Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) presented Indigenous Languages: Memory, Poetry, and Music livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 30 May at 8 a.m. CST (Mexico City, UTC -5) / 10 a.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 3 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 16:00 CEST (Stockholm, UTC +2).
Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) is delighted to present a mesmerizing performance titled Indigenous Languages: Memory, Poetry, and Music from last year’s Safe Havens Conference in Mexico City. Acclaimed writers Angélica Altúzar Constantino and Enrique Pérez López are accompanied by talented musicians Cicerón Aguilar and Ernesto Aguilar. This event will showcase the richness of Indigenous cultures and artistic expressions.
The power of language, memory, and creativity are intertwined in this performance. Reading of poetry written in Zoque, Tzotzil, and Spanish accompanied by music composed and arranged by musicians from the Chiapanec culture, an extinct language but one that continues to manifest itself culturally in rituals and festive practices. This event was curated by PEN Chiapas Plurinational.
About the Participants
Angélica Altúzar Constantino (she) is from Chiapas, holds a degree in Hispanic American literature and a master’s degree in twentieth-century Mexican literature. She is a writer and a literary researcher. She is also an essayist and promoter of reading. She is a co-author of the PEN-VIDA-UNESCO Count—participation of women writers in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua—entitled Mujeres en poder de la palabra (Women Seizing the Word). She is the vice-president of PEN Chiapas Plurinational.
Enrique Pérez López (he) is originally from Chenalhó, Chiapas, Mexico. He speaks and writes Tsotsil. He is president of PEN Chiapas Plurinational. He is a cultural promoter and author of several books and articles on Indigenous languages and cultures. He is also an expert in intangible cultural heritage. Currently, he is the director of University Extension of the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas.
Cicerón Aguilar (he) is a musician, composer, visual communicator, and cultural manager. He has produced seven compositions. He has composed music for theatre and documentary films. He coordinated the collection 100 años de la música en Chiapas (100 Years of Music in Chiapas) in celebration of the bicentenary of Mexico and Chiapas. His latest composition project is “La casa de los pájaros” (“The House of the Birds”), which is built from the perspective of the culture of the sugarcane growers of Chiapas. He has collaborated in several magazines on the music of the native peoples of Chiapas. He is a member of the ethnomusicology network NAPINIACA and founder of PEN Chiapas Plurinational.
Ernesto Aguilar (he) was born on 22 April 1992 in Tuxtla Gutierrez Chiapas. He is thirty years old. He has played guitar and piano since he was twelve. At fifteen he learned to record music, and from then on he has dedicated himself to music production for artists from his state and other parts of Mexico.
About Freedom Talks
The Freedom Talks series is focused on issues regarding threats towards artistic freedom, free press, and intangible heritage. It is closely connected to the annual global Safe Havens conference. Guests in the Freedom Talks series are highly knowledgeable and prolific actors in the global arts rights justice sector, fighting for artistic freedom. The Freedom Talks aim to share space and broaden the narrative of who can take center stage by lending the brand to different organizations within the sector. The talks are presented in—or translated to—English. The talks can be watched through our website and our partner HowlRound, where previous events are also archived.
The event is organized by the independent international NGO Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) through collaborations within the global arts rights justice sector, and with Safemuse graciously supporting as its mentoring organization in the start-up period. SH|FT is supported by the Swedish Arts Council under the Programme for Artistic Freedom, funded by Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and UNESCO-Aschberg Programme. The Freedom Talks are sponsored by the Swedish Institute. The exhibition and platform project is funded by the Swedish Postcode Foundation.
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