Private Story
Wilkay2
My family’s migration to Canada when I was 9 years old marked my life and how I relate to my own community. Growing up in the Canadian suburbs, I rarely found community or others that shared similar experiences. The feeling of being displaced from here and there left me feeling invisible, ungrounded and alone. This feeling of nostalgia for a place of belonging has marked who I am and the stories that live in my body. Wilkay is part of journey in embracing my experiences and stories as part of the Kichwa diaspora.
Wilkay, altar in the Kichwa language, is the honouring of the struggles that my family and my ancestors had to go through for me to be able to know about my culture. This chapter was created in collaboration with my family during the pandemic in our home in Hamilton, Canada. Being able to be together, practice small rituals in our everyday, adapt our yearly celebrations and practice our culture kept us going through difficult life changes.
For full series please contact : elifarinangovisuals@gmail.com
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