Renata Flores is from Huamanga, Peru. She is a young creative force that has been named by the New York Times as “Peru’s Queen of Quechua Rap.” She is not only a talented singer, but an artist that is bringing Andean culture to the forefront. Flores, who participated in La Voz Kids Peru in 2014, is an indigenous activist who uses her songs, music and art, which for the most part are sung in her ancestral language of Quechua, to bring visibility to her community.
One of her first videos ‘Qam hina’ has surpassed half a million views on YouTube. It tells the story of Renata’s grandmother:“My grandmother could not finish her studies at school; It was very difficult to reach her; How long has it been since then and that reality has not changed yet !; The dangers that children have to suffer in such a long walk, especially girls, many of them stop studying because of it. Peoples in rural areas have suffered a lot and will continue to do so if we don‘t think of them as our people, our blood; They deserve more attention, they have been forgotten for quite some time, we only remember them in the cold and they really deserve more than a coat ... like me, like you = “Qam hina”.
In March 2021, Flores released her first album, ‘Isqun’, largely in Quechua.
Here is Renata’s latest video is a tribute to María Andrea Parado de Bellido -one of her favorite heroines in the history of Peru. “She was very brave and intelligent, her contribution to the freedom cause inspires and will inspire many generations. It is important to remember her and be inspired by her legacy. Before shooting her for treason, she was subjected to interrogation and torture, but she stood firm until the end. She was determined not to betray her loved ones.”