By the edge of a cenote, in the middle of the Telchaquillo community, the presentation of Sujuy Ja’, a performative project resulting from an international collaboration between the Netherlands and artists and activists from the state of Yucatán, will take place this Saturday, August 10, and Sunday, August 11, to share stories about water conservation.
This piece, whose Spanish translation means Sacred Water, was created between the World Opera Lab and Teatro de La Rendija with the aim of staging various myths about Mayan cosmogony narrated in the Mayan language and led by actresses and activists Socorro Loeza and Lucero Flores.
“For several years, the director’s work has been to talk about these kinds of topics, but to talk about them from the communities. It’s not a matter of ‘I’m going to investigate and do a job based on that,’ but rather the same residents, artists, creators, activists, the people living that situation are part of this work.
“In this case, she invites Lucero, who is a poet and also a water activist because she belongs to a collective that monitors pollution levels, and I am a playwright, a performing artist, but also a language activist, based on our connection with our environment,” shared Socorro Loeza in an interview with La Jornada Maya.
In addition to Socorro and Lucero, the Sujuy Ja’ creative team includes actress and singer Dana Góngora, percussionist Wendy Palomeque, World Opera Lab director Miranda Lakerveld, and Mayan researcher Freddy Poot. The production is managed by Alex Benavides, Hada Cortinas, and Marijke de Schepper.
The project is carried out in collaboration with Ja’ Kanules Telchaquillo, U Popolnajil Loolankil, Raquel Araujo, and Teatro de La Rendija.
The event will take place at 6 PM in the main park of Telchaquillo, municipality of Tecoh, and will be free and open to the public.
Socorro highlights that this work allows for discussions about some myths of Yucatecan cenotes and the risk of water scarcity. The artist considers it relevant to address these issues because, although the Yucatán Peninsula has abundant water reserves, it is used excessively.
“We are at a critical moment regarding how water is being managed on the peninsula; it seems as if it were a source that will never run out: we keep throwing garbage, using cenotes as sinks, bringing in more farms, setting up more polluting factories, but I also believe that something very important for us as the Mayan people is that we are always in dialogue and still celebrate ceremonies for rain requests, for gratitude, and that’s why this work also comes from the memory of our grandparents and we have this pass to continue taking care of the water,” the artist comments.
The piece will be narrated entirely in Mayan; however, Socorro assures that non-Mayan speakers will be able to enjoy it because visually and musically, the work will touch many chords in the audience.
“The performative concert will explore the sacred conception of water in Mayan cosmogony, as well as the importance of raising awareness about the protection of our underground water sources, which are heavily threatened by pollution. It will be a musical ritual inspired by the sounds of water and the first civilizations, using music recovered from documentary research,” highlights the event presentation.
Source: La Jornada Maya
