August 9 is, declared by the United Nations, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. On this day in 2025, Plaza Italia in downtown Asunción transforms into a sacred space where voices, sounds, and hearts converge under an ancestral calling: Ñande Yvy, Ñande Rekove, meaning ‘Our Land, Our Existence’ in Guaraní language.
More than just an event, according to the organisers, this is an invitation to ignite “the flame of respect, listening, and living roots” in order to co-create the Yvy Mara Ne’y: the Guaraní vision of a Land Without Evil. The event is organised by the collective SER Humano, in alliance with CASA Paraguay – an emerging satellite of CASA Latina (Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America) – and cultural manager Maria Gabriela Zamudio, with the support of the Cultural and Community Affairs Directorate of Asunción.
What does Yvy Mara Ne’y really mean?
For the Guaraní, Paraguay’s indigenous people, Yvy Mara Ne’y represents much more than a physical place. It is a state of harmony where suffering does not exist. And where humans live in balance with nature and one another. It is a land of wholeness, where each person finds their place and purpose within the community.
In Paraguay, home to 19 Indigenous nations from five different linguistic families, this Guaraní vision resonates with the cosmogonies of other ancestral peoples who have also kept alive the memory of more harmonious forms of social organisation. Indigenous peoples have long understood that every time people create spaces of reciprocity, mutual respect, and genuine connection, they are living in unity. In the true Land Without Evil.
Voices that fuse tradition and revolution
The artistic line-up at Ñande Yvy, Ñande Rekove reflects the diversity and strength of a generation blending tradition and innovation without losing its roots:
- Hache Duarte, from Puerto Leoni, Misiones, is a pioneer of Mbya Rap and a rising voice in his Guaraní community. His art fuses rap with the spiritual force of his people, invoking memory through verses that denounce injustice and summon resistance from a living identity.
- Lin Sista will connect visitors with ancestral wisdom and feminine power through hip hop and embodied word. Her art is born from the land, the community, and a lineage that sings, denounces, heals, and transforms.
- From Paraguay, MOISESMX6 will present “Ida – Death – Art”, a proposal inspired by ancestral cosmovision that features the yryvu hū (black vulture) as a figure of transition between the living and the dead.
- Arandu, the rap collective from Misiones, will raise awareness about “the sacred land we inhabit” through triple-border fusions, sharing lyrics that tackle local and regional issues, reflecting current social and cultural topics alongside their neighbour countries Brazil and Paraguay.
- The international band La Sheka, composed of Niv Edwards from Ireland on violin and Abdul Aaron from Guatemala on guitar, will contribute their global folk in a progressive format. They are currently on a three-year Latin American tour that has taken them 60,800 kilometres from Central America to Paraguay
An invitation to the community
Additionally, the organisers propose a self-managed space, where each participant brings their own setup to present their work. This gesture is part of the collective spirit of the gathering.
Ñande Yvy, Ñande Rekove, on August 9, 2025, at Plaza Italia in downtown Asunción, is a free and alcoholfree event. The Land Without Evil awaits. All you have to do is show up.
For more information check out yvyharekove on Instagram, or reach out by phone: +595 971 900 222.
