Sale of Indigenous Art to Help Wayuu Community

A French citizen and Sorbonne PhD recipient, Sarah Moya Machado has spent more than a decade in the oil and gas industry. Outside of her professional life, Sarah Moya Machado has devoted herself to philanthropic initiatives. Among other efforts, she founded Ventana Magica, a project to assist children in Colombia. In recognition of her efforts, she received an award from Colombia’s Wayuu indigenous community. 

For nearly 2,000 years, the Wayuu people have lived in the deserts of Colombia’s La Guajira region. The community members live in thatched huts and survive through a mix of farming, aquaculture, and traditional crafts. However, the traditional ways of the Wayuu are increasingly susceptible to malnutrition, threats to their aquaculture industries, and climate change.

As the story of the Wayuu becomes more well-known outside of Colombia, individuals like Ms. Machado, as well as nonprofit groups, have launched initiatives to support the tribe. One of the most recent efforts involves a duo in North Vancouver, Canada, who are importing handicrafts from Wayuu artisans to sell to Canadian buyers. 

Valentina Pinzón and Paola Perdomo, two Colombian natives, came up with the idea when trying to find charities to help people from their native country. Currently, the team donates a percentage of every sale to Munai, a Colombian nonprofit group that works with children in impoverished areas.

Cirque du Soleil Raises Curtain on Ice Show

A French citizen, Sarah Moya Machado received a PhD in political science from the Sorbonne in Paris. She also stands out as the founder of Ventana Magica, a special project directed toward helping underserved communities in Colombia. During her free time, Sarah Moya Machado enjoys traveling, dancing, and attending Cirque du Soleil shows.

Founded outside of Quebec City in 1984 by a small group of 20 street performers, Cirque du Soleil has grown to one of the most successful performance groups in the world. Today, more than 1,300 performers in dozens of countries around the globe entertain audiences with the company’s trademark circus-inspired artistry. The company has been inventing and re-inventing itself since its founding and continues to find new ways to inspire and engage audiences.

In December 2017, Cirque du Soleil presented the debut performance of its new show on ice, Crystal. The show combines the traditional circus arts of the stage show with the grace and elegance of world-class ice skaters while following the story of Crystal, an adolescent struggling with self-acceptance. 

Cirque du Soleil plans to tour the new show around North America for the majority of 2018. To learn more about the show or to see tour dates, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/crystal.