DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:
Just like Urpi’s Grandmother millions of indigenous people leave their native places but assimilation comes with a cost.
This story is important to me because I'm a product of assimilation.
My grandparents were Quechua and Aymara indigenous people from the Andes, they migrated from the Andes just like millions of people migrated from their native places to look for better opportunities, in order to assimilate, they have to leave their indigenous language. In Peru, systematic racism and discrimination forced my grandparent to stop speaking their native languages and hide their traditional customs.
For so long I didn’t see myself as Quechua and Aymara, which led to an identity crisis and I think it is important to tell the struggles that specifically Indigenous people from this continent face on a daily basis.
This story is a message of love to my people, many of us were taught to hide who we are. The preservation of our culture is critical for future generations. But we can choose to reconnect, educate and decolonize.