Dias Tristes en Bolivia

So maybe you have heard about the tense political situation in Bolivia right now...the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador, the tit-for-tat expulsion of Bolivia's ambassador in the U.S., the always-entertaining rantings of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and saddest of all, the violence in the district of Pando that has led to about 30 deaths. (The exact number is hard to tell because information about the tragedy is hard to come by.)

Before I go on, I assure you that Korie and I are alright. We feel very safe in Cochabamba, far away from the Pando region and the other districts that are particularly volatile. So, don't worry about us, but please worry (or pray, or think) about the Bolivian people.

I don't know what you've heard in the American news, but we've been watching the news here everyday, and it's still hard to know what's going on. People are talking about a massacre in Pando against pro-government campesinos, and the governer of the region has been arrested for suspected involvement in it. The free flow of information is hard to get, though, and our limited Spanish definitely doesn't help. This particular incident was sparked by protests against the government (and the takeover or vandalism of certain government buildings) in another region of the country--Santa Cruz.

The tension in Bolivia is very complicated and historical. I think Korie is writing a bit about that. But basically, it is about land, resources, and power--you know the usual stuff. On the one hand is the democratically-elected President, Evo Morales, and his government, whose popularity was overwhelmingly confirmed in a recent recall election (which was proposed by the opposition). On the other hand you have the opposition, centered in the eastern lowland provinces of Bolivia (especially Santa Cruz), who do not like Evo or his plans for the country.

Evo, always sporting an endearing haircut and a colorful sweater, has proposed some fairly radical plans, including: 1) to rewrite the constitution (which would allow Evo to run for a second term, a practice long established in our own country, with obviously mixed results); 2) to redistribute land (mostly in the eastern regions) from wealthy landowners (many of whom got their land illegaly in the first place) to indegenous campesinos, or small farmers; 3) to use the revenue from Bolivia's vast natrual gas resources (again, located primarily in the eastern regions) for national programs, such as social security; 4) and, lastly to give a voice to the indegenous people of Bolivia, who have been exploited by their European-descended counterparts since the time of Francisco Pizzaro.

The opposition do not like any of these things. They don't want Evo to serve another 5-year term. They don't want to give up their land. They do want the revenue from the natural resources in their provinces. And they are not used to having to share power with the indegenous Bolivianos (which make up the majority, likely somwhere around 60% of the population). Because of all this, they have been calling for regional automony from the national government, which is located in highland city of La Paz, far from the opposition provinces.

This is, of course, a simplified version of a compicated situation. But you can see some strong dichotomies in all of this: lowland vs. highland, rich vs. poor, European vs. indegenous, white vs. brown, east vs. west, right vs. left. While Bolivia--like everywhere-- is made up of individuals who do not fall easily into these separate categories, the Bolivian consciousness strongly reflects this polarization. It's similar to the "culture war" in the US, except it's primarily a struggle for resources rather than ideas. Of course, you could make that argument about the US culture war, as well.

Obviously, as you can see, my own opinions shine through my descriptions of the situation. I have tried to be somewhat objective and would try harder, except that it's not very fun (or true.) I basically agree with Evo's intentions. I think the indegenous people of Bolivia deserve resources, power, and a government that truly represents them, things that they have not had for hundreds of years. I also think the (openly) racist ideology and violent actions of the right-wing opposition are frightening. However, I think Evo has perhaps let power get to his head a bit and has not shown much willingness to compromise. He has emphasized so much that he is a leader for indegenous Bolivians, that other Bolivians obviously feel like he doesn't represent them. Evo is a leader of all Bolivians, and I hope he tries to emphasize that and shows that he is able to dialogue and compromise, rather than accuse and make hurried decisions. The opposition leaders, on the other hand, must recognize that they do not have sole power in the country anymore. Hey, it's called democracy. Unfortunately for them, they are the ones that have to give up power, which no one throughout history has seemed able to do voluntarily.

In truth, I don't know how two sides, with completely opposing views, tons of money and resources at stake, and a long established history of struggle and exploitation, can compromise. But I hope they can somehow. The government (Evo) and the main opposition leaders have agreed to talk again to try to find a peaceful solution. The other Latin American presidents have shown solidarity with Evo and have condemned the violence in Pando. The actions of the U.S. have been unfortunately less impressive. They kicked out the Bolivian ambassador (after Evo had kicked theU.S. ambassador out of Bolivia for his open support of the opposition). They then put Bolivia on a blacklist of countries that are not doing what the U.S. wants them to do to fight the war on drugs. Interesting timing, eh? And they haven't issued any statement condemning the violence in Pando. Unfortunately, I think the U.S. is following it's typical policy of supporting right-wing movements in Latin America, whatever means they might use against democratically-elected governments.

Here's to a peaceful solution to the crisis in Bolivia, a mature response from the United States and other American countries, and the spread of the Cochabamba love that we have been feeling.

Salud.