He found that ethnic groups that do not participate in capitalist consumerism are existentially threatened by hunger for resources in our greed-dominated world. At the beginning of the 1980s, he abandoned a promising career in the biggest electronics firm in the then-still Yugoslavia and began to oppose inhuman predators with his journalistic talent as a writer, film-maker and photographer.

Slovenian humanitarian and indigenous rights activist Tomo Križnar is this year's winner of the Ethecon award. Križnar was chosen by the international Foundation for Ethics & Economy (Ethecon) as the winner of the Blue Planet Award 2014. With this award, Ethecon honours individuals who have shown outstanding commitment to the rescue and preservation of our Blue Planet. The award is given to people who are truly committed to protection of human ethics. Besides the Blue Planet Award, the German environmental organization also awards the Black Planet Award, which was this year given to board members and shareholders of the Dow Chemical chemical group for their responsibility for the chemical disaster in the Indian city of Bhopal. The Ethecon Foundation was created at the turn of the millennium. It advocates for social justice and protection of human rights, and is critical of the byways of globalisation and global corporations which are being led only by their profit. It has been awarding the Blue and Black Planet Awards since 2006.

It is necessary to go to Africa
On his travels to Africa, he is selflessly venturing to dangerous zones not only to protect indigenous people, but to teach them to defend themselves from oppressors, be they Arabs, Chinese, or Europeans, trying to seize their land, and the natural resources it hides within.

"It is necessary to go to Africa, to Sahel, and tell the world what is going on there. It is necessary to help, so that people will not have to flee to Europe, but will create conditions which would enable them to work and support their families at home. The time has come for actions, not discussions. The award ceremony will certainly give me the opportunity to inform the public of the actual conditions, and to call for action. I do feel satisfaction that we had been noticed, but we should have been noticed by those who have the power to act. I do hold hope that due to this award my voice will be heard. We needed a long time to start protecting endangered animal species, and obviously the innocent human indigenous way of life will be the last in line. I fear the reason is the fact that we still feel endangered by them, although they had already been beaten."

Since he is a very emotional and sensitive person, he was not able to forget it once he returned into "our bunker in the North of the planet". He was haunted by the images of the victims of the European domination, both colonial and neo-colonial imperialism. "I was upset because people here misunderstand other cultures, and by the prevailing stereotypes, especially aimed at indigenous people. A number of books have been written about other nations, but all from the Eurocentric point of view. I felt the need to talk about my own experiences from my travels to Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Central America; people there invite you into their homes, and they give, instead of trying to take. And what they give are stories from their history, and what we, the white people did to them. It reminds me of the Roman Empire, which crumbled not because of the barbarians at the empire borders, but because of the decay from the inside, and the general exaggeration of the last elites. I notice the same materialistic attitude by us. We look down upon people living down there, the historical victims of our conquests, and consider them dangerous, and a threat to ourselves."

Why Africa?
Because it is the largest sacrificial altar of humanity. The prevailing mindset is that if anyone should die first, it should be the Africans, because they are the most lazy and neglected, and because they resemble primates the most. When I try to inspire people here for the values of the Africans, I see that they don't want to understand me at all. They think I am naive. We allow and encourage conflicts so that we can exploit them. We are now competing with the Chinese, who have an even stronger strategy – kill a slave with a slave, which is currently happening in Sudan. All continents are getting on their feet, except for Africa. Wherever you look south of the Sahara, there is fire and war. Africa as the cradle of humanity and Europe as the cradle of humanism should work hand in hand. United we can do more. I currently host the humanitarian coordinator Suleiman Jammous from Darfur, who is seriously ill, and his family. We learn so much from one another. Especially that they are people just like you and me. They are not barbarians, but only more cautious and controlled with many things than we are.

How can people kill themselves here where we lack nothing?
It is also interesting that there are very few suicides in Africa. This is something that is completely unknown to indigenous people from the Nuba Mountains. "How can people kill themselves here where we lack nothing?" And here is where Africa can help us. Most of the people who visit Africa notice that despite all the hardship, people there are still joyful and full of life. I wish for the cooperation of all mankind, and not only one global power. We shouldn't even be talking about races – they do not exist. Races only exist in the imagination of a white man who needs an excuse for extermination. We should be developing humanitarianism, not weapons. What gives us the right to be the world's police force? We have achieved nothing with these military adventures. As our greatest poet France Prešeren said: those who think well should be loud, but are hardly heard. I look at my peers who are only waiting for their pensions. This is a tragedy for my generation which was so promising. We were the first with the opportunity to go into the world and experience other cultures, in which we were searching for answers to fundamental questions.

There is where you see that will which cannot be found here, the will to live and to enthuse others. You have to fight to preserve some idealism and enthusiasm. This is the major challenge, so that you don't fall into a collective depression that prevails in our sold cultures.

Vesna Žarkovič, SINFO