December 31, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Jorge Jimenez Sanchez strongly hammers the piece of metal at one end while his wife Marisol Hernandez Castro holds and pushes the small anvil at the other corner. After the last blow, he has the wooden circles revolved around this axis. The truck is finally finished once I adjust the wheels even though I also have to paint the word Cusco above the windshield and that’s it, says he. During Christmas days the living room of his house becomes his workshop. Here I can watch trucks, cars, trains, and airplanes made entirely out of hardwood. Mr Jimenez and his family is just one of the dozens of craftsmen who have attended the 2009 edition of the popular handicraft fair Santurantikuy held on the Qosqo´s main square every december 24th.
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December 21, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Tinkuy is a quechua verb which means to meet somebody. On the other hand, cuy is the spanish word for guinea pig. These two words were used to give birth to the First Food Fair Tincuy 2009. This was a two-day fair that gave Qosqo´s people as well as tourists and travellers the chance to gather with family and friends in order to indulge themselves with an array of flavours made not only with guinea pig but also with other regional produces such as trout and alpaca.
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December 12, 09 by Sergio Reyna
¨We are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water,
and thinking that thick water the thinnest of air¨.
Herman Melville´s Moby-Dick
Dozens of children fill the Kusikay Theater here in Qosqo with loud voices and laughs even though impatience parents attempt laboriously to keep them calm and quiet because the presentation is about to begin. Unexpectedly, all the theater´s lights turn off and a muffled silence predominates, only broken at times by the sighs of surprised and frightened kids. An unrestrained roaring spreads through the entire building as hundreds of puppets and flat cut-out figurines appear on the stage. The play resourcefully mingles clown, pantomime and music in order to tell three short but amazing tales.
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December 01, 09 by Sergio Reyna
A propósito de la realización del VI Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes FENACO 2009 que una vez más se llevó a cabo aquí en la ciudad de Qosqo en el mes de noviembre, tuvimos la oportunidad de conversar con la organizadora y promotora de dicho festival, la colombiana Inés Agresott. La entrevista se centró exclusivamente en las dos propuestas de ley que se están discutiendo actualmente en el Congreso para definir la nueva Ley de Cinematografía Peruana. El debate es muy polémico entre los mismos actores de toda la industria cinematográfica peruana a tal punto que se han formado dos asociaciones que agrupan tanto a exhibidores, distribuidores, productores y realizadores, entre otros, y que representan diferentes perspectivas sobre el futuro del cine en Perú.
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November 24, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Inés Agresott is easygoing and rather talkative and the most remarkable point is that she speaks with passion and great energy. Thus, her inner courage helped her make her relentless efforts pay off. She smiles and laughs all the time, and she may have a good reason for that: her sweet dream came true six years ago and it has definitely acquired a high reputation and esteem among film lovers not only around South America but also other continents. And for the sixth year in a row, Qosqo has become the capital of the International Short Film Festival 2009.
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November 20, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Nunca había realizado ciclismo de montaña y, sinceramente, no podía dejar de sentirme un tanto nervioso mientras me ajustaba el casco. Era esa sensación que nos invade ante lo desconocido a pesar de que me habían confirmado que la ruta era fácil. Después de revisar embragues y frenos, el grupo de nueve ciclistas partimos del pueblo de Cruzpata para visitar los andenes de Moray y las Salinas de Maras escondidos entre los sinuosos pliegues de los andes cusqueños.
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November 18, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Photos by Gustavo Vivanco León
The red runway is already set around the restaurant Divina Comedia´s courtyard. Tall white candlelights on the floor and the tables make the ambiance warmer. Opera singers, both men and women wearing red and black tuxedos, begin scattering the melodies of famous european composers such as Puccini, Verdi and Mozart. Personalities from Qosqo´s cultural and entrepreneural life trespass the old wood colonial door of the Arqueologo Hotel in the San Cristobal neighborhood just a few blocks from Qosqo´s main square. The fashion show Divina Moda by Divina Comedia is about to begin.
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November 13, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Los antiguos peruanos aprendieron a utilizar los escasos recursos que le ofrecía la naturaleza de una manera inteligente y racional. Hay muchas evidencias arqueológicas tanto en la costa como en los andes que atestiguan esta práctica. Los incas, que fueron la síntesis de una decena de culturas anteriores en lo que hoy es el Perú, no fueron una excepción a esta norma. Ud puede ser testigo de esta relación armoniosa con la naturaleza muy cerca de la ciudad de Qosqo al visitar los andenes de Moray y las Salinas de Maras.
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October 25, 09 by Sergio Reyna
Vals Idilio
“quien no tiene de inga tiene de mandinga”
popular saying
Would you like to dance or listen to any peruvian music? Your best chance to do so is on october 31st when most coastal cities celebrate the Día de la Canción Criolla or the Creole Song Day. Thus, whether you happen to be around Lima, Piura, Trujillo, Chiclayo, or Ica you would hear the sound of guitars and the “cajón peruano”. These musical instruments give rhythm to marinera, tondero, festejo, landó, and zamacueca which are five samples of the creole music. Couples dance with frantic movements of their arms and legs. They entice each other with their zapateo or tapping of the floor.
The traditional place for “criollos” to gather and start the “jarana” or rave is known as peña. However, nowadays the feast can even be held at plazas and parks.
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