RETABLO. WAILLAKIS PURMACKAN

Wasillaykis Purmachkan. Year: 1996. Dimensions: Open: 43 x 76.5 x 20 cm / Closed: 43 x 38.5 x 20 cm. Upon opening this retablo we encounter a landscape dominated by the presence of the Río Pampas. In the center, we find the main scene, which portrays a group of musicians performing pumpin. The pumpin genre is one in which, in addition to love songs, sociopolitical themes are treated extensively. The song being sung and danced by this group is one that calls on the people of Ayacucho to return to their homes and recounts the terror the population is experiencing at the hands of Sendero and the Sinchis, which is forcing them into imminent displacement. This is depicted in the background: on the left there is an execution by fire by the military, and on the right, another carried out by members of Sendero Luminoso. Even in such a dangerous time, they call — through their music — for people to return: "Wasillaykis purmachkan / Your house lies abandoned," they sing to them. Despite so much violence, a song rises up against it, calling for hope and the pursuit of peace, which is also reflected in the retablo in the doves flying on the right side, disoriented. In the sky, helicopters fly and a flock of macaws representing the military presence soars. Two condors or wamanis also appear, watching the situation from above. Below the musical group, a path is seen along which community members flee to other places, taking some belongings they carry in bundles on their shoulders. Further below, the conditions of those who abandon their homes and migrate to other towns or cities can be seen — selling their products as street vendors, paying tribute to their dead, praying with candles; in this segment, all living adult figures are female. The crown of this retablo has a floral decoration; the doors are painted green and blood drips from above. Each door has a knife wound representing the violence, as well as the blood of both soldiers and Shining Path members. The power of music is exemplified by an experience Edilberto Jiménez had in 1996. Having been invited to serve as a judge at a pumpin festival, he was greatly surprised to hear that music with social and political themes had been prohibited. Despite this, the group "Voces del Colca" performed pieces about violence and the uprooting of the displaced, an event that inspired the creation of this retablo.