Yuyachkani's Human Rights Theater

Five contemporary plays from Peru spotlighting cultural and linguistic diversity

Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani began in 97 as a collective of activist-artists determined to change Peruvian society through the power of theater. Its unique vision aims to represent the multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural diversity of Peru for a wide range of audiences—in small highland towns in the capital, Lima and on international stages—and has earned the group its well-deserved reputation as one of Peru's premier cultural institutions. Much of Yuyachkani's work is dedicated to human rights and social justice issues that affect marginalized, rural, Indigenous-mestizo communities and urban populations in Peru. The plays in this anthology, in which characters speak in both Spanish and Quechua, emphasize the significance of Andean-Indigenous cultures in the national discourse and the effects of revolutionary movements and violence on the Peruvian nation.

This volume contains discussion of José Carlos Mariátegui, José Matos Mar, Alberto Flores Galindo, Rodrigo Montoya, Peter Elmore, Yma Súmac, Pedro Huilca, José María Arguedas, Miguel Rubio, and María Jesús Alvarado.