¡Allinllachu! This episode features a Quechua-language conversation with Cristopher Vargas, a Cusco-based Quechua translator and storyteller who dubs well-known anime and films into Quechua on TikTok and YouTube. He was one of the young fellows of the 2025 National Geographic Photo Camp in Washington, D.C., and later joined Professor Odi Gonzales's Quechua classes at NYU's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS).

His work is part of a growing movement of Quechua language revitalization and cultural reclamation among younger generations in the Andes and across the diaspora. More and more, youth are using social media and digital platforms to promote and circulate Quechua and other forms of Andean knowledge. Film dubbing has become a powerful strategy within this movement, raising key questions about copyright, translation ethics, language preservation, and cultural identity. It also underscores the urgent need for Indigenous communities--especially children and youth--to access media in their own languages.

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En este episodio conversamos en quechua y castellano con la antropóloga y cantante ayacuchana Indira Ventura (@isaura_peru) y con el guitarrista Godofredo Quispe sobre el Harawi, un canto ancestral en quechua que se remonta a tiempos prehispánicos. El Harawi es un género lírico y poético que acompaña momentos fundamentales de la vida andina: desde el entierro de un bebé, la siembra y el matrimonio, hasta la herranza, la limpieza de acequias, los bautizos y los rituales funerarios.

Entre estos cantos destaca el Yaku Takiy (canto al agua), que honra a la Madre Agua durante la fiesta del Yarqa Aspiy (limpieza de acequias). Como investigadora, Indira Ventura lo recopiló en su comunidad de Alcamenca (Ayacucho), junto a su familia Magna Ucharima, Zósimo Sulcaray y el maestro retablista Edilberto Jiménez (@edilbertojq23). Aquí lo presenta en una versión especial con el acompañamiento de la guitarra de Godofredo Quispe, quien aporta nuevos matices melódicos que renuevan el Harawi sin perder su raíz ancestral, tradicionalmente ligado a voces femeninas sin instrumentos.

La producción reunió el talento de Godofredo Quispe en los arreglos con la guitarra, Jorge "Koki" Solier (@koki_solierc) en la producción musical en DriloRecords, y la casa realizadora Visualtime en la parte audiovisual. El videoclip se grabó en dos paisajes emblemáticos de Ayacucho: la catarata de Puma Paqcha y el mirador de Punkupata, a 4,000 m s. n. m.

🎥 Pueden ver el videoclip completo en el canal de YouTube de Indira Ventura:
Yaku Takiy – Harawi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBpUTzUMJa4

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¡Allinllachu, masiykuna! 🌿

Queremos compartir con ustedes un episodio muy especial. En esta entrega nos acompañan nuestras hermanas Soledad Secca Noa (@solischa_20), Carmen Karely Valdivi Yojana Miraya Oscco (@yojana.miraya.oscco), quienes comparten sus trayectorias en la academia, así como su trabajo desde y con sus comunidades. Esta conversación fue grabada durante la conferencia de la Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA), realizada en Oklahoma del 26 al 28 de junio de 2025.

A lo largo del diálogo, reflexionan sobre los desafíos que han enfrentado —y continúan enfrentando— como mujeres mestizas o quechuas. Nos invitan a pensar qué significa investigar desde un compromiso ético con los territorios, con la memoria, con las luchas de sus pueblos.

Escuchar sus voces es una forma de recordar que el conocimiento no nace únicamente en los libros, sino también en las experiencias vividas, en las resistencias cotidianas frente al extractivismo, la violencia patriarcal, el racismo y las formas de asimilación o cooptación que enfrentan nuestras comunidades.

Gracias por acompañarnos. Si este episodio te conmovió o hizo eco contigo, ayúdanos a compartirlo, déjanos tus comentarios y síguenos en nuestras redes sociales:

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In this episode, I talked with Jonathan Ritter, who is the Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California, Riverside. We discussed his viral Quechua Pumpin song "Karumanta Qamurqani" (I have come from far away). Characterized by a carnivalesque style, Pumpin is often interpreted as testimonial music from the Fajardo province in Ayacucho, a central region deeply impacted by the Peruvian internal armed conflict between the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and Peruvian state security forces, lasting from 1980 to 2000. This conflict resulted in nearly 70,000 deaths, primarily affecting Quechua-speaking Indigenous peasants in this region, as noted in the 2003 report of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In 2001, shortly after the conflict ended, the Truth Commission began its efforts in communities throughout the Pampas River valley in central Ayacucho, where the Pumpin enjoys popularity. A year earlier, Jonathan Ritter started his fieldwork in the village of Colca for his dissertation focused on this music. After mastering the Pumpin guitar, he composed his song "Karumanta Qamurqani" to perform at the newly relaunched Pumpin contest held on the Waswantu plateau in February 2001. This contest had been on hold since 1983 when government security forces shut it down, targeting locals for allegedly supporting the Shining Path guerrillas. In February 2002, he performed his song again, and Asto Producciones filmed it for the first time on video cassette.

In this episode, we talk about how Pumpin transforms from traditional music into a powerful form of testimony that recounts wartime experiences and survival in the aftermath. We then examine the lyrics of "Karumanta Qamurqani," discussing their meanings and the song's reception both during the live performance in Waswantu and after its 2008 upload to YouTube. The response from Peruvians sheds light on issues of race, class, and identity, as well as the reclamation of Quechua language and culture in the post-war context.

This episode is dedicated to Alejandro Mendonza Alca from Colca, Jonathan Ritter's mentor and maestro of Pumpin, who sadly passed away a few years ago.

For more information on Pumpin music and its history, check out Jonathan Ritter's articles, including "Carnival of Memory: Songs of Protest and Remembrance in the Andes," published by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 2013.

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If you enjoy this podcast, you can support it by sharing it, hitting subscribe, or leaving a review. Our podcast is produced by Red Media and Red Nation; please consider supporting our work if you don't already on Patreon: www.patreon.com/redmediapr

Follow us on social media: @KuskallaPodcast on Twitter; @KuskallaPodcast on IG

Kuskalla Abya Yala https://kuskallaabyayala.weebly.com/

In this episode, bilingual Spanish-Quechua, we interview historian Charles F. Walker about his book Juan Bautista Túpac Amaru Ñak'ariran. Maqanakuy watakuna rikuq (Oxford University Press & Centro de Estudios Regionales Bartolomé De las Casas de Cusco, 2024 [originally published in English, 2020]). We also spoke with Rosalía Puma Escalante, who translated the book from the Spanish edition to Quechua.

Juan Bautista Túpac Amaru, the half-brother of José Gabriel Condorcanqui (Túpac Amaru II), played a significant role in the rebellion against colonial authorities from 1780 to 1783. This uprising was the largest insurrection in the history of the Spanish Empire. While the prominent leaders, Túpac Amaru and his wife Micaela Bastidas, were brutally executed, Juan Bautista survived decades of imprisonment in Peru, Spain, and North Africa. He was finally released and moved to Argentina in 1822, but sadly, he died before he could return to Cusco, which had always been his dream.

Thank you for listening to the Kuskalla Podcast.

If you enjoy this podcast, you can support it by sharing it, hitting subscribe, or leaving a review. Our podcast is produced by Red Media and Red Nation; please consider supporting our work if you don't already on Patreon: www.patreon.com/redmediapr

Follow us on social media: @KuskallaPodcast on Twitter; @KuskallaPodcast on IG

Kuskalla Abya Yala https://kuskallaabyayala.weebly.com/

Renzo Aroni runa simipi rimanku Irma Osnowan takikuna albumninmanta—Ayla Ayacucho sutiyuqmi. Willakunku lliw ruwasqankumanta. Imaynam lluqsichimun chay takikunata, hinaspa imaynatam Tokio Llaqtapi ruwaranku runasimipi chay takikunata llaqtansi usupi.

Huarcas (Ayacucho, Perú) llaqtamantam Irma, paymi wiñasqa uchuychanmanta sumaq huaño takikunawan manaraq Lima llaqtaman chayamuspa. Chaymantañam Japón suyuman ripukusqa, chay karu suyupin Quechuata yachachin kunankama. Ayacucho takiykunatapas, tusuyta riqsichin. Chay disco ruwasqampin kimsa takikunam kachkan: Pumpin, Huayno, Carnaval nisqakuna.

Albumpa sutinmi "Ayla", chaypin riqsirichin imaynam runakunawan, pachakunawan, uywanakuspa kawsanchikta. Irma allinta yacharichin kay albumpi pusaq quechua takikuna runakunawan yanapasqa/ruwasqa kay takikunata sumaqllata riqsichinapaq.

Sullpayki uyarikuychik Kuskalla Podcast.

***

In this episode, Renzo Aroni (@renzo.aroni) chats in Quechua with musician Irma Osno (@irma222_) about her 2024 album Ayla Ayacucho. Their conversation emerged from a music collaboration in Tokyo, focusing on Quechua songs and their meanings in the Andean world.

Irma, originally from Huarcas (Ayacucho, Peru), grew up with Andean traditional music before migrating to Lima and then Japan, where she teaches Quechua and promotes Ayacucho music and dance. The album features three tracks highlighting the region's musical diversity, including Pumpin, Huayno, and Carnival.

The album title "Ayla" symbolizes the seeding of life and the coexistence of humans, animals, and plants. As Irma explains, "The eight Quechua songs on this album are the result of my encounters with people who believe in music as a deep, quiet, and calming force that allows them to continue to exist just as they are."

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In this episode, we speak with Indigenous scholars Dr. Sardana Nikolaeva and Dr. Masha Kardashevskaya about their essays on Indigenous research methodologies. They discuss the significance of Indigenous-led research, its challenges, and the insights it offers within different geopolitical contexts. The conversation also touches on the importance of self-awareness in this work and the key lessons learned from navigating these complex research landscapes.

If you enjoy this podcast, you can support it by sharing it, hitting subscribe, or leaving a review. Our podcast is produced by Red Media and Red Nation; please consider supporting our work if you don't already on Patreon: www.patreon.com/redmediapr

Follow us on social media: @KuskallaPodcast on Twitter; @KuskallaPodcast on IG

Kuskalla Abya Yala https://kuskallaabyayala.weebly.com/

Allinllachu masiykuna! Para cerrar este año 2024, compartimos un episodio especial con Máxima Acuña, una mujer andina que ha liderado la resistencia contra la minera Yanacocha en Cajamarca, en el norte del Perú. A pesar de las amenazas, Máxima ha defendido su tierra y su comunidad, convirtiéndose en un símbolo de lucha por la justicia social y ambiental. Su historia no solo resalta el coraje de las mujeres andinas frente al poder, sino también la importancia de la defensa de los derechos humanos y el territorio.

Para conocer más sobre Máxima Acuña, puede ver el documental, Change Is Posible (Claudia Sparrow, 2019).

¡Muchas gracias por escucharnos! Si te gustó este episodio, ayúdanos a compartir, coméntanos y síganos en las redes sociales: @KuskallaPodcast en Twitter @KuskallaPodcast en Instagram