Tatang – a Curahuasi kid dealing with poverty.
Downhill mountain biking is a popular pastime for many boys in the Curahuasi district of the Andes. This extreme downhill sport is in stark contrast to the traditional and simple lifestyle of the Quechua Indians.
An article extract from a German Mountain Bike magazine (Dirt Magazine DE) professional video “Out of the Shadow” (Feb 2015) about downhill biking from 4,100m in the mountains surrounding Curahuasi;
“It is five in the morning and the mountains are shrouded in thick fog when we knock on the door of the slaughterhouse. A grinning Tatang opens the door… Tatang is quiet and reserved, but above all very diligent. If there is something to do, he is always the one who tackles the first and hardest job.
Every day before school, from three to seven Tatang works here, so he can afford a sandwich for school, clothes and spare parts for his bike. In four hours he earns 10 Sol. That’s about $4 AUD.”
Our hope is to contribute toward breaking this poverty cycle with our Diospi Suyana Broadcast work.
Here is a short film documentary (12:20) of "Out of the Shadow" (NB in Spanish with German subtitles – production is excellent!) giving insight to some of the surrounds and culture of Curahuasi;
(NB if viewed outside of the Blog, this video application may not function as intended. Alternatively copy this URL into your browser to access it directly: https://ds4d3zl5uvpbf.cloudfront.net/videos/AAe2y2wh95z8_640.mp4)
Our Sam (15) is looking forward to being a part of this activity with the local kids alongside pursuing his road cycling ambitions.
Downhill mountain biking around Curahuasi is popular with the boys.
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment