About Kankurua, and what we are doing.

The question I always receive of people that are not close to latinamerican culture and our way of being is: Why do you decide to manage a native word as Kankurua to describe your work? And as I am trying to explain it I give them my own words, the words I use in my song Amarnos mas, “through art we make freedom”… As soon as natives and our traditional values get involved in the processes of making peace we have a real chance of transform everything and make this world a better place to live. And now is the moment of being conscious of being in peace in our inner selves, of the rhythm of our hearts and the possibility of stop the fire. This idea of brotherhood, of consider ourselves as humans first of all, has motivated a lot of people of joining the same cause. A lot of artists in Latin America are saying the same thing in different ways. Here is the song of Dr. Krapula a very clever group of Colombian musicians that have been working in a project called Sekiwia that put together the things that worries us and how could we together can change it. This is a translation I made for it. I love this song.

Uy que vaina,/ Oh what the hell

están matando el planeta/ they are killing the planet

tomando países/ taking the countries

desangran la tierra/ bleeding the earth

es un maleante desalmado / is a heartless bandit

destruir es su obsesión/ to destroy is his obsession

pues su alma consumida esta/ but his soul is consumed

por el dinero y el poder que este le da/ ‘cause the Money and the power they receive

con el apoyo de sus aliados/ with the support of their allies

rompen la tierra sin compasión/ they break the earth without compassion

para sacarle de sus venas sangre negra/ to take out black blood

y con ella tanquear maquinas de guerra/ and with that full war machines

la esperanza cojeando esta/ the hope is limping

de ti depende que se pare una vez más/ it depends on you to stand up once again

en este mundo donde el hombre olvido/ in this World where men forgot

que somos hijos de la tierra y del sol/ that we are sons of the Earth and the Sun

uniendo fuerzas es la única salida/ putting together our force, is the only way l

atinoamérica contra la destrucción/ Latin America against destruction

la voz en alto fuera de nuestras vidas/ Voice ahead upon our lives

si esto no para vamo’ hacer un reventón/ if this doesn’t stop we’re going to do a rebellion

la voz en alto de américa latina/ the loudest voice of America Latina

este pueblo unido es parado y decidido/ Our people stand and are decided

con la mano arriba y gritando con fuerza/ with the hand up and shouting strong

puede lograr que el mundo no desaparezca/ can make the World doesn’t disappear

y no olvidemos latinoamericanos/ and we Latin-Americans don’t forget

que no existen banderas, todos somos hermanos/ it doesn’t exist flags, we are all brothers

pa’ delante sudaca/ looking forward sudakas

hagamos la lucha/ fight together

hagámosla en masa/ let’s fight massive

hagamos la lucha/ let’s do the fight

adelante mi raza/ go ahead my race

repitiendo la historia de su pueblo/ repeating the history of their people

a las buenas y a las malas invadiendo/ in every way invading

deseando esclavizar la humanidad/ wishing a humanity of slaves

para sumirla en su sistema de maldad/ to fall it in it’s evil system

si no paramos juntos esta vaina/ if we don’t stop this together

con desangrar la tierra no le bastara/ bleeding the Earth is not going to be enough

comerciara con el alma de nuestra mamá/ they’ll deal with the soul of our mother

agua bendita yo no quiero estar acá/ bless water, I don’t want to be here

www.drkrapula.net

How are we going??

Good.!! Still in London and a new project become real. But first things first. The documentary has been a wonderful work to do. I have been writing a lot about things that move the first idea in a such a different way. We are now working in the edition script. All the images are done and we are moving in the next step.

Hard thing has been the fact that my favorite editors are in Colombia and send tapes is really a “video” jaja… (in the Colombian way to say that), so I think maybe here I can get a little help from my friends… We’ll check that out.

So, the new idea is kind of different thing, because is like: seeing this city in a new way, trough the images I have made of the city, that shows the London I have lived in for the last three months. It is a wonderful blue skies’ city with a great weather! Sounds strange but is real. And I am going to show it.

About friends and more friends...

This is it... London is the perfect place to make friends. The people are so interesting that you have always something more to ask or to answer. This weekend was absolutely great because I had the opportunity of being in some deep and smart conversations.

David is brilliant, like Scottish people are, as I can see and by the way is a great dancer. Anna told me that, but is more of what I have thought. I am so happy of being his friend and a friend of his girlfriend Grace too. Amazing couple, the kind you can easily find in this city. We were singing and playing the guitar.. that was fun!

On Saturday I met Mauricio. At least, after 2 months of being in the same city we found the time and the place to meet. Was a great time, I really missed him. And he introduces me another great, wonderful guy: Claudio, from Chile. We had the best dialogues I have ever had with a new friend, more than that… is like holistic connection, sure now, he is in my heart.

And this weekend to just close the Sunday I met Alan, my Japanese teacher that is trying to make me understand the Japanese culture while I am teaching him Spanish and explaining our way of seeing the world.

So I am really grateful for the persons I have found around. Things like this are the kind of stuff that makes me think sometimes that I can live here for a while… maybe I’ll come back.

The idea of writing

Writing this blog is like having clear what ideas are around the Kankurua's project. These days we are working a lot because there are more than one big ideas coming true.

First the web site, after we opened it things have been changing a lot, so it is clear that if you want to exist you have to have one internet site, and it should be new every day if it is possible. The connection with others and the possibility of share information using RSS, and get all the other personal works, blogs and whatever in it, is great.

The second thing is that documentaries are in the menu of the day all day. We are working, here in Europe but at the same time in Colombia in the production of at least one short film and one big documentary.

The third is about the connections we want to have all around the world and the idea of promote our American Culture and Traditions all over the world.

I know, I have to write more in this blog and from know on I have decided that is my task to write twice a week to make this Kankurua’s news blog a thing that matters. Thanks to all.

Bloggers Day!!!

Hey!!! Nice day for everybody... Is amazing that exist a blogday, but I am happy to be part of it.

Ok, here are my 5 recomendations for the day:


1. The first is a blog in the colombian most important newspaper website. The writer is funny and uses spanish in a lovely way. If you can read in spanish go. http://www.eltiempo.com/participacion/blogs/ and search fot El BLOGOTAZO.

2. My second recommendation is ahttp://r3ve.free.fr just great to find all that information in that place... chack it.

3. http://memetherapy.net for those who like all about sci-fi and weird things. They are amazing. Good blog.

4. http://www.3dm3.com/competition/cggirls/ don't know if you can say it is a blogg, but in this page you can find one of the most interesting contest for women... unreal ones jijiji.

and the last one is http://www.ecofriend.org/... you know for all of us the ambientalists!!

Ok that's what I can say today... of course if you know me you have been in www.myspace.com/marykankurua and in http://360.yahoo.com/marsuliss is me posting about I like the most, life, arts, Colombia, thoughts and environment. Be cool....

If you want to add to the bloggers day, just choose 5 interesting blogs and share it. Also includes the links for Technorati: technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2006 and www.blogday.org

HAPPY DAY FOR ALL OF US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How is going the project...

This time I have to say that I have been interacting with a lot of different people just to find the right persons that would like to answer to my questions in front of the camera, but most of all, that kind of people that you can not easily find in a city like my lovely Bogota D.C.

So, at this point I have interviewed a nice guy form Malaysia who’s name is Jay (it is really Wijaya but nobody here can say it ) and has been here for 4 years studying first and then working like a chef. He’s life is very interesting and is great in front of the camera. The second person is also a guy, from Iran, he’s really nice and has been here only for a year. He is from Teheran and has a lot of clever things to say. Soil (I don’t know how to write his real name in Iranian) is living here with his brother, fact that makes everything easier for him. And the third guy (again a guy … I have to find some women) is Patrice from France; 10 years working in five stars Hotels as a Concierge… very interesting…

Unlucky me, Ryu a half Japanese half German guy that works as a journalist photographer and has moved a lot couldn’t make it. Still have my agenda full of appointments for this week and the next. I think I’m collecting great material… you’ll see.

Ulysses Syndrome?

Because a special recomendation, these days i have been reading and thinking about the ulises's syndrom and i have realized that is everywhere around here.

London is really a city of inmigrants, it is easier to find a colombian that a true london borned person everywhere, in the streets, in the buses in the supermarkets, wherever. Of course I am not living in a exclusive london place, it's more like the common london p"people from evereywhere" place. But is funny, in one way travel on a bus you can hear five or 6 diferent leanguages and if you are in central london (where you can see hundreds of tourists) it can be more.

With all the differences, my first impression was to think that people can not feel alone, because there are a lot of persons around living the same situation, maybe alone, working a lot to make some money, and wondering about the day of going back home.

This feelings now on are designed as the ulysses' syndrome and for the new generation of phisologysts is bad... of course is bad to feel like that, mi friend Maritza recently told me "living here is like a roller coaster one day you wake up feeling that your life is great and the next you just want to cry and run away, and you don't know why". I have feel that and haven't been here for a long time. Is like feeling that your real life is happening somewhere else, or worst, feel like your real life is going to begin when you just can go back... or feel at home.

By the way I'm going to film some interviews trying to find it out...

What happened to you people??

Is the most absurd new.. now because is a posibilitty that any person can blow an airplane with a small amount of liquid, you just can no travel with your stuff!. Is amazing, the world is crazy now and I really don't know what to think of that.

Yesterday was my birthday but the day is going to be remembered as the day the biggest terrorist atack was discovered in London... nothing to be ashame of... is not my fault, and my next fly is going to be from here to the States ... perfect.

Any one could have been a victim there. People in this world just fly... bussiness, hollydays, turism, whatever. Is a huge contradiction one more year of life... a closer place to death. That's me.

la foto... mar in NYC

More than words...

Again, I have had a lot of trouble around here because I am not always sure about what the words really mean. Is not that I can not understand English (because my mother language is Spanish), is because sometimes I fell like people just "talk".

If I say somebody after a nice invitation... "ok I'll meet you for lunch on Wednesday" I think that is perfectly clear, so why the person has to call Wednesday morning to ask if it is ok to go to the swimming pool??? Now is not going to be lunch and not swimming pool either.

Here, in London, has happened to me more than once. People say something and then do another thing. And to make things worst you never know if you are rude or what, when you want to reach people to say things. I have never felt so insecure before about new relationships.
Here I live with my sister, that's good, she know me, and is there for me. I have one girl friend to go out with, and have nice conversations... but... not like philosophical stuff. Sometimes I hate that absurd necessity that I have to be transcendent. To talk about deep cultural roots and our role in this moving universe... that's all.. I miss my very best friends in America: Juango, Mayaya in Bogotá D.C, Cristina in Caracas, Enrique in New York, Monica and Jairo in Santa Marta.

Try to understand other cultures communication forms make me crazy. I know this japanese guy that I like a lot. I think he's smart, brilliant and cute. But...we couldn't stand for an evening together!!!! Like if you can not find the real question, or the real answer. Is like something's missing. (the words? something behind the words?)Some how is a bad thing to be single because you can not expect to find a good partner, pal, a guy you can just call to talk or go around for a coffee with, while together try to find the best way just to "save the world".

And that "save the world" is really... communicate the world (or the real word). If that can be possible maybe we can do a real change for good. The sentence I can say for that is: “ What you say has to be what you really mean”

New Blog...

Ok, since I'm living out of my lovely America, I have decided to write about what I like the most of being Colombian and live in another place. This is going to be like a diary of my days out of my country asking me questions about the way people live, communicates and build new kind of relationships. Here I am completly sure that not only America can be a Kankurua, but the world, the plantet itself.