Nuevos imaginarios del sur - Bariloche 2024
Nuevos imaginarios del sur (New Imaginaries from the South) was a series of cultural events featuring young Mapuche artists that took place in Bariloche, Argentina between 24 and 28 April 2024.
The initiative comprised two related components:
1) a cultural evening (varieté) featuring music, dance, and poetry at the auditorium of Radio Nacional Bariloche
2) a collaborative theatre workshop culminating in a public performance.
The cultural evening on 26 April 2024 featured María Lew; Maxi Flores and Pukka Malen Curipan (who are also members of the rock bands Tralkan Lef and Tsunami Alerta, respectively); Ayliñ Wagvlen; and the music group WeWay.
These artists presented their work to a full auditorium at Radio Nacional Bariloche , with the evening broadcast and streamed live. The event was produced by Laura Kropff, Vanesa Nicolini, Gabriela Salamida, and the radio’s technical team.
Watch the full performance
Parallel to this, these young Mapuche artists worked with undergraduate drama students from the universities of Río Negro (Argentina) and Concepción (Chile) under the guidance of Miriam Álvarez and Lorena Cañuqueo (members of the Mapuche theatre collective El Katango and directors of the drama programmes at both universities) and Alex Córdova from the Chilean street theatre group La Patriótico Interesante.
Through creative exercises and discussions, participants developed an original theatrical performance exploring intercultural communication, racism and identity, culminating in a free public performance to a full audience on 28 April.
By bridging Indigenous and urban artistic practices, fostering Argentine-Chilean collaboration across the Mapuche ancestral territory Waj Mapu, and confronting themes of displacement and cultural erasure particularly relevant to Bariloche's contested territorial disputes, the event challenged stereotypes whilst centring young Mapuche voices.
