As a Wearer of Many Hats Promoting the Quechua Language, Language Activist Can Now Include Meme Maker

(Approximate translation: "I know Quechua!")

Margot Camones Maguiña is taking part in the Mother Language Meme Challenge creating memes in the Quechua language (Ancashino or Central variant).

Currently living in Huaraz, Peru, Margot wears many hats, all of which are directly related to teaching and promoting her mother language. Not only is she a professor at a local public education institute, but she is an interpreter, translator, academic director of the regional Quechua academy, and an intercultural judge with the Superior Judicial Court of Ancash.

In an interview with Rising Voices, she describes the role that Quechua plays in her life, "Quechua represents my Peruvianess, my identity, my profound love, my eternal passion, my backbone, my reason to exist, and above all my motto is 'Andean heart, Quechua by tradition and passion'"

For her participation in the Mother Language Meme Challenge, she has been sharing her memes on his Twitter account @MargotCamones and her blog "Anqash Qichwa Shunquyuq".

Rising Voices (RV): What is the current state of your language both offline and on the internet?

Margot Camones: I am working with several interesting projects to promote and preserve the Quechua language, such as a television program, Facebook page, a Quechua learning group called "Shumaq Willanakuy," as well as a blog where we share topics related to the language. We have also signed an agreement with the Higher School of Artistic Training of Ancash to teach the language for free. I also work with the Institute of Intercultural Bilingual Education Speciality, where we produce texts, songbooks, and compile all types of information related to the language and culture, such as signs, wisdoms, ways of life, and other information so that we can share it through a number of different media, such as Facebook.

There are also a channel on YouTube, where we share our videos that are produced in cooperation with a number of different people, especially those that are a part of our wider network.

There is an ongoing challenge to position Quechua on the internet, since to date there is not much acerbic documentary, but we are moving in that direction. For example, I am thinking of ways to share the publications that I have, such as in case of our blog. In our Facebook group there are many people who interact with one another to learn the language. To certify their participation, we have the support of the Regional Academy of Quechua of Ancash. And this is one way that we continue to promote Quechua in all public spaces.

RV: Why did you decide to participate in the Mother Language Meme Challenge?

MC: I decided to participate in the meme challenge because it was another opportunity to share and promote Quechua in these space. It was here that not only did I find my own language, but many more languages that one can learn from.

Presently, all the virtual spaces we have created on the internet are used to teach and to continue to create awareness, above all to give value and importance to Quechua just as other languages do. In addition, I am pleased to welcome Vanesa Ropón Palacios who has taken on the challenge of creating memes in Quechua with great enthusiasm. As an Intercultural Bilingual Education student with Quechua Ancashino as her mother language, she identifies with the language.

RV: Who would you like to challenge to create a meme in this language? and why? (who would you like to invite to create memes in your language or perhaps another language)

MC: I would like to challenge Liseth Atamain, a hard-working woman, who is in charge of a page called Cultura Awajun. I would like to see memes in her language to see what she would come up with. I imagine that would be very beautiful, as in my sweet Quechua.

Find more memes from the Mother Language Meme Challenge in a variety of global languages by checking out the #MemeML hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. There is also a Facebook group for the Challenge with contributions from all across the world.

The Pride of Peru

Situated in central-western South America, Peru - officially the Republic of Peru - neighbours Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Brazil in the east, Bolivia in the southeast and Chile in the South. Covering just under 1.3 million sqkm and with a population of over 31 million, Peru is as large as France, Italy and Spain combined, or as populous as half of France. Comprising elements of the Pacific desert, Andes mountain range and Amazon rainforest, Peru is remarkable for its extreme biodiversity.

If civilisation is defined by urban settlements, Peru's Norte Chico civilization originated from Caral - the Sacred City of Caral-Supe is a UNESCO World Heritage site - as the oldest in the Americas, and indeed one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the 26th century BC. During the 15th and 16th centuries AD, the Inca Empire, with its capital in Cuzco, was the largest state in the pre-Columbian Americas. At the height of its power, the Spanish Empire - the first empire on which the sun never set - ruled much of the Americas with its four viceroyalties: Viceroyalty of New Spain (capital: Mexico City), Viceroyalty of Peru (capital: Lima, later Cuzco), Viceroyalty of New Granada (capital: Bogotá) and Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (capital: Buenos Aires, later Montevideo).

The first vitis vinifera vines were introduced to Cuzco by Spanish conquistadores and missionaries from Andalucia and Extremadura. Conventional wisdom has it that, in the Old World at least, quality wine production is largely confined to those regions lying between the 30th and 45th degrees parallel. Stretching from the equator to Tropic of Capricorn (ca. 23rd degree parallel), Peru seems to have been dealt a bad hand, but for mitigating factors such as altitude and maritime influence. In fact, growing conditions are so favourable that, during the 16th and 17th centuries, Peru possessed the most important vineyards in the Americas, when it was the political centre of South America. In the 17th century, Potosí - in modern day Bolivia - was the largest city in the Americas thanks to mining. Keen demand from this area further drove Peruvian wine upwards.

Through no fault of its own, the subsequent centuries saw Peruvian wine go into decline. It was not until the turn of the 21st century that Peruvian wine welcomed a long-awaited renaissance. Today, Peru comprises five DOs (Denominación de Origen): North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, Andean Sierra and Selva. Its wine industry is characterised by three large producers and just under 100 small wineries. With a proud history dating back to 1540 when the first vines were planted in South America, Bodega Tacama is Peru's oldest wine producer.

To be continued...

Bodega Tacama Chardonnay 2012

A single-varietal Chardonnay from Ica matured for six months in oak barrels. Rich citrine with bright golden reflex, the aromatic nose offers grapefruit, apricot, salted butter and acacia. With generous acidity, the fleshy palate delivers lemon, nectarine, garden herbs and green almond. Medium-full bodied at 13.5 percent, the suave entry continues through a juicy mid-palate, leading to a rounded finish.

Bodega Tacama Don Manuel Tannat 2012

A single-varietal Tannat from Ica matured for 12 months in oak barrels. Deep garnet with carmine-ruby rim, the fragrant nose presents blackberry, damson, nutmeg and tobacco leaf. With abundant acidity and copious tannins, the energetic palate supplies cassis, prune, grilled herbs and black coffee. Medium-full bodied at 14.5 percent, the leafy entry persists through a tangy mid-palate, leading to a long finish.

Special thanks to the Consulate General of Peru in Hong Kong & Macao for hosting the private tasting. The following wines were tasted in the presence of Consul General Mr Sergio Manuel Avila Traverso and Deputy Consul General Mr Gonzalo Talavera-Alvarez.

The Story of the Incas Through the Four Faces of Peru

Peru is one of those countries that most British people probably know very little about. It's associated with Paddington Bear and of course coffee; but it has a lot more to offer than just that... Historically, it was a country ruled by the Incas; one of the most powerful civilisations of all time - before the Spanish Conquest. The Incas managed to inhabit and flourish in the range of testing terrains that Peru has to offer. Even today, over 500 years later, the Inca's legacy is still weaved through the landscape and culture.

This story starts long long ago, high up in the city of Cuzco; which was the capital of one of the largest empires ever seen in the world - the Incas. Nowadays, Cuzco is a tourist mecca, with it being the gateway to green expanses of the Andes (where notably Machu Picchu is tucked away). Despite the fact the Spanish burned and destroyed most of the main buildings; there are still clues to Cuzco's once glorious past and the legacy that the Inca's left. The layout of the city still reflects the power that the Inca's imposed over the landscape, with the four main roads leading out of the central plaza. If you find yourself stumbling into one of the magnificent plazas of the city, it can transport you back hundreds of years to a time when the Incas walked the earth.

From Cuzco, there's only one place the go - Machu Picchu (arguably what Peru is known for). A winding journey through the Andes mountains, then a walk or train ride will bring you to this breathtaking UNESCO world heritage site - it's a once in a lifetime place to visit. For the more adventurous traveller, a testing uphill climb as dawn breaks (or a short bus ride) will lead you to the perfect vantage point of Machu Picchu. The sheer size of the site can be appreciated from here, tucked away in between soaring peaks. But, it's not until you wander through the site that the intricacy of all the masonry work by the Inca's can be fully appreciated. How on earth did they manage to build this? Machu Picchu is a real tribute to the Incas and how advanced their culture was.

A world away from Cuzco and Machu Picchu is Lake Titicaca. The islands out on the lake still house people living the traditional way of life, albeit not the Inca life. It's said that these people choose to originally locate out to these remote islands to escape the Inca rule. The islands are characterised by people who follow a traditional way of life by wearing the traditional dress and living off the land. Despite the people of these Islands removing themselves from the Inca rule they are the closest insight one can get into how the Incas lived. Their culture stems from a culture that was around at the same time as the Incas and has been relatively unaffected due to the isolated location to the rest of Peru.

The final face of Peru is its capital, Lima. Due to the progressive and international (mainly Spanish) aspects of the city, it could be said that the Inca's legacy is fading into the background here. Yet, throughout the city there are little pockets of ruins, usually fenced off - a nod from the government for preservation of these vital keys to history. They're not widely appreciated or noted by many tourists and locals alike; but they're a little remembrance of the civilisation that once lived.

"Genetic study may make ancient Incas quinoa a grain of the future"

Quinoa, the sacred "mother grain" of the ancient Inca civilization suppressed by Spanish conquistadors, could become an increasingly important food source in the future thanks to genetic secrets revealed in a new study.

Scientists on Wednesday said they have mapped the genome of quinoa and identified a gene that could be manipulated to get rid of the grain's natural bitter taste and pave the way for more widespread commercial use.

Quinoa (pronounced KIN-wah) already grows well in harsh conditions such as salty and low-quality soil, high elevations and cool temperatures, meaning it can flourish in locales where common cereal crops like wheat and rice may struggle. But the presence of toxic and bitter chemicals called saponins in its seeds has been one of the impediments to extensive cultivation.

Plant scientist Mark Tester of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia said the research pinpointed a gene that guides production of saponins in quinoa. This knowledge could enable breeding of quinoa without saponins, to make the seeds sweeter.

Currently, quinoa grain must be processed through washing and drying after harvest to remove saponins.

"Quinoa is currently greatly under-utilized," said Tester, who led the research published in the journal Nature. "It is highly nutritious, with a high protein content that, importantly, has a very good balance of amino acids, which is unusual for our major grains. It is gluten free and high in vitamins and minerals, too."

Increased quinoa production could improve food security on a planet with unrelenting human population growth, Tester said.

There are potential disadvantages to reducing saponins, perhaps increasing susceptibility to fungal infections or bird predation, Tester added.

Quinoa, which boasts a nutty flavor, can be used the same ways as rice and wheat. It can be cooked and served on its own, turned into pasta, put in soups, eaten as a cereal or fermented to make beer or chicha, a beverage of the Andes.

The crop was sacred to the ancient Incas, who called it "chisoya mama," or the "mother grain."

During their South American conquest 500 years ago, Spaniards suppressed quinoa cultivation because of its use in indigenous religious ceremonies. They forbade quinoa cultivation for a time, with the Incas forced to grow wheat instead.

Quinoa is still a minor crop globally, grown mostly in Peru and Bolivia. It has become fashionable in the West in recent years, primarily as a health food.