Upis

This morning I should have been waking up in the community of Upis and watching the morniing light illuminating Ausangate Mountain. I was scheduled to travel there to document Fiesta del Agua, a ceremony for the water that the Apu (Mountain Spirit) provides.  However, at the last moment, my trip was cancelled because it was decided it would be a closed ceremony and not open to me. 

This type of thing happens frequently here. It has occurred a lot this year. Oh, how I love you and yet you frustrate me Peru! There is not much I can do about it when these things happen. It is a contributor why this project is taking so long to produce. 

Things have been busy the last few months, so I am taking the unexpected free time to catch up on some writing, editing, and rest. This past week was stressful as I dealt with issues around my visa situation and found out that my lawyer has not been truthful with me, has not submitted the required documents over the past few months, and is not responding to me. Good thing I have friends here who have been willing and able to assist me. 

As I put the unexpected free time to use, I am sitting back with a pot of coca tea and reviewing the images from my previous trip to Upis that I made after returning from Quelccaya. It was quick two-day trip that came together last minute. My friends Guido and Helen were going there to deliver a workshop at the school and act as Quechua translators for a short film. They invited me to join them. 

The filmmakers, Franco and Annemarie, were generous enough to allow me to accompany the team. I really enjoy seeing the artistic works and different approaches to subjects by other creatives. The idea for their film was born nearby and filmed in the community, so this was their opportunity to present it to the students and members of the ayllu.

Raíz follows eight-year-old Feliciano who spends his days herding alpacas in a remote region of the Andes. His only companions are Ronaldo, a young alpaca, and Rambo, an old dog. Feliciano chats with them about football and the Peruvian national team’s World Cup qualifying matches. But behind this apparently monotonous and peaceful routine lies a threatening reality: a contaminated lake and his parents’ deep-seated anxieties. A mining company is pressuring the community to sell their land and is resorting to radical means of intimidation: several alpacas are found with their throats slit. The authorities ignore all pleas for help; Feliciano and the village are on their own. When Ronaldo disappears one day, Feliciano embarks on a desperate search. Meanwhile, his parents and neighbours band together to take action against the company. 

You can view the trailer for the film here:

https://youtu.be/afRNFWHTJZ0?si=46wWjrR4TgVPzDeb

These are very real issues that the people of the Andes face in their communities. The people of Upis and surrounding communities at the base of Ausangate Mountain have chosen to protect their land from mining interests.  

This week the Ausangate Private Canservation Area (ACP) was officially declared to protect 12,000 hectares of land and the ecosystems surrounding the mountain. The initiative was led by the Ausangatge Peasant Community which is comprised of the ayllus (communities) of Rodeana, Pucarumi, Upis, Rocca Rocca, Pacchanta Alta, and Pacchanta Baja. It was a collaborative effort led by the presidents of the respective ayllus and is a positive example of Indigenous communities taking control of what they want for their future and protecting the land they live on.

I was disappoointed I was unable to make it to Upis this weekend. It would have been an ideal time to be there after the annoucement of the ACP and to be present for the Fiesta del Agua. However, I will get an opporunity to travel there again as Adrián (our guide from the Quelccaya trip) is from the community. I travelled to Upis with him on the previous trip for the film and workshops. We all stayed at his mother Roberta’s home and they have invited me to return with them. 

I will chalk it up to another good scouting trip and plan to get there on another day when the time is right. For now I will get caught up on as much writing & editing work as I can while I have the opportunity.

Saludos cordiales,

MB