Renata Flores, the indigenous musician who sings songs against discrimination in the Quechua language

As happens to many American equal-in-age girls, Renata Flores at age 14 became a celebrity on YouTube singing Michael Jackson’s songs. But unlike other girls, this Peruvian student didn’t make do with singing an international superstar’s cover with a beautiful and emotional voice, she translated the lyrics in her native language, the Quechua, to bring her

As happens to many American equal-in-age girls, Renata Flores at age 14 became a celebrity on YouTube singing Michael Jackson’s songs. But unlike other girls, this Peruvian student didn’t make do with singing an international superstar’s cover with a beautiful and emotional voice, she translated the lyrics in her native language, the Quechua, to bring her traditions back to life.

This centuries-old dialect, derived from the Inca who spoke it more than 800 years ago, is now a social stigma in Peru. Even if it’s the second most spoken language in the country, after Spanish, those who speak the Quechua are considered uncool. It’s not taught at school and, by now, just the old people living in the Andes speak it since new generations avoid learning it. “People think that Quechua is another world for poverty and unfairly don’t think highly of it”, said Flores, who has recently begun to learn the Quechua language.

In August the talented singer shared the video of her cover of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” with Inca ruins in the background. It was watched more than a million times on the Internet. The next month, thanks to the help of friends and relatives, she held her first concert in her native city of Ayacucho. On the stage, what standed out the most was not only the innovative mix of English and Quechua in her songs, but also the chullo she proudly wears, which has become the symbol of the fight against ethinc discrimination in Peru.

Translated by

Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.

Licenza Creative Commons
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.

Related articles
The best songs of 2017

Le canzoni più belle del 2017 secondo LifeGate Radio. Con questa playlist lanciamo la nostra collaborazione con Spotify Italia che vi farà ascoltare la musica migliore, selezionata.

Guatemala, Maya women fight to defend indigenous textiles from the fashion industry

An organisation that unites over 1,000 mainly Maya women in Guatemala has expressed alarm that indigenous handicrafts, textiles called “huipiles” in particular, are under threat because underpriced industrial fabrics appropriating indigenous patterns have flooded the Guatemalan market, depriving many native women of their main source of income. Read more: Down to Xjabelle, the fashion collection by a young designer with Down

RWANDArt, the documentary about young creatives putting Rwanda on the map

Rwandan creatives share a common dream: they want to use their art to bring about positive change in society, as well as put their country on the map. They’re mostly young, ambitious, self-taught and have a strong desire and determination to challenge mentalities, move forward and grow. In her documentary RWANDArt: A new creative generation, which