Juana Burga in Peruvian textiles Photographed by Santiago Sierra Soler — **Juana Burga in Peruvian textiles** *Photographed by Santiago Sierra Soler*

The origins of the Peruvian textile traditions stretch back thousands of years. Meet Juana Burga the Peruvian actress, model and activist who is working to keep the knowledge of the ancestors alive.

Where does your interest on textiles and artisans comes from?

One of my favorite cities on earth is Cusco. During my holiday season I always travel to Cusco and Machu Picchu to receive the new year. I then visit the small towns and cities throughout that part of the Andes mountains. One of the cities I’ve ended up falling in love with is Chinchero. I found out that it’s one of the communities where the artisans still keep the tradition of natural dyes and handmade knitting alive. That for me was absolutely beautiful. Then after many trips to Chinchero, I started to record and interview the artisans, asking them questions about their culture and heritage. That’s how my project Nuna Awaq - “Soul of the artisans” began.

“Preserving ancient techniques and knowledge is what connects past, present and future. It’s our connection to our roots and to The Earth.”

Describe your mission:

Nuna Awaq is a foundation that support and raise awareness for the Peruvian artisan weaving culture. Nuna Awaq would also be the first platform where different designers and brands could exchange information with the artisans and collaborate with them on fair trade. These artisans will have a proper space to work and be provided with the materials and training necessary to be able to get certified by the ministry of employment. This certification works as what we know as a master’s degree, improving their quality of life by allowing artisans to receive fair compensation for their work.

My personal mission is to become more conscious of my life style and become a humanitarian, using my platform to support great causes, to become a mom and teach my kids about the beautiful things in life.

Chinchero Photographed by Santiago Sierra Soler — **Chinchero** *Photographed by Santiago Sierra Soler*

ABOUT TEXTILES

Why are textiles important?
Because they carry a culture, status, feelings and a story through many generations. Textiles are not just a piece of fabric. Textiles tell a story and are embedded with knowledge. The textiles that come from Chinchero, Peru are made with the true soul of the original artisan culture.

Each blanket is made with love. Each choice of color is a feeling. Each pattern is an emotion.

Textiles are a piece of art from artisans and we should value it because without them many families won’t be able to continue on carrying these traditions that most of the fashion industry actually originates from.

What is the situation with the artisans and their communities today?

I feel that it’s in a very crucial moment. First of all most of the artisans are not passing the tradition on to their kids because they don’t see a future in it. Instead, they wish for their kids to learn English and become tourist guides, because they see more profit in that. Of course they want them to go to school as well, but many families can barely send their kids to school or university.

Therefore, they’re putting doubt into their culture and heritage. If this continues to happen, the tradition will disappear as the languages. Many languages have been lost due to this same scenario. I don’t want that to happen to the knitting culture. That’s the reason why I started Nuna Awaq. I want to empower artisans and make them feel proud, while at the same time give them the opportunity to make an income for their families.

Why is it important to preserve ancient wisdom and traditions?

Preserving ancient techniques and knowledge is what connects past, present and future. It’s our connection to earth.

What is the most important thing you have learned, working with these artisans and their communities?

I have learned so many things. First of all I’ve experienced first hand how happy they are while living with very few and limited amenities. I’ve seen how much they are connected with mother nature because it’s the one that provides for them.

And of course how they work as a community!

Why is it important to be connected to the earth and keep this knowledge alive?

I think especially during these times we live in now, it’s even more important to connect with earth. For many generations, we have forgotten who mother earth is and what she does for us.. We are now starting to experience some lessons from mother earth. We have to listen, and we need to acknowledge that we’ve been wrong.

I think natural disasters and the current pandemic speak for themselves and we need to be able to listen if we want to see a future for the younger generations.

I mostly fear that my kids wont be able to see nature the way I saw it when I was a child, or they wont be able to drink clean water or breathe clean air or that the food has been so genetically modified that they wont know the taste of real natural ingredients. That they wont have freedom or creativity because everything is going to be too controlled with government and technology.

How did you get into this line of work?

I loved History classes in school. My teacher would always talk about and push us to learn about the ancient Inca Culture and how they were so connected to the “Pachamama” (Mother Earth” in Quechua), the provider of all needs. I loved those stories. I always wanted to be connected with nature, and as I got older I realized that we were taking too much from it, and destroying it. My mother would always teach me to never take anything for granted.

“We need to make peace with the Pachamama.”

To do that, we need to find harmony between the ways we live, create, consume, and think about the ecosystems that allows us to be here in the first place. This is the greatest challenge of our time.

Tell us about which was the moment(s) in your life where you felt “the call to take action to help”.

I’ve always heard the call. I was raised in a family where we always take care of each other. My mothers mission was to travel around Peru and build schools in the poorest places. She would go to the far communities where they didn’t even have basic infrastructure, and she would build a school there. Since I was very young I heard her stories traveling to these communities and I always wanted to be like my mom and help others so I started doing charity, social and community work since I was very young.

Tell us about your personal awakening.

My personal awakening started a few years ago when I was going through a depression and I wasn’t happy with my self. So I started to question myself, and slowly I started to realize that I wanted to think, act and be more conscious in my way of life. I would question everything in me, to be able to realize that I need to change the way I was living and thereby I realized that I had to change my way to be able to change the world.

What are your personal goals?

I have many goals. One of them is to become more aware of the footprint I leave in my path. To work with people I love and help spreading awareness of a more sustainable future through my project “Nuna Awaq”. I made a promise to my self to work and support great causes across the world, starting with my Latino family.