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Film short abstract:

From focusing on the diverse musical practices of Otavalo Indigenous musicians, this film shows an unconventional image of Indigenous people, where tourism and migration are central in Otavalos’ conception of their own lives and in their participation in a globalised world.

Film long abstract:

Throughout five parts, each of them focusing on one musician or one band of musicians, this ethnographic film shows diverse musical practices of Otavalo Indigenous musicians (such as performances in local festivities and on festival stages, recording practices, and performances of different genres from different places). Hailing from the Ecuadorian Andes, the Otavalos have envisioned possible futures beyond what is usually expected from Indigenous people by the state and the dominant society. The promises of migration and tourism have shaped Otavalos’ actions in the present towards a brighter future, relying on a revalorised image of their Indigenous past. Many Otavalos have migrated to Europe and North America, mainly since the 1980s, to sell their handicrafts and to play Andean music in the streets. They have also depended heavily on tourism in Otavalo town, which is home to an important craft market.

The film emphasises the ways the circulations of people, sounds, ideas, and objects have shaped the contemporary practices of Otavalo musicians and how migration, urbanisation, influence/re-appropriation of globalised ideas and objects, the use of technology, the revalorisation and performance of local ‘culture’ have impacted the visions of their contemporary everyday lives and futures. In this context of transnational interconnectivity, the presentation of self as culturally different has been at stake. In this way, the film also shows several ways of revalorising ‘traditional’ musical practices and of merging the latter with sounds, genres, ideas, and objects from other Latin American regions and the northern hemisphere.