PALILUPA
A path of light along the Pan-American Highway
for connection, awareness and a lasting impact.
PALILUPA brings together indigenous and Western-influenced communities along the Pan-American Highway by facilitating the sharing of art, music, knowledge and experiences through workshops, documentation and sustainable infrastructure projects.
panamerican lights - luces panamericanas
What is PALILUPA?
PALILUPA is a transcontinental cultural and engagement project that combines festivals, research, documentation, workshops, music, rituals and sustainable infrastructure. The focus is not merely on the presentation of culture, but on a collaboratively designed space for shared experiences, in which indigenous communities act as hosts, co-creators, knowledge partners and decision-makers on an equal footing.
3 Areas of activity
PALILUPA brings together cultural exchange, artistic practice and sustainable development.
Meeting on equal footing
Indigenous communities play an active role
in shaping PALILUPA as hosts,
knowledge partnersand co-creators.
Art, music & living culture
Workshops, concerts, dance, rituals, cookery sessions, performance art and collaborative productions create immersive spaces for experience.
Lasting impact
The aim is to establish sustainable cultural, social and economic structures from which local communities will benefit in the long term.
CO-CREATION
Culture is created together,
not merely displayed.
LIVING CULTURES
Traditional knowledge, combined
with Western resources, music, rituals,
diet, art and social interaction,
comes to life through
direct experience.
LEGACY
PALILUPA creates structures
that remain visible and
usable after the festival.
From North America through Central America to South America, the Pan-American Highway becomes a symbolic space for exchange, remembrance, shaping the future and mutual learning.
The Pan-American Highway as a path of light
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Twelve countries.
Twelve festival venues.
A shared space for Living Cultures,
music, knowledge and
meaningful encounters.
The 5 modules of PALILUPA
an integrated system comprising a festival, workshops, art,
documentation and sustainable infrastructure
The festival as a vibrant cultural space
an organically designed temporary ecosystem featuring a stage, talking sticks, watercourses, the Eye of the World,
market stalls, kitchens, meeting spaces and closing ceremonies
Workshops & Learning Journeys
cookery workshops, crafts, dance, rituals, healing practices, knowledge of nature, ethics, society and transformation
Art, Music & Evening Programme
live bands, traditional and modern dance performances, jam sessions, performance art, stilt walkers and the ongoing PALILUPA song
Film, Documentation, Knowledge Archive
documentary coverage, interviews, research, music videos, films, exhibitions and an
Indigenous Knowledge Archive
Legacy & Sustainable Infrastructure
recurring workshops, accommodation models, local forums, festival structures, networking platforms and local economic cycles
Communities as hosts
PALILUPA's focus is on cultural co-creation rather than cultural representation. Indigenous communities are equal partners in the programme, not just participants. They play an active role in shaping the festival's content, spaces, rituals, workshops and structures, and benefit from it both economically and structurally.
Respect
​​​
Cultural knowledge is safeguarded and only made visible with consent.
Respect
​​​
Cultural knowledge is safeguarded and only made visible with consent.
Participation
​
Communities can actively shape content
and have a say.
Participation
​
Communities can actively shape content
and have a say.
Economic Participation
Revenue, workshops and local structures all contribute to the creation
of added value
in the local area.
Protection & Ethics
​
Participants, rituals and
spaces of knowledge are all professionally supported.
Experience PALILUPA
Throughout the day, a variety of learning activities take place, including workshops, interactive spaces, cookery sessions, craft activities, knowledge-sharing and cultural reflection.
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In the evenings, Palilupa is transformed into a vibrant festival venue, offering music, dance, jam sessions and performance art, as well as collaborative closing performances.
daytime workshops
music & rituals in the evening
the talking stick as a central symbol
Documentation as cultural memory
The film and academic documentation are central to PALILUPA,
not merely ancillary elements.
Every stage of the project is documented, with the long-term capture of the community's voices, interviews, research findings and the development of the PALILUPA song.
The documentation, the Indigenous Knowledge Archive and the ongoing PALILUPA song are all explicitly designed as central, media-based, sustainable pillars within the concept.
PALILUPA
FILM
PALILUPA
SONG
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
ARCHIVE
Exhibitions
&
Talks
Become part of PALILUPA
PALILUPA is seeking international partners, sponsors, supporters, cultural institutions, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), media partners and community organisations to work together on a sustainable cultural and community engagement project along the Pan-American Highway.
PALILUPA is a global network. It sets a forward-looking example of sustainable cultural exchange.
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It's not just an event — it's a movement!
info@palilupa.com
Thomas Schulte / Founder & Projectmanager:
+41 (0) 772184259
Colette König / Creative Director, Projectmanager:
+49 (0) 151 23755828