The Quechua Student & Faculty Alliance Meeting is looking to build a strong network and community of Quechua students at the university level, and to have an open conversation about the place and importance of Indigenous languages and Indigenous knowledge in academia.
What is Quechua?
Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas. About 6–8 million people speak Quechua in the Andes, but also you can find people in the United States as well. According to the New York Quechua Initiative, a community-based organization, about 10,000 people are Quechua speakers in New York City area. If you speak English you already say some words in Quechua, maybe without even knowing it.
Many stereotypes and misconceptions about Indigenous languages and Indigenous people exist, and one ofthe ways to overcome them is by promoting dialogue.
This gathering is the first of its type in the United States. Students and faculty from differents parts of the country such as Seattle, New York, Amherst, MA, Madison, WI, among others, will be part of the conversation.
There will be cultural activities, lectures, games, debates and dialogue. It will take place in Philadelphia, at the University of Pennsylvania on November 14th, 2015.
For more info, visit the the event site, here.