“If I didn’t travel again, it wouldn’t have been worth surviving”

In the life of Sonaly Tuesta (Lámud, 1972), there is a before and after of those days in 2016, in which a rare virus had her in intensive care on the verge of death. When the communicator who for two decades traveled the towns and roads of Peru with her TV program “Costumbres” felt vulnerable – for the first time – she stopped thinking about what she needs and began to enjoy what she has. Her thoughts are currently focused on “Misión Kipi”, a documentary film that marks her debut in film production and direction.

“Now I’m thinking about this story that Professor Walter Velásquez and I love how it turned out. I am betting on audiovisuals in another language, which is cinema.“, comments Tuesta Altamirano about the film that will hit theaters on March 21 and whose protagonists are the Peruvian ecological ‘robot girl’ Kipi (a word in Quechua that means package or bundle carried on the back). and its creator.

During the pandemic and due to the lack of internet access in Huancavelica, rural teacher Walter Velásquez created Kipi using computer scrap, and turned her into a kind of assistant to teach and motivate his students. Since then, together they bring learning and joy to the minors of the different communities of the town of Colcabamba.

“I connected with this story naturally because Colcabamba is an important place for me. I have a strong bond with its people. With my program I visited it several times,” explains Tuesta.

Filming

The film was shot in the middle of the pandemic, between August and November 2022. Post-production took place a year later.

“At first it was virtual, then we had to get to know the place because we had to be clear about the times to arrive, get to know the area and achieve commitment to the communities. Some people knew me, but I still had to do field work and give them peace of mind and confidence to be able to record. my comadre Zenobia Mendoza, with whom I have a relationship of more than fifteen years, was the one He welcomed us into his home, in Los Nogales. She introduced us to the whole community. She also composed a song for Kipi’s birthday“, account.

“Traditions”

Away from the small screen, Sonaly Tuesta does not rule out returning to “Costumbres” in the future, for a final, farewell stage. Meanwhile, she continues touring Peru, enjoying her free time and being kinder to herself.

“I would return to give way to someone who can continue with this mission because – I believe – that a program like this is necessary. It helps to understand the diversity of Peru, brings us closer to its people“, remember.

“When I recovered, I was terrified to leave the clinic, I was very scared because it was not known exactly where the virus that had attacked me came from. But I had to do it to thank and embrace all those people who had postponed their own pain, their own requests to think of me. So I decided to travel to Livilcar, between Arica and Chile, where you have to walk more than five hours to reach a virgin. I knew if I could do that, I could do everything else. If I didn’t travel again, if I didn’t do what I like, it wouldn’t have been worth surviving. my spirit was reborn”, he remarks.