The sound of the Sumaq Kawsay - "Sikuri" and "Buen Vivir" ?

Sumaq Kawsay ("Buen Vivir"/"Good Living Together") stands for people living together in community and in harmony with nature. This philosophy of life has its origins in the Andean regions of Latin America. One way of living Sumaq Kawsay is through music, or more precisely: the sikuri. Sikus are Andean "zampoñas" and sikuri is both the musical genre and the community that plays it. It is played in the form of a dialogue in pairs in a muyú or circle. One person plays one half of the scale while the other plays the other half. Therefore, it takes two people to play the melody, just as it takes two people to form a community. The harmonious melodies of the pairs create the sound of the community. This requires mutual respect, team spirit and the practice of the values of reciprocity and complementarity. In muyu, everyone is equal: everyone is an important part of the community and of the sound that is created and shared. Rosalio Ochoa Saavedra played according to the principles of Sumaq Kawsay Sikuri in Bolivia. In Kassel, he offers a weekly music workshop with his community group "Sikuri Kassel - the sound of Sumaq Kawsay". In this workshop we will learn about the principles of Sumaq Kawsay and how these are expressed in the music. The workshop includes practical parts in which the participants can try out this Andean community music.