Peru

In Peru, the mighty Inca Empire flourished for centuries without wheels, money, or a written language. Its last stronghold was conquered in 1532. What remains, however, is a sophisticated oral tradition in indigenous Quechua and Amazonian regions. Unfortunately, out-migration is eroding what used to be a familiar inter-generational transmission of this traditional knowledge. CPI supports an innovative project to preserve the story-telling traditions of Peru’s indigenous cultures.

CPI worked with an international group and with Cultural Association Ayllu Yupaychay (“Guardians of the Respect,” in Quechua), to create a storytelling project based on traditional stories from the high Andes and the Amazonian zone. A select group narrated the stories to children (ages 9 -15) who later interpreted a chosen story in paint. Their work was exhibited, and will be assembled into a prototype book for publication.