ABSTRACT
In the global south, media “piracy” is often justified by the inequalities that deny economically disadvantaged populations access to cultural products, media, and knowledge. In more affluent regions, “piracy” may also invoke a sense of subversive romance. This essay juxtaposes these perspectives with the strategies developed by Gregorio Mamani (1960-2011), an indigenous (originario) Bolivian musician, to encourage the circulation of “original” rather than “pirated” versions of his music videos. These tactics included lowering prices, appealing to moral and national sentiments, building solidarity among artists, invoking legal rights and justice, and violent threats and actions-as a strategically essentialized “noble savage.” In Mamani's playful videos, his serious anti-piracy message often became a comic art form which, in itself, attracted audiences and notoriety. This chapter was originally published in the volume Postcolonial Piracy: Media Distribution and Cultural Production in the Global South (eds. Lars Eckstein and Anja Schwarz, Bloomsbury 2014).
