wildlife or idyllic landscapes, while compelling to already captivated audiences, doesn’t necessarily translate to positive developments. In fact, it has often produced arguably more harm than good, especially when it fuels mass tourism or encourages behaviors that disrupt the delicate balance between nature and local systems.
It’s important that we start thinking beyond beauty and social media content and towards what’s needed. The real beauty, after all, is often in the relationship humans have with wild places – the quiet, unnoticed efforts to protect them, the ways communities have learned to live in balance, the resilience of ecosystems that need more than just admiration – they need active care and respect.
The people we need to reach are afraid of decolonizing. They are afraid of losing their privilege, their status, their wealth. We need to show people that a decolonized, equitable future is beautiful, not scary.
A decolonized approach to storytelling doesn’t just shift the focus but also radically transforms the way stories are told and who gets to tell them. It means recognizing that Indigenous ways of knowing and relating to the land and water aren’t just alternatives but foundational.
It’s about challenging the dominant colonial narrative that often frames nature as something separate from human life – something to be ‘conserved’ from afar, often through the lens of a privileged outsider.
It means elevating the voices of communities that have been at the forefront of environmental stewardship for millennia and understanding that these communities offer solutions that are both practical and rooted in deep cultural wisdom.
Storytellers can choose to prioritize stories that showcase mutual care, respect and reciprocity and help us relate to Earth as a living, sacred entity with which we depend upon, rather than something to be exploited, ‘saved’ or commodified.
By showing the beauty of a decolonized future where we centre freedom for all, we create a space for people to see the possibilities without feeling threatened by loss. Fear thrives in the unknown, and by illustrating the interconnectedness of all life and the healing power of living in balance with the Earth, we can paint a vision of a future that is not just possible but desirable.
We can encourage the sharing of stories where communities are actively living these values. Photography, visual art, and storytelling can depict small moments of restoration, connection and growth – both for the land and for individuals.
By centering these stories in a way that is honest, nuanced, and empathetic, we can foster deeper connections to the work of decolonization, environmental justice and restorative practices, demonstrating that this way of living isn’t a sacrifice but a beautiful, fulfilling way forward.
First of all, I give credit to the Indigenous communities around the world who have shown me what is possible. It looks like land and water stewardship being restored to the Indigenous people who have cared for it since time immemorial.
I envision humans being governed by water – our most precious life-giver – and having councils of Elders (people widely respected for their knowledge and wisdom regarding the sanctity of Earth and our place on it) and youth guiding our decisions.
It’s a place where conservation isn’t just about protecting ecosystems but is a way of life where equity, regeneration and reciprocity are central, reflecting a humble understanding of our place. This means that we wouldn’t desire concrete cities and sterile environments, which constantly separate ourselves from nature.
Instead, our towns would blend in with our surroundings and we would be living in tune to the rhythms of our waterways and ecosystem corridors. We would be living in circular economies without plastic, packaging, toxic effluent and needless waste.
We would respect the food we grow locally and would only eat whole foods that are in season. We would have communal meals and care practices. Nobody would be left behind, and everyone would have a purposeful role at any given life stage.
Militaries and weapons would cease to exist. We would be busy honing our intuition, our art, innovating and developing our communication with animals as our comrades. We wouldn’t need a class/caste system, and there would be no billionaires or hoarding.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Finally…
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