One week after the show “La noche del huayno”, at the Gran Teatro Nacional, the Peruvian singer Saywa She was excited to share the stage with Nancy Manchego (Apurímac), Lalo Arroyo (Ayacucho) and Adolfo Salazar (Apurímac). They and the musicians who will be on stage will offer a tribute to our huayno, one of the most important artistic expressions of our popular culture.
Victoria Porras Quintanilla, Saywa’s real name, announced that the concert “La noche del huayno”, scheduled for this Saturday, April 2 and that will feature a great display of artists on stage; seeks to keep our customs current. The repertoire will not lack songs such as: “Linda andahuaylina” (Apurímac), “Cajelos de la esperanza” (Ancash), “Desolación” (Ayacucho), “Recuerdos de Julcán” (Huancayo) and the inevitable carnivals as the end of the party. Tickets are already available on Teleticket.
In a conversation with La República, the 54-year-old Peruvian folk music singer spoke about the show, the artists who left for eternity and how we can promote our music to new generations.
YOU CAN SEE: Saywa: We need support to keep our traditions alive
Your first face-to-face concert is coming up, is there any kind of fear due to this contact?
Nerd. I’m excited, because I haven’t been to a live show in a long time. One always misses the warmth of the people who follow us at events. I am more excited because I am going to sing my songs, which I have been composing over time. It is exciting to sing at the Gran Teatro Nacional, the best stage in Peru.
How do you feel about sharing the stage with Nancy Manchego, Lalo Arroyo and Adolfo Salazar?
The most exciting thing is that: I will not be alone, but with colleagues and artists that I like very much. It is exciting to be able to unite voices and join forces to reach more audiences. For example, with Nancy (Manchego) we are preparing beautiful songs together; We very much agree on tastes. It’s going to be a reunion night. “The night of the huayno” will be a great show.
With some you are going to share this April 2, but you will not see others anymore, how do you feel about us not being complete?
These are times of pain. Recently our ‘Comunero de los Andes’ (Rómulo Meza) just left us. It also made me very sad that Juanita del Rosal is leaving, an artist I have always followed and who has been my inspiration. I had a dream to sing with her. The truth was that I was very sorry not to be able to say goodbye to her, because it was from one moment to the next. However, I am a woman of faith, I believe that they are alive, they are accompanying us. Life is passing, but our works remain. For me, the works left by all the artists who are no longer here accompany us in our singing, they accompany us like energy, they give us the strength and the courage to move forward spreading our music.
Do you think that we value them in life or that, perhaps, more programs like “Miski takiy” are missing?
I think that in Peru, we Peruvians do not know what we have. No one knows what He has, until He loses it. I think Peruvians only realize how valuable they are when they leave the country. The music of Peru is envied in the world. Other countries would like to have what we have, both on the coast, in the mountains and in the jungle. And that there is music that we still do not know. However, we are making progress, but much support is still lacking. Folklore artists do not have life insurance, support from anywhere. You have to see a little more for the defenders of music, because they are living legends that still exist in Peru. You have to support them so that the tradition is not lost.
What do you feel when we Peruvians sell out reggaeton singers in just one day and don’t do the same with our artists? Do we value the external more?
It’s true, that comes from home. I think that we, who are at the forefront and always defending our music, have to make our children aware of this at home, because we cannot love something that we do not know. I understand that this happens, because it is what people know. That music is played everywhere, everyone likes it. It’s like junk food: it’s good to eat it, but then it hurts you. That is why we have to make an effort and take our children to the theater, so that they can listen to good music and fall in love with our huayno, our customs, our languages. Although Quechua is our official language, we still haven’t integrated it. If we can greet each other in English and say ‘hello’, why can’t we say ‘imaynallan kashanki’ or say ‘allillanmi kashkani’ (I’m fine). We lack a little awareness. We do not integrate it, we do not make it ours.
So “Miski takiy” is a great example?
Fortunately there are people I know who put “Miski takiy” at two in the afternoon. It should be like this, because it is the program where you can listen to our dances, our languages. It should be almost like an obligation, so that our children listen and somehow get involved with our traditions. In this way we can make things change, as they are changing, but we still have a long way to go.
And can that change take place with social networks, where our music can also be promoted?
The change comes from us. There are two Quechua managers who have been able to get us on the networks, put a word in Quechua and you can translate it. That is a great achievement and it remains for the following generations. In this way we are advancing, step by step. If we only complain, we will not be able to move forward. The show we are doing is also important, because we need to put our music on a beautiful stage, which is difficult, because you have to invest a lot of money, you have to pay the best musicians. For example, we will have the presence of Gerber Merino, who is a musician who has shared with Pastorita Huaracina and Picaflor de los Andes. It is an honor to sing with him. It is the very source of music. We are bringing together the essence of our musicians of yesteryear with the new generations.
Since you are talking about the new generations, do you agree with the fusions that are being made now with the huayno or are you more purist?
I think fusion is good, because music is always evolving. The huayno that is sung now is not like that of 20 years ago. Each time elements are incorporated. It is experiential. You can sing a huayno with piano or put modern touches, but without losing the essence. The essence is so important, because, if you make a fusion, the huayno is still felt. To make a fusion, you have to know about the huayno, you have to know what a huayno is, what a carnival is. You have to go to the direct source. I don’t agree with bad mergers. I am not in favor of artists who add Quechua to any melody. It is a lack of respect for our tradition, because there are Andean melodies, we have beautiful melodies in Peru.
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