Xquenda

A gunshot. A sharp breath. A young woman victim of a politically driven murder, tells her story about how she desperately tries to find her best friend, who is missing. Wherever she turns, whoever she asks, she hits a wall. No one takes her seriously, no one is responsible. So, she tries to get the answers the only way she knows: She writes. Letters. She raises her voice. Questions. She does not let go – until she is brutally silenced… This is a story about a girl who fought for justice in the middle of the silence, with nothing but her words, her stars, and her songs. With fear but also with love. Xquenda is our essence, what remains on earth forever even if we die.

This piece is the result of a research process around forced disappearances and femicides in indigenous communities in Mexico. The main character has no name, as it is the representation of voices that were silenced after speaking up. This piece is based on a true story.