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Music, Movement & Rapping in Quechua and Kaqchikel Maya

flyer for Indignous rapper Liberato Kani, and Kamikal
Friday, March 29, 2024
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Liberato Kani, Kamikal, Tijeras
Our Voice, Nuestro Grito: Language Justice in the Americas

Parking is available on the Duke East Campus after 5 p.m. Emily Taylor (Duke Romance Studies) will lead a Maya K'iche language table in the venue's lobby.

Ricardo Flores Carrasco (Lima, Perú), known professionally as Liberato Kani, is a Quechua-language hip-hop singer and songwriter. Through his work, he is also a cultural and Indigenous Languages activist. In 2016, he presented his first album, Rimay Pueblo, which was internationally acclaimed, although it also faced criticism due to the fusion of traditional Andean sounds with contemporary urban rhythms. He performed at major arenas in Peru, including Teatro Nacional, Lima Book Fair, and Afuera Fest. In 2018, he made an international tour called Pawaspay (taking off in Quechua), where he visited Chile, Spain, Cuba, and the United States.

Opening the concert will be Mario "Kamikal" Yaxon Guarcax. He grew up in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, where he formed a rap group with his older brother. The pair have become known for their lyrics that speak to themes of social justice lyrics in their indigenous language, Maya Kaqchikel. Mario came to the United States 6 years ago, fleeing death threats from former paramilitary soldiers in his community who disapprove of the brother's counter-culture music and social justice activism. Now in North Carolina, Mario works in roofing by day and writes lyrics and mixes beats by night.

With the additional participation of Danzante De Tijeras, Yana Paqcha de Andamarca (Jorge Luis Astovilca Cupe). Yana Paqcha es Artista y Coordinador en eventos culturales del Grupo Cultural "Sonidos Andinos" de la Danza De Las Tijeras del Perú.