Join Peruvian Elder Eda Zavala Lopez for a unique evening of story, ancestral wisdom and reflection, as she shares the journey that has drawn her from the Peruvian Amazon to Orkney and the profound connection she feels with its ancient stones, landscape and sacred elements.

Peruvian Elder Eda Zavala Lopez has spent almost 40 years working in the Amazon and carries the ancestral wisdom of her Wari and Ashaninka lineage.

During this special public evening, held in Kirkwall's St Magnus Centre on Wednesday 16 September between 6.30pm - 9 pm, Eda will share stories from her life, her work with indigenous communities, and the journey that has drawn her back to Scotland and now to Orkney. She will speak about the deep connection she feels with ancient stones, sacred landscapes and the living wisdom of Mother Earth, and about the similarities she perceives between the ancestral cultures of Peru and the ancient traditions of the North.

Eda describes Scotland as a place that touched her “heart and soul” beyond what could be explained by the rational mind, and speaks of the landscape and standing stones as elders, carrying wisdom through the wind, the land and the elements.

This evening offers a rare opportunity to meet Eda in person, hear directly from her experience and explore themes of ancestry, reciprocity, nature, sacred elements and our relationship with the Earth.

Tickets cost £25 and can be bought online. The talk also forms the opening of The Wisdom Keepers Gathering, taking place in Orkney from 16–19 September 2026.

, Life in Orkney, Culture & Events, Kirkwall & St Ola