Interview with Dewi Erwan, postgraduate risk student and enthusiastic President at the Effective Altruism Durham Society. EA Durham is a student-run society consisting of Durham students across a range of subjects, who try to unravel what the biggest problems in the world are and what they can do to help. 
 
1. What is Effective Altruism, and what does an ordinary EA session look like?

Effective Altruism is a social movement that tries to determine the best way we can act that will improve the world and make the world a better place, be that in maximizing the amount of pleasure in the world or reducing the amount of suffering. That includes humans in the present and in the future, non-human animals, essentially anything that has the capacity to suffer or to feel pleasure – including even aliens, but don’t mention that! 

Each week, we have a range of different sessions. We have predominantly had discussion seminars, whereby a student will introduce a certain topic such as biotechnology, climate change, animal suffering, artificial intelligence, etc. They will present an overview of that topic, and then we will invite members of the audience to discuss them by asking philosophical questions relating to that topic. In the breaks, we also have lovely free vegan pizza! We started to have more regular pub-located podcast discussions too, as well as starting an EA mentoring scheme. 

2. Australian wildfires, plastics in whales’ stomachs, increasing social injustice in developing countries… Which are the biggest issues our societies should be dealing with right now?


My greatest fear is biotechnology (Interviewer’s note: this interview was conducted before the novel coronavirus outbreak). I am mostly worried about genetically engineered viruses that are capable of infecting the majority of the human population by spreading very quickly, as well as killing most people who catch that virus. I think this is probably the largest risk we face as a society over the coming decades. This technology is developing very quickly, and some biologists are now capable of genetically engineering very virulent viruses to be airborne transmissible between humans.

Other large fears include the future of artificial intelligence, which is a big question mark at the moment, but subject-matter experts are very worried. Then, there is the obvious climate change, however, given it’s received so much attention in the past few years, it’s less neglected so it’s no longer as high-impact a career as working on more neglected risks. Another thing to worry about is the fact that a billion people are still malnourished, which is quite frankly appalling in the world that we are currently living in, given that we have so much abundance. The suffering of animals in factory farms, potentially 70 billion land animals each year without even considering fish, is also something that worries me immensely. 
 
3. You are thinking about the state of the world daily. How do you cope with it and stay positive?

I am naturally a very positive individual, however, I also have many habits that ensure that this remains the case: having cold showers, meditation, exercise, eating healthily, getting enough sleep, having close friends who support me, journaling - you know, all these various things that promote good mental health. Although I certainly don’t do these things as regularly as I’d like to - it’s a work in progress. 

In terms of thinking about the largest problems in the world, I am not just thinking about what the problems are, but what we can do to improve the situation. The framework that effective altruists use to determine which focus areas they ought to be working on are scale, tractability and neglectedness. How large is the problem, how many people or sentient beings does the problem affect? Can we, as individuals or as a community, actually do something to improve the situation? And how neglected is the area, does it already get loads of attention? I am thinking about solving the issues, as well as the problems themselves. That allows me to remain positive, because I am envisioning best-case futures and learning from other people who are implementing solutions.
 
4. What is the strength of our generation? 

Interesting question! People our age have grown up with the internet, we have grown up with a huge access to information and the ability to have fairly good critical analysis. We do not just assume things are correct, because we can see counterexamples all the time if we want to on the Internet. We have abundant access to information, and we know how to access that information. Although I would not claim that we’re all entirely rational and not prone to conspiracies, there is a huge amount of work still to be done here in promoting rational thinking and transparent information. 

A good thing about young people all over the world throughout time is that we are willing to take risks that older people are not. We are willing to critique old ideas, whereas the older you get, the less likely you are to do so, because you have a lot more responsibility and you’ve lived a certain way all your life. Being young also means that you can more effectively prioritize your career pathways, as the older you get, the more committed you are to a certain path and it’s harder to pivot away if you realise your career isn’t as high-impact as it could be. 
 
5. What can one do, on an individual basis, to be an effective altruist?

I don’t think we should be dogmatic about what it means to “be an effective altruist,” but in terms of what can you do to have a large positive impact in the world, I would say that the first thing you could do is to learn more about the biggest problems in the world. Go into your learning experience with an open mind, be willing to challenge yourself, learn about how you do not know things that you previously thought you knew. It is also important to recognise cognitive biases in your thinking when you are considering hard questions. 

And then, in terms of your daily life, the classics are trying to reduce your personal contribution to suffering. The easy ones there are to stop eating animals. More long-term approaches are to go into a career that has a high social impact or that contributes to the prevention of the extinction of humanity, such as working in a high impact NGO or in government helping to develop or implement effective policies. Or you could donate a significant amount of your income to charities (at least 10% is a frequently suggested figure - check out Giving What We Can) that are very impactful and cost-effective in terms of their ability to reduce suffering per pound spent. 

To summarize, I would suggest: go into a high impact career, donate money to charity, and stop eating animals.
 
6. Can anyone from any field in terms of degree join the EA movement and EA Durham?

Absolutely! All the world’s biggest problems these days are interdisciplinary. They require all kinds of different perspectives and an understanding of the world that is greater than one person, one culture, language or gender. We need a diverse set of people in order to better understand what the problems are, so that we do not have incorrect assumptions about what we are doing and how our solutions may play out. In order to make good predictions, we need diversity of thought, both within an individual in terms of your ability to be ideologically flexible, and within a group of people and their ability to have a wide range of perspectives. If you’re interested in making the world a better place, the EA community is a great place to be. 

If you want to learn more about Effective Altruism, I’d highly recommend you check out Peter Singer’s TED Talk and the 80,000 key ideas page, and hopefully we’ll see you at one of our events soon! 

By Elise Wolff

Interviews Editor Angelos Sofocleous, talks to Mairi O’Brien, Third year Physics student and Co-President of Durham University Women in STEM society.
Durham University Women In STEM (previously Durham WISE) is a student-run society consisting of a mix of undergraduate and postgraduate students, across a range of STEM subjects.
What does your society do to support women in STEM?
Our society focuses on showing the women currently studying STEM subjects at Durham that there are many career options available to them within STEM and provides them with an opportunity to listen and talk to employers and Durham alumni about their careers. It also provides a community for women to get to know each other using our social events.
Which do you think are the reasons that women are underrepresented in STEM fields?
I believe that this problem begins in as young as primary school children. From the toys we are given to play with to the TV and films we watch, we are being shown that there is an expectation for girls to enjoy certain things. We are shown through the media and in real life that men dominate STEM fields, and this reinforces the idea that this is not something we would succeed at as women. Once we reach sixth form age, many girls will not choose to study A-Level subjects like physics and computer science. According to the Institute of Physics, only 22.2% of physics A-Level students in 2017 were female. From those, even fewer continue to study STEM subjects at university. Some subjects, like biology, are female dominated at undergraduate level, but this is not the case higher up in the department.
Which are the biggest barriers that women in STEM face at Durham University?
As a physics student, I personally feel outnumbered in my lectures, and sometimes out of place. I have no female lecturers this year at all, and for many other STEM subjects there are very few female lecturers and professors too. It is difficult not seeing many people like yourself being successful in your field, and sometimes students can feel excluded. With a lack of role models available, it is the case that many female STEM students do not choose to pursue a career in STEM.
What do you think should be done to solve these issues?
There is little that can immediately be done about the fact that there are few female lecturers and professors, it will take years for this to balance out. I believe it would be good for the female professors and department staff to make themselves visible. I am the undergraduate rep for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee in physics, and I believe that committees like these should promote the work they are doing to students, to show what is being done in the different departments across the university.
How can men in STEM support women in STEM?
Come to our events! It is always great to see men at our events, as we want to make sure we are not cutting ourselves off further by making our events exclusive to women. It gives people a chance to see successful women in their respective fields and may change people’s perceptions of what a STEM graduate looks like. It is also good for everyone to have awareness of how women are outnumbered in certain subjects, so if you study a very male-dominated subject, take a second to look at how many women are in your lectures, and become aware of how they may feel.
What can one gain from joining your society?
Our society membership is free, and events are open to all genders. We offer the opportunity to interact with graduate recruiters and women (and men) from a variety of STEM fields, to ask them questions about what they do and understand what is available after university. We also have a de-stress event and other socials planned for second term, which are all free to attend!
By Angelos Sofocleous
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Sometimes you don’t have much choice. And that’s okay.

For a student enrolled on a Modern Languages degree, often the year abroad is a non-negotiable requirement of the course, rather than an optional extra. I lived abroad because I had to; I made new friends because I had to; I practiced the language because I had to. This turned out to be a good thing. My year abroad was an amazing experience, and I am grateful to have had no choice but to embrace it.

Sometimes you don’t have much choice. And that can be unfair.

When considering the year abroad, students tend to be presented with a variety of options, ranging from volunteering and studying to an internship or British Council Language Assistantship. In reality, however, options can be limited depending on budget, the number of months you are able to commit to a certain location, and what you want to get out of the year abroad itself.

Sometimes you have a fair amount of choice, but not the final say.

As part of my year abroad, I spent around seven months working as a Language Assistant in France through the British Council. While applicants have the opportunity to state preferences in terms of preferred age-group to work with and city to teach in, the final say isn’t your own. Furthermore, even if assigned your first choice of city, you may end up located in its outskirts. I was assigned to a Lycée in a small town in the North of France. This turned out to be extremely beneficial for my French, as very few people in the town spoke English. When you have limited say and go into the process knowing you have limited say, you have to accept things as they are and make the situation work for you.

Oftentimes you have more choice than you think.

Though I may have had the impression of spending a year abroad because I was obliged to do so, ultimately, it was my own decision to enrol on a Modern Languages course in the first place. It was also my own decision to make ‘restrictions’ work in my favour. I made the most of small-town life, getting to know the locals, frequenting the local bar and cafés and improving my language skills in the process. The friends I made, and the knowledge and skills I acquired were all down to my own determination to make the year abroad a success as per my own aspirations and expectations. I was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend time in Spain, meaning what was lacking in France I could actively strive to compensate for in Madrid.
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Though sometimes it may seem that decisions are made for you, it is never quite so simple. You are free to set your own goals and, importantly, to decide how to use the experience to your own advantage.
 
Caitlin McLoughlin

There’s something about Swing (and DUSS)
Imagine the famous La La Land hit ‘A lovely night’ but with hectic improvisations and a whole room rhythmically clapping at a jazz solo dancer. These and other fantastic scenes I have witnessed since I joined the Durham University Swing Society (or DUSS), and I am now madly, and desperately, in love with it. So here for you Garance Zinzen, founder of the society, to find out why you should absolutely get involved.

Why do you think people should choose swing over other forms of dancing?
There are scientific reasons (e.g. improvised partner dancing helps with physical and brain health), but those are a bit boring and can easily be found on Google so I’ll talk about the non-scientific reasons instead.
Swing is an African-American vernacular jazz dance which emerged in the 1920s in Harlem, New York. As such, it is based on traditions of African dances which focus on rhythm and community dancing. Community is therefore built into the core of the dance and since swing is a social dance, its improvisational nature means that you don’t have to stress about doing the right step. Being involved in the swing community also helps you to become a better person – the more you learn about the dance and its roots, the more you learn about race, gender, and politics. Particularly, at DUSS, we try to emphasise things like the importance of the history of the dance and cultural awareness.
The swing community is unlike any other dance community in the world. If you’re looking for an incredibly social society to join, then a swing dance society is the way to go! There’s a story of a girl who spent a year travelling the world and never had to pay for accommodation: she would stand at the airport she had arrived in holding up a sign which read ‘lindy hop?’ and another dancer would always come up and offer to help her out!

Why do you think this is the moment to join the society?
Oh my gosh, we have so many plans! We’ve already run a beginner-friendly weekend festival and we have plans for two more (Wear Shagging All Weekend in February and Summer Swing in June). Every December, we have our annual Weekend Away, where we hire out a whole hostel in the middle of nowhere and do activities together – beyond just dancing! On a more regular basis though, we have weekly Sunday classes and fortnightly Tuesday classes, and we have our regular Tuesday social, Library Stomp! We also regularly travel to other festivals and events around the UK.

What kind of environment do you strive to create for members?
An environment in which everyone feels welcome and able to express themselves through dancing. One of our mantras is ‘there is no such thing as a mistake, it’s all a variation’, and I feel that sums up nicely what our classes are like. We do a lot of work on safe spaces and ensuring that everyone feels comfortable the whole time they are at DUSS.

Do new members need dancing experience to join?
Absolutely not! Most of our members had never done any kind of dance before joining. We’ve had so many people claim they have two left feet, then they come along to a class and they’re able to social dance by the end.

What is your advice for people wanting to try it out?
Don’t be scared to come along! All of our beginners classes are run as drop-ins so if you are worried you’ve missed content – don’t be! We also pride ourselves on being a super welcoming society and run fortnightly socials, so if you’re not sure about whether you want to join, come to The Library Bar on Tuesdays every fortnight.

By Claudia Sterbini 

Encounters with strangers are always unpredictable, sometimes awkward, most of the times stressful. This is especially the case in interviews, where, you, the interviewer find yourself in a unique situation: After doing substantial research on your interviewee, you sit in front of them and you just have one task: ask them questions.

Interviews differ significantly from how we usually interact with people in our everyday lives. The uniqueness of interviews in terms of style and their dynamic, implies that interviews include special rules which it is advised that you follow if you would like to conduct successful interviews. 

The Interviews section of The Definite Article presents to you some useful tips on conducting successful and engaging interviews.

Organize the interview well. That means contacting the potential interviewee well ahead of the day you would like to interview them and give them flexibility on the dates you would like to conduct the interview. It is important that you think of the place you would like to conduct the interview at well. If you are interviewing a person with whom you disagree on certain issues and the conversation is likely to get heated, then it would not be a good idea to conduct the interview at their place. Their sense of being ‘at home’ might give them an unfair advantage in your disagreement. In such a case, find a neutral place which will let you conduct the interview free from any external influences.

Of course, at the beginning of the interview, you don’t want to make the interviewee feel uncomfortable in any way. Be polite, courteous, on time, and thank them for the opportunity to interview them. Make them feel at ease by making some small talk or an informal conversation before the interview starts. They will not give you what you want if you come out as hostile to them or if you are just looking for an opportunity to damage their reputation.

Know your interviewee better than you know yourself. They might had been a stranger a few days before the interview, but at the time of the interview you need to have a clear grasp of who they are, their personal lives, their ideas, their strong and weak points. In this way, you are able to focus on the right things during the interview and maybe push them a little to reveal aspects of their lives or expand on ideas you know they hold.

No matter how much research you do beforehand, however, in an interview you have the opportunity to get the fullest picture of a person. And this is because in an interview you have the opportunity to ask the right questions, of course, but also to observe how the interviewee behaves, how they sit, how they talk, how they treat you and other people, how their house or office is decorated. A good interviewer does more than listen. A good interviewer observes.

Try to engage into conversation with the other person. Forget what traditional and orthodox interviews look like and do not just read one question after the other. This ensures that you can ask follow-up questions and tells the other person that you have been listening to what they are saying. If you just read the questions you have on paper in robotic-style interviews then it seems that you are dismissing what they are saying and you are just interested in reaching the end of your list of questions. Instead, let the interview take its natural course.

Conducting an interview is a unique opportunity to have a face-to-face interaction with another person for an extended period of time in which you control and set the rules of the conversation. Following the above advice is crucial in managing to get the most out of your interviewee and having a successful interview.

Angelos Sofocoleus- Interviews Editor 

Katie Condon

Durham Russian student Alex Haigh speaks to Katie Condon about his adventures on Russian national television!
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Katie: Hey Alex, Hope you’re well! I heard that you were on Russian national television? Would you mind explaining to that happened?
Alex: Hello! Haha it’s a bit of of a mystery to me as well I'm afraid! Olga Zabotkina (in Durham) used to live here in Kostroma, and mentioned to an old friend of hers, a newspaper journalist, about my time here. This woman came and did an interview with me, which was published in a national newspaper. After that, I suppose, these 3 TV channels saw the article and decided it would be a good idea to interview me as well, although why they were particularly drawn to me I have no clue!

K: Omg that’s so random… Was the interview in English or Russian? What kind of questions did they ask you?
A: Tell me about it! The first was in English with a bit of Russian thrown in, the other two were all Russian!

K: Did they want to know about your experiences in Russia specifically or was it more about your life in general? What kind of things did you discuss with them?
A: It was a mixture of the two, they were especially keen to know about my life here, but they also wanted to know what stereotypes British people have of Russia. In the first interview we went to a dacha, a summer cottage, to talk about life there, and in the third one we went ice fishing with my host family's Dad!

K: That's so cool !! Were you nervous before? Has anyone approached you since?
A: I wouldn't say nervous exactly, more just a bit confused haha! Yes, a local journalist is doing a radio interview with me tomorrow actually, although he seems to want to talk more about the media attention I've had, rather than why I'm here in the first place, ironically!

K: And what did you say to them re British stereotypes of Russia?
A: Vodka, bears and people quite unfriendly, I said the first two seemed true but the last one was absolutely incorrect, the people are (by and large) friendly and helpful to me if I don't understand something

K: And how is your year abroad going otherwise?
A: Generally very well, I am currently at the airport waiting to fly home for Christmas, then back to Russia for another month. It has been very rewarding, enjoyable work, both the studying and the teaching, and it will be a shame to leave at the end of February!
 
 

Clorrie Yeomans, Third Year MLAC Student, Hild Bede

Scrolling through YouTube videos, I came across Renata Flores Rivera, a 17 year-old Peruvian artist of indigenous descent with a striking look and a velvety sound. However, her claim to fame is that she posts covers on YouTube of Western pop songs performed in Quechua: the language originally spoken by the Incas over 800 years ago. Quechua remains the most spoken indigenous language in Latin America, with over 8 million speakers mainly found in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. In spite of this, today the living language of the Incas is endangered largely because young people feel too ashamed to speak it for fear of being stigmatised as poor mountain dwellers. Thus, in her early years, Renata grew up in a Quechua-speaking environment but under the influence of social pressures, her parents later began to only speak to her in Spanish. Despite losing her maternal language, Renata remains connected to her roots and through her art, she aspires to challenge attitudes. This issue lies close to the singer’s heart after having witnessed her grandmother’s adversity as a victim of linguistic discrimination.
 
During our Skype interview, the singer radiated warmth, positivity and down-to-earthiness. On the other hand, for Renata, fearlessness and tenacity have been the two fundamental pillars of building and maintaining a successful artistic career at such a young age. The release of her cover on YouTube of the Michael Jackson song, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’, sung in Quechua catapulted her to fame in 2015. Now, the video has an extraordinary 1.7 million hits and counting. Renata has also made several TV appearances as a participant in La Voz Kids (The Voice Kids) in 2014 and Los Cuatro Finalistas (The 4 Finalists) in 2018. In the meantime, at 16 years old, the singer took an artistic leap from exclusively releasing covers to making her own original tracks in Quechua, too. This led to the release of her debut single 'Qawachkanchik chay Killallata’ ‘Mirando La Misma Luna’ (‘Gazing at the Same Moon’), combining traditional Peruvian instruments with an electro-pop sound.
 
Needless to say that interviewing Renata was an incredibly eye-opening experience:

Hi, Renata, thank you so much for giving up your time for the interview today. I saw on your social media that you were at a very special event the day before yesterday, can you tell me more, please?
 
Renata: (beaming and glowing with excitement) Yes, I was at an awards ceremony at the Gran Teatro Nacional organised by the Ministry of Culture of Peru for artists helping to bring about social change. There were 68 different contestants divided into numerous artistic categories including cinema, visual arts, music and literature. I am over the moon to have been chosen as the winner!
 
Congratulations, that must be a really significant achievement in your career…
 
Renata: Yes, definitely.
 
As we already know, you are a YouTube star. I would like to know, how significant a role do social media and technology play in your career?
 
Renata: Social media is definitely really important, not just for me, but for everybody nowadays. However, of course, you need to be able to know how to use it! In terms of the music industry, you don’t need to work with a big record company anymore. Thanks to social media and YouTube, there’s a lot more artistic freedom which enables the individual to make the kind of music that they want to make, instead of being controlled by a record label.
 
Your covers in Quechua have attracted a lot of social media attention, but how do young people actually feel about speaking Quechua in general?
 
Renata: Discrimination against Quechua-speakers has existed since long before I was born. Some young people are in contact with the language through their parents, in the street or even through social media. However, when I was at school, they used to make fun of the language and call other students ‘Inca’, which was seen as an insult. They were not even really aware that they were hurting somebody’s feelings. ‘Inca’ should not be an insult; we should be proud of our roots! Our language, Quechua, is part of our culture and our identity and we should be proud of this. Now, young people listen to my music and they take Quechua more seriously: they realise that they should not make fun of the language anymore.
 
Your song, ‘Tijeras ft. Kayfex’, talks about femicide and violence against women. The lyrics, ‘don’t be afraid of speaking out’ and ‘women, we are united’, along with the fusion of Trap and traditional musical influences, are definitely very powerful. Can you tell me a bit more about what inspired the song?
 
Renata: My music speaks directly to women and encourages them to speak out if they have been abused. The problem is that sometimes the authorities cannot understand the woman if she only speaks Quechua and there is a lot of corruption in Peru, and in other countries, too. Even when the offenders are sent to prison, there is no justice.
 
Do you feel strong singing in Quechua? Is the language a symbol of strength for women?
 
Renata: Yes, I do because the language teaches you to love the land and nature. Quechua women who speak two languages are so impressive and strong! However, other women who only speak Quechua are still very powerful.
 
I have read that you work closely with several cultural associations including SURCA and The Kallpac Association. How do these associations support you artistically?
 
Renata: The project ‘Pitaq Kani’, ‘¿Quien eres?’ (‘Who are you?’) (originally ‘Los jóvenes tambien hablamos Quechua’, ‘The youth also speaks Quechua’), has enabled us to create a more professional project which is more detail-oriented. At these national contests, I have met a lot of different artists. SURCA helps with the production of the videos but we are all a team together. However, I really couldn’t do it without my mum, she is at the forefront of the project. We incorporate a fusion of different instruments and different genres to show that our culture can be commercial, too.
 
But by commercialising your culture, are you perhaps at the same time degrading it?
 
Renata: No, I consider this to be part of the development of a culture which is necessary to prevent it from being lost. For example, K-Pop takes on western influences and some words in English, but the music is still very much Korean. Now, everybody is listening to K-Pop, including Koreans and international fans, and everybody wants to collaborate with the artists.
 
This is really interesting as often in the Western world at school we are led to imagine indigenous communities in Latin America as ‘frozen in time’...
 
Renata: … Yes, but we have evolved. We have adopted some parts of Spanish culture, for example, Peruvians are really religious. There are many Catholic churches in my city. We are a fusion, including our religion, clothing and music.
 
Now for a technical question… How do you go about making your covers in Quechua?
 
Renata: Good question... Well, if the song is originally in English, first we translate it into Spanish. Then, we translate the song from Spanish into Quechua with the help of my grandparents. However, it is hard as we are losing a lot of words in Quechua from speaking Spanish, so we are left with lots of ‘Quechañol’! This is not a proper term, but we use it in my family. We also have a Quechua teacher who helps us.
 
What about translating some modern words linked to technology? Do these words exist in Quechua?
 
Renata: No, there are no words for technology. We are hoping that they make a modern dictionary for Quechua as they have already written one for Aymara: another indigenous Andean language.
 
How has your life changed since rising to fame? Can you still lead a pretty ‘normal life’?
 
Renata: Now, I feel that my life has a purpose and a very beautiful one, indeed. I was 13 years old when I first came on La Voz Kids and that is when it all really began. It was a very beautiful experience. I was eventually eliminated but my mum encouraged me to not give up on my dream and to collaborate with SURCA. However, before then, I had already participated in several projects since I was 8 years old. It was the project ‘Pitaq Kani’ that has really changed my life as well as Los Cuatro Finalistas, where I met a lot of amazing people.
 
It can be difficult at times; I can imagine...
 
Renata: Yes, it was a great change when I first uploaded that Michael Jackson video. There have been some difficult moments but these are all part of learning. I have always loved dancing, singing and art since my childhood and this has always been my dream. Quite a few years have gone by now since I first came under the public eye and I no longer feel shocked or overwhelmed; I have learnt to adapt. I still lead a ‘normal life’ when I come back to my beloved city, Ayacucho, where I still go out with my friends but at the same time as going on the TV and doing interviews! I have learnt to organise my time.
 
You have already achieved so much and it seems that there will be no stopping you, Renata! What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
 
Renata: My dream is that my project will spread throughout the whole of Peru and the world. My project will be imaginative and adapted to modern life. I also dream that there will be no more discrimination. I don’t want to fight this alone, I hope that more Peruvians will come and fight alongside me.
 
What are you working on now?
 
Renata: I am currently working on my album, there is already a single out. I am hoping that the album will be released by March next year digitally. We are also thinking about bringing out CDs but you will be able to listen to the music via YouTube, download, everywhere!
 
Finally, I heard that you are studying English. Could you say a short message in English for your British fans?
 
Renata: Through my music and my project, I am revitalising my maternal language. I wanna reach out to teenagers and children and I wanna change people’s minds about Quechua and Peruvian culture.
 
The Definite Article would like to thank Renata Flores Rivera for taking the time to share her art and her experiences with readers in Durham and beyond.
 
Support Renata’s projects by following her social media accounts and subscribing to her YouTube channel:
 
https://www.facebook.com/renatafloresperu/
 
https://www.instagram.com/renatafloresrivera/
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-QM2vahE4-IOAsLGCIecdw
 
Music available to download on Spotify, ITunes, Amazon Music and Google Play, as well as on YouTube:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQUrV_v7OK8
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIjwC-6pf88
 
Interview conducted on Thursday 13th December via Skype. Translated into English from original Spanish.