Air Duduk: A Tribute to a Vanishing People

by Marco Valoti

Sisi ya,

Yuwa sisi ya,

Asa korama,

Nana sisi wow,

Yi yi yi,

Eeehhhhhhhh…

These poetic words resonate like a whisper from a forgotten world, echoing the soulful presence of a people fading into obscurity.

Returning from my journey, I was struck by a strange realization — everything in our modern civilization felt mediocre, hollow even. The news, journalism, art, and countless other aspects of life seemed like a vast container of immaterial things, decomposing the spirit rather than nourishing it.

I slept through the deafening hum of the engine, lying on a hard pallet with a broken back. Yet nothing could rob me of the joy of this journey. Everywhere I went, I encountered people of dignity. Even amidst disagreements and criticisms, I remained captivated by their grace and unmatched hospitality.

They taught me humility, though their knowledge and way of life are being swept away by the tide of shallow consumerism.

This profound experience inspired me to create a series of forty colorful ink prints, each a tribute to their spirit, resilience, hopes, and the suffering often inflicted upon them — burdens they never asked for.

In their world, I found authenticity. And through these prints, I sought to honor their vanishing wisdom, as gentle yet persistent as the air duduk — the still, low tide of their homeland.

May their legacy endure, vibrant and untouched by the mediocrity of modern life.