Bolivian government rejects indigenous sanctions

Predictably, the Bolivian government isn't allowing an indigenous community to impose harsh penalties on criminals:

New Indigenous Community Justice Sanctions Criticized in Bolivia

By Rick KearnsOne indigenous community in Bolivia made headlines in early November after it was announced that, in their district, thieves would have a hand cut off after the 3rd or 4th arrest and that rapists “caught in the act” would receive chemical castration.

But these drastic measures may not go into effect even though indigenous communities have been given rights to impose traditional justice from the Bolivian Constitution.

National indigenous leaders in Bolivia have rejected the dramatic new sanctions created by that indigenous community in El Alto, the Qhapaq Uma Suya of La Paz, asserting that the new laws are not approved by their largest organization nor are they legal in Bolivia.And:Along with the refutation by the National Council the sanctions have been strongly criticized by the Deputy Minister of Indigenous Justice of the Bolivian Government, Isabel Ortega.

“Definitely, neither the Political Constitution of the State, nor the Law of Jurisdictional Demarcation establishes these types of sanctions, which are out of place and should not be allowed,” Ortega asserted.

“While the Magna Carta defends the principles of due process,” Ortega continued, “neither castration nor the amputation of hands are admissible, because we are signatories to international conventions on the defense of human rights that all citizens of Bolivia must respect.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Bolivians to Punish Thieves with Amputation.

Bolivians to punish thieves with amputation

Bolivian City to Castrate Rapists and Cut Off Hands of ThievesThieves will be getting a lot more than a slap on the wrist in one Bolivian city, and convicted rapists will face something a whole lot worse.

Under a controversial, new law system for Bolivia’s indigenous people in the city of El Alto, thieves will have their hands amputated and those found guilty of rape will be chemically castrated.

After being sentenced in a newly created court, the unlucky crooks will be operated on by trained doctors paid to perform the procedures. However, if the doctors refuse to put the perps under the knife, lesser-trained, indigenous doctors from the surrounding highlands will be brought in to do the job.

Chemical castration is the administration of medication designed to reduce libido and sexual activity.

“Indigenous justice is handled differently, not between four walls as ordinary justice is. We will not be sending people to jail in these cases,” said Carmelo Titirico, leader of the National Council for Ayllu y Marka people, according to the New York Daily News.

The punishment was approved by the area's indigenous community “as it's the only way to stop those crimes,” he added.

Titirico said that the punishments are protected under Bolivia’s “community justice law.” Under current President Evo Morales, Bolivia is considered a plurinational state, which permits existence of multiple political communities and constitutional asymmetry.

While the measures could lead to widespread anger among the area’s indigenous peoples, Titirico said that his council won’t back down on their ruling.

The cutting off of hands has been used around the world for centuries as a way to punish thieves. Under Islamic law, the punishment is sometimes used part of Hdud and usually refers to the class of punishments that are fixed for certain crimes that are considered to be "claims of God."

Just a few months ago, a thief convicted of theft in war-torn Mali had his hand cut off by one of the radical Islamist groups controlling the northern part of the country.

Chemical castration has also been used in countries around the world as a way to prevent sex offenders, especially those convicted in crimes against children, from repeating their acts. Both South Korea and Russia currently have laws that permit for chemical castration of sex offenders.Comment:  This doesn't sound like any Native justice I've ever heard of. Just the opposite, in fact.

It sounds more like a fundamentalist Christian or Muslim approach. I presume these Indians are practicing their traditional culture and religion, but perhaps they've converted to Christianity.

Traditional Native justice usually involves things like talking circles and banishment. You know, nonviolent approaches that favor restitution and rehabilitation over retaliation and retribution. Tribes weren't known for executing, imprisoning, or flogging their wrongdoers.

The traditional Native approach stems from viewing people as a mix of good and evil, I believe, not pure evil. Religious fundamentalists think differently, of course.

Does the penalty fit the crime?

Anyway, I could see chemical castration for rape, especially a second offense. I presume it can be reversed, so that's an advantage.

I can't see cutting off someone's hand. This is usually applied to relatively minor offenses by relatively poor people.

If you cut off a billionaire's hand when he cheated his company, his shareholders, or the public, then you might have something, but that'll never happen. Only the poor suffer under this harsh form of "justice."

It's also stupid because it doesn't resolve much. The victim doesn't get compensated for the stolen goods. The perpetrator probably becomes a burden on the taxpayer. And if the perpetrator is bent on stealing, he can hire someone to do it for him.

I guess this measure cows people into frightened submission, which doesn't sound healthy. And someone who doesn't like the repressive climate can go elsewhere, so the measures merely export the crime. Really, what's the advantage of making your society as harsh and unforgiving as Saudi Arabia? Does anyone except a rich sheik want to live that way?

For more on Bolivia, see Whitewashing in Quantum of Solace and Bolivia's Coke to End with Maya Calendar.

Whitewashing in Quantum of Solace

When Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond film, came out in 2008, I commented on its plot and production. Recently I finally watched it, so I can talk about it in more detail.

The plot revolves around the overthrow of the Bolivian government. Bolivia's Indians make a few minor appearances, but the plot is implicitly about them. That makes it fair game for my blog.

[* spoiler alert *]

The plot

To be specific, the plot revolves around Dominic Greene, a phony eco-philanthropist who's secretly head of Quantum, a global crime syndicate. His latest scheme is to overthrow the Bolivian government and restore a brutal general to power. All he wants in return is a supposedly worthless parcel of desert land.

In reality, he's amassed 60% of Bolivia's water supply under the land. When the general is in charge, Greene plans to charge him an exorbitant rate to continue supplying Bolivia's water. Because that's apparently easier than earning money the old-fashioned way.

Okay, this is kind of the standard comic-book plot seen in old Bond movies. In those days, it was Goldfinger trying to corner the gold market. Now it's Greene trying to corner the water market.

But these days we expect more sophisticated plots--or at least I do. Quantum of Solace has several major problems that make it a mediocre Bond movie.

First, Bolivia is headed by Evo Morales, a popular and democratically elected Aymara Indian. With his pro-indigenous, anti-capitalist agenda, he's a player in regional and even world politics.

The idea of overthrowing his government without massive international repercussions is flatly ridiculous. A Bolivian coup would play out roughly as the recently turmoil in Egypt or Syria has. There would be massive riots, troops trying to keep the peace, diplomats trying to broker a solution, constant media coverage, etc.

Bolivia isn't some sleepy backwater Latin "republic" in the mid-20th century. Morales has made it a showcase for government based on indigenous rights. Which means it's in the world's spotlight.

Cornering the water supply

Greene's plan to corner Bolivia's water supply is equally ridiculous. Bond falls into a sinkhole and discovers an underground dam that's created a huge reservoir of water. He surmises that there's a whole network of dams corralling the water.

Never mind that Bolivia is a country of high plains and mountains. That much of its water comes from glacier melt. Let's assume that there are indeed underground aquifers within easy reach.

So Greene's plan is to dam this underground water? Building a dam is a colossal effort requiring millions of man-hours, mega-tons of equipment, a transportation network, international financing, etc. Between spy satellites and local observers, there's no way Greene could build even a single oil derrick without everyone's knowing it. Building a series of dams would be a hundred or a thousand times more difficult.

And underground dams? Even harder. I'm not aware that manmade underground dams even exist, yet Greene has secretly built several of them.

Tying the two points together, Greene meets with the general to sign agreements. First, to put the general in power; second, to charge him for the water under the land he just acquired. Hello? As far as the movie is concerned, the Evo Morales government is still in power. There's been no hint of an actual coup. The general has no authority to 1) give away Bolivian land or 2) sign utility agreements for water. He's a disgruntled nobody, not the head of state.

The water-privatization plot supposedly was based on the 2000 Cochabamba protests in Bolivia. But the reality of these protests shows how superficial the movie is:The Cochabamba protests of 2000, also known as the Cochabamba Water War, were a series of protests that took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia's third largest city, between December 1999 and April 2000 in response to the privatisation of the city's municipal water supply company Semapa. The new firm, Aguas del Tunari–a joint venture involving Bechtel and Suez Lyonaise–was required to invest in construction of long-envisioned dam (a priority of Mayor Manfred Reyes Villa), so they dramatically raised water rates. Protests, largely organized through the Coordinadora in Defense of Water and Life, a community coalition, erupted in January, February, and April, culminating in tens of thousands marching downtown and battling police. One civilian, Victor Hugo Daza was killed. On April 10, the national government reached an agreement with the Coordinadora to reverse the privatization. A complaint filed by foreign investors was resolved by agreement in January 2006.The key points are the people's awareness of what was going on and the large-scale protests against it. No way does something like this happen in secret anymore. If they ever did, indigenous people no longer bow down to their colonial "masters."

The missing Indians

The Aymara Indians are most notable by their absence. Bolivia is something like 60% Aymara, but there are no obvious Indians in the initial Bolivian scenes. Quantum's version of the Bolivian capital La Paz is white and bland enough to be any European city.

Eventually we get three scenes featuring the Aymara. First, Bond walks to an Aymara village where the well is conspicuously running dry. Second, back in La Paz, a saloon is suddenly full of Indian types, and a couple are shown in the streets. This is a notable change from the previous Aymara-free scenes.

Finally, Bond leaves Camille, the latest Bond girl, in what looks like an Aymara town. The only residents appear to be Aymara, anyway.

Note: Quantum of Solace was filmed in Panama and Mexico. I presume these Indians are Panamanian. But they wear Aymara-style clothing and look reasonably authentic.

And about that Bond girl: Camille is a member of the Bolivian secret service. Her father worked for the corrupt general, and the general killed her family. She could be an immigrant, but all this plus her brown skin and her return to the Aymara town implies she's a Bolivian native.

But, she's played by Olga Kurylenko, who looks like an exotic Caucasian, not an Indian. In fact, she's Ukrainian:Olga Kurylenko was born in Berdyansk, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). Her father, Konstantin, is Ukrainian, and her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, is an art teacher of Russian and Belarusian descent, who was born in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.Okay, let's forget about using a Native actress. That would be too much to ask for. But what about the thousands of talented Latinas who could've played a Bolivian agent?

Quantum's producers supposedly conducted "extensive casting searches for a Latina actress from South America." Great, but what about Latina actresses from North or Central America? Not to mention Native actresses?

Kurylenko supposedly got the job because she was the only one who seemed "comfortable" doing action scenes with Daniel Craig. Uh-huh, sure. In other words, the producers were more comfortable with a hot Euro-model type than someone who could look and act Bolivian.

So Quantum of Solace whitewashes the complexity of Bolivian politics. It whitewashes the indigenous Bolivian populace. It whitewashes the female character who should, by all rights, be an Indian or at least a Latina.

Not the best Bond

As for the rest of the movie, Roger Moore summed it up well, saying Craig was a "damn good Bond but the film as a whole, there was a bit too much flash cutting [and] it was just like a commercial of the action. There didn't seem to be any geography and you were wondering what the hell was going on."

I agree. I could follow perhaps 80% of the plot and 80% of the action. Like a trailer, it was chopped into pieces so you couldn't follow it more closely. I guess this is a trend in action films: to cover up your lack of special-effects money or skill with a collage of confusing shots. Whatever the reason, it's inferior filmmaking.

Quantum of Solace isn't as good as Casino Royale or other Bond films. Because of all the action sequences, though, it's moderately entertaining. Rob's rating: 7.5 of 10.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

Bolivia's Coke to end with Maya calendar

Bolivia Set To Banish Coca-Cola To Mark Mayan End Of Capitalism

By Anderson AntunesFor most Americans, Bolivia is a third world South American country last robbed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. However this impoverished nation is making headlines due to its Minister of External Affairs recent announcement that the Coca-Cola Company, one of the world’s largest corporations, is to be booted out of there by year’s end.

David Choquehuanca, the minister in question, explained that Coca-Cola will be expelled from Bolivia on the same day that the Mayan calendar enters a new cycle–December 21. According to Choquehuanca, the date marks the end of capitalism and the start of a culture of life in community-based societies. In order to celebrate that, Bolivia’s government is already planning a series of events that will take place at the Southern Hemisphere’s Summer Solstice on La Isla del Sol, one of the largest islands in Lake Titicaca.

“The twenty-first of December 2012 is the end of selfishness, of division. The twenty-first of December has to be the end of Coca-Cola and the beginning of mocochinche (a local peach-flavored soft drink),” Choquehuanca told reporters at a political rally for Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales. “The planets will line up after 26,000 years. It is the end of capitalism and the beginning of communitarianism,” he added.

It’s already been rumored that Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez, will follow suit, encouraging his country to ditch the American beverage for soft drinks produced locally.Bolivia Expels Coca-Cola Company: Foreign Minister Predicts End Of Capitalism After Mayan 'Apocalypse'In what is being called a "symbolic rejection of US capitalism," Bolivia has announced that it will be marking the end of the Mayan calendar with the expulsion of the Coca-Cola Company from the country.

"December 21 of 2012 will be the end of egoism and division. December 21 should be the end of Coca-Cola,” Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca said earlier this month, according to Russian news agency, RT.

This is a significant move for Bolivia--who will join Myanmar, North Korea and Cuba as the only countries in the world that are coke-free, Yahoo! News notes.

Unlike the doomsayers who have predicted the apocalypse to occur on Dec. 21, Choquehuanca said he is optimistic that the end of the Mayan calendar will usher in a new and more progressive era--one that will see "the end of hatred and the beginning of love."Comment:  As with every other prediction based on the Maya calendar, I'm guessing this ban will have no effect on capitalism in Bolivia or elsewhere. Indeed, I counterpredict that the end of the Maya calendar cycle on Dec. 21 will have no effect on anyone or anything.

For more on 2012, see Maya Mural Contradicts "Doomsday" Myth and Maya Teleconference Debunks 2012 "Apocalypse."

Below:  Bolivia's Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca. (AFP/Getty Images)

Bolivian artist Mamani Mamani

Color, Earth, Andes:  The Work of Bolivian Artist Roberto Mamani Mamani

By Sara ShahriariRoberto Mamani Mamani’s bold, eye-catching paintings of brilliantly colored mountains, the Earth Mother Pachamama and indigenous Bolivians have made him one of Bolivia’s best-known artists. Mamani Mamani lives in La Paz, a city in Bolivia’s high-altitude western plains and the center of the country’s government. He calls himself Quechua Indian by birth and Aymara Indian by blood, because he grew up in an Aymara family in the Quechua-dominated valleys of Bolivia.

The valleys and gently rolling mountainous landscape of his childhood feature in Mamani Mamani’s art, as does the indigenous religion and worldview his grandmother taught him. The Earth Mother Pachamama, shown as a rounded and strong indigenous woman, is a common presence in his work. By combining images from Spanish colonial art into this Andean landscape, Mamani Mamani produces a world that is distinctly Bolivian.Comment:  For more on Bolivian arts, see Afro-Bolivian Music and Bolivian Revolution on Film.

Below:  "Mother Illimani with Intis, Awichas and Children, by Roberto Mamani Mamani. Oil and pastels."

Afro-Bolivian music

Black Bolivians’ voice in music

By Sara ShahriariBolivia’s majority indigenous population is led by President Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian. During recent decades the country’s indigenous groups have made themselves increasingly heard, fighting for rights to land, political representation and their culture. But living in pockets alongside, and increasingly mixing with, the Aymara and Quechua Indians who make up the majority of the country’s 10.5 million people is a small, often overlooked population. They are Afro-Bolivians, who have shared in many of the indigenous population’s trials over hundreds of years.

Numbering about 35,000, Afro-Bolivians struggled for recognition in their country. In saya–traditional music born during slavery–they found the tool that gives their small community a big voice.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Native Stereotypes in Bolivia and Bolivian Indigenous Hip Hop.

Morales: Obama takes vengeance against Indians

Bolivian President Evo Morales on President Obama:  “I Can’t Believe a Black President Can Hold So Much Vengeance Against an Indian President”AMY GOODMAN:  We’re talking to President Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia. Yesterday at the Earth Day rally, the foreign minister of Ecuador said that the US had cut two-and-a-half million dollars to Ecuador because they didn’t sign onto the Copenhagen Accord. He said he would give two-and-a-half million dollars to the United States if they signed onto the Kyoto Protocol. Bolivia, the US cut two-and-a-half million dollars, or $3 million, because you didn’t sign onto the Copenhagen Accord. Can you explain what happened?

PRESIDENT EVO MORALES:  [translated] The thing is that there’s permanent sabotage and blackmail from the US government. I cannot believe that a black president can have so much vengeance with an Indian president, because our grandparents and our populations, black and indigenous, have been excluded, marginalized, humiliated. That’s where Obama is coming from, from that experience and that suffering. And me, too. And so, it’s one who’s been discriminated against discriminating against another who’s been discriminated against, one oppressed who is oppressing another oppressed. So much blackmail, and the so much blackmail we had experienced before, and now I’m being subject to $3 million blackmail.

But it’s with great pride and humility that we’re now better off without the United States. We’re better off economically. And in terms of macroeconomic policy, we’re better off without the International Monetary Fund.

AMY GOODMAN:  What was the $3 million supposed to be for, before it was cut?

PRESIDENT EVO MORALES:  [translated] Of course, for social programs, as well as environmental programs, but that’s just $3 million. In terms of fighting drug trafficking, they have the responsibility to make an investment, and that it’s not just a question of cooperation, it’s a matter of an obligation on their part. Nonetheless, they have pulled out, and we are facing drug trafficking alone—some crumb to make it seem like something, certainly. And so, for example, I had information that they were going to invest in the Millennium Development Account, like $600 million, and they withdrew all of it. And so, we worked this out with other countries. We’re talking about investment. One is not going to raise that claim about this. We are a country of dignity.

But what they do is take vengeance, intimidate. And that is why my doubt is, one who has been subjugated, one’s family has been subjugated to discrimination, is now president; how is it possible that he can discriminate against another movement that has been discriminated against? It is the peoples who will hear.

AMY GOODMAN:  Do you see a change between President Bush and President Obama?

PRESIDENT EVO MORALES:  [translated] If something is changed, it’s just the color of the president that’s changed.Comment:  Sounds petty of Obama to withhold $3 million in aid because Bolivia refused to sign the weak Copenhagen Accord. Especially since the US didn't let Bolivia, other small nations, and indigenous groups negotiate the accord.

For more on the subject, see Climate-Change Conference in Bolivia and Indians Fight Back in Latin America.

Climate-change conference in Bolivia

Bolivia's fight for survival can help save democracy too

The people's summit to tackle climate change is a radical, transformative response to the failure of the Copenhagen club

By Naomi Klein[T]he actions causing the melting are taking place not in Bolivia but on the highways and in the industrial zones of heavily industrialised countries. In Copenhagen, leaders of endangered nations like Bolivia and Tuvalu argued passionately for the kind of deep emissions cuts that could avert catastrophe. They were politely told that the political will in the north just wasn't there.

More than that, the United States made clear that it didn't need small countries like Bolivia to be part of a climate solution. It would negotiate a deal with other heavy emitters behind closed doors, and the rest of the world would be informed of the results and invited to sign on, which is precisely what happened with the Copenhagen accord.

When Bolivia and Ecuador refused to rubberstamp the accord, the US government cut their climate aid by $3m and $2.5m respectively. "It's not a freerider process," explained US climate negotiator Jonathan Pershing. (Anyone wondering why activists from the global south reject the idea of "climate aid" and are instead demanding repayment of "climate debts" has their answer here.)

Pershing's message was chilling: if you are poor, you don't have the right to prioritise your own survival. When Morales invited "social movements and Mother Earth's defenders … scientists, academics, lawyers and governments" to Cochabamba for a new kind of climate summit, it was a revolt against this experience of helplessness, an attempt to build a base of power behind the right to survive.

The Bolivian government got the ball rolling by proposing four big ideas: that nature should be granted rights that protect ecosystems from annihilation (a "universal declaration of Mother Earth rights"); that those who violate those rights and other international environmental agreements should face legal consequences (a "climate justice tribunal"); that poor countries should receive various forms of compensation for a crisis they are facing but had little role in creating ("climate debt"); and that there should be a mechanism for people around the world to express their views on these topics ("world people's referendum on climate change").Comment:  For more on the subject, see "Hopenhagen" Turns into "Nopenhagen" and Copenhagen Talks = "Climate Injustice."

Miss Peru wears Bolivian costume

Peru and Bolivia in a controversy over the Devil's dance

Isabel GuerraThe typical costume that that Karen Schwarz, Miss Peru Universe, is supposed to wear during the beauty pageant to take place in Bahamas on August 23rd, is causing at present a bitter controversy between Peru and Bolivia.

As soon as Schwarz announced that her outfit was inspired in a typical dance from Puno highlands called “La Diablada” (The Devils' dance), Bolivian representatives alleged that La Diablada “is an emblematic dance from Bolivian folklore.”

Bolivia claims that this would be an unfair appropriation of the Bolivian's cultural heritage.

Pablo Groux, Bolivian Minister of Culture, has reportedly sent a letter to Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC), expressing Bolivian's concern regarding to this matter.Miss Peru--Karen Schwarz--Traditional CostumeDear Miss Universe Organization,

We are deeply concerned and disappointed that Miss Peru, Karen Schwarz and her committee has made the choice of presenting a traditional Bolivian costume as Peruvian.

Our government has sent letters of request to Miss Schwarz's committee of choosing a costume that will represent their country.

The costume that they have chosen to present in the Miss Universe event is a costume from a traditional dance from ORURO-BOLIVIA named "La Diablada" which is presented every year in the Bolivian Carnaval. We consider this "Diablada" costume as an icon of our carnaval.

In a proclamation in 2001 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed “The Carnival of Oruro" as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. We consider that if UNESCO has recognized such an important tradition from Bolivia, then Miss Peru and her committee should do the same.Miss Peru 2009 creates controversy in Peru and BoliviaWhat the Bolivian authorities are missing is that Indigenous traditions of the Andes and Amazon regions don't know about borders and nationalities.

At the same time, someone can explain why a woman from Lima wants to represent the Amazonian women, dressing a Native regalia from the Andes?Some sexy pictures of Schwarz:

Karen Schwarz--Miss Peru Universe 2009
Karen Schwarz:  Miss Peru Goes To Miss Universe Beauty Pageant

Comment:  A couple points here:

1) Despite the fact that traditional Andean cultures don't recognize national boundaries, Bolivians think the Diablada dance and costume is primarily theirs. I'd say a Peruvian beauty queen should choose a costume that's unambiguously associated with Peru.

2) Schwarz could have a Native background, but Wikipedia says she's "of German origin." As far as I'm concerned, that means she shouldn't be wearing any Native costume, even if it's Peruvian.

For previous beauty-pageant controversies, see Pageant Contestant = Sexy Chief and Miss USA Dresses as Scantily-Clad Chief in Faux Warbonnet.

Native stereotypes in Bolivia

Colonial scars run deep in BoliviaDespite having a president, Evo Morales, who is an Aymara Indian, the indigenous groups of Bolivia continue to be among the nation's poorest, working as peasant farmers or cheap labour.

And according to Rafael Mora, negative stereotypes abound.

"There are many myths saying Indians are dangerous. From when they are very young, children in the cities are told "don't go there or the Indian will get you". In cities like Sucre, people panic if you say 'Indians are coming to take over'," he said.

"In the past, people were told Indians would come, rape the women and steal everything. Actually, it is the other way round. Even today young Indian girls working as maids are still sexually abused. It's common for young men to be allowed to use them to get sexual experience."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Peace Prize for Morales? and Chavez and Morales, friends of Natives.

Bolivian indigenous hip hop

Rapping in Aymara

Bolivian indigenous hip hop as an instrument of struggleBojorquez belongs to a group of rappers in El Alto, a sprawling city above La Paz which is home to around 800,000 people. His group and music is called Wayna Rap (Wayna means young in Aymara). Under the umbrella of Wayna Rap are smaller bands like Insane Race, Uka Mau y Ke, Clandestine Race and others. They often get together in freestyle events, where different singers take turns at the mike.

“The door is open to everyone. … This is our proposal for how to change society,” Bojorquez said. Though they collaborate with a wide variety of people, “we don’t just sing things like ‘I’m feeling bad, my girlfriend just left me and now I am going to get drunk.’ It’s more about trying to solve problems in society.” The social and political themes in the music come from the city’s reality. The death and conflicts in the 2003 Gas War made a huge impact on El Alto, and many of the songs reflect that.

In many of Bojorquez’s songs, Andean flutes and drums mesh with the beat. This aspect, along with the indigenous language, sets the music apart from standard hip hop. The topics covered are also distinct. In one song, they grapple with street violence and homelessness in El Alto. It deals with “children living in the street, orphans of mothers and fathers and the violence that grows every day. The lack of work, all of these things,” Bojorquez explained. “We try to show the true reality of what is happening in the country, not hide it.”Comment:  For more on Bolivia's indigenous arts, see Pop Art Capital of South America and Native Video = Organizing Tool.

Globalization in A Quantum of Solace

Series Introduction:  Globalization--Of Bond and Global PoliticsBond infiltrates, drives, flies, and shoots his way through the rest of the movie trying to stop another coup from taking place in Bolivia, where Greene wants to privatize the water rights in collaboration with the U.S. government by re-establishing a friendly military junta there. The Washington Post’s critic derides all this as “a ludicrous environmental cautionary tale about corporate control of water.”

Tell that to Bolivians, whose water rights were privatized by the World Bank in 1997. In what some called a “water war,” Bechtel was chased out of the country as Bolivians took to the streets in mass opposition to the company’s high prices for basic water services. Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first-ever indigenous president, now plans to enshrine a right to water in the constitution. Indeed, the indigenous Bolivians depicted as demure victims in the film have proven in the real world that they don’t require the violent heroics of a rich white guy like Bond to organize and take back their own country.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Reaction to A Quantum of Solace and Globalization:  Exporting the American Way.

Bolivian revolution on film

Art & Unrest in the AndesAs Bolivia’s political struggles intensify, the country’s indigenous filmmaking—which first made an impact in the 1960s—has been invigorated anew. It is currently producing some of the most exciting and innovative work in all of Latin America, as filmmakers fervently resist the otherwise-dominant commercial norms of the region’s conspicuously Caucasian-flavored, Spanish-language film and television programming. They have dared to explore race and identity issues with a confrontational frankness that has forced these debates to the surface and center of the national dialogue. Additionally, they’ve become a most vibrant chronicle and critique of globalization-related and U.S.-specific involvement in the Andes, from the ground up.

The Quechua and Aymara people, concentrated in the states of Potosí and La Paz, respectively, comprise Bolivia’s largest pueblos indígenas; their languages flourishes with literally millions of speakers each, sharing “official” status with Spanish. And yet, the void of mass media and educational materials produced in the mother tongues of its 60-plus percent majority is gaping. This void, however, is being ambitiously filled by a vanguard of visionary collectives from Aymara, Quechua, also Guaraní and the country’s 33 other pueblos, fomenting a new kind of revolution in Latin America—not with guns but through harnessing the newly accessible audio-visual production means of the digital age to give both voice and face to Bolivia’s long-silenced indigenous majority. Additionally, they could directly counter—or at the very least, balance—the tide of foreign-produced, “anthropological” documentaries which have attempted to present or dissect Bolivia’s pueblos indígenas, often without regard or respect for indigenous community protocols and cultural/intellectual property rights.Comment:  For more on the subject of Latin America, see Indians Rise in Latin America and On the Indigenous Frontline. For more on the subject of filmmaking, see Native Documentary and News.

Reaction to A Quantum of Solace

Correspondent DMarks has seen the new James Bond movie. His comments on the Indian presence:There was some reference to the current [Bolivian] government trying to help the people. Probably a veiled reference to Evo [Morales]. The Bolivian villain was a brutal general-strongman type who was engineering a coup to overthrow the government, with the assistance of the main villain, who was more of a grand-scheme typical Bond villain.

The [Indian] appearances were long enough to be noticeable. Apparently typical Andean Indians with the hats and all, doing typical village activities in the village. Not much interaction with the characters. Nothing at all on the lines of the spearchuckers from the Indiana Jones movie. i.e. they looked authentic to me, and were acting normal.Comment:  I'll probably see A Quantum of Solace when it comes out on DVD.

For more on A Quantum of Solace, see Embera Extras in Bond Movie and Bond Film Included Inca. For more on the subject in general, see The Best Indian Movies.

Morales meets Indians at NMAI

Evo Morales, Native leaders gather in friendship, solidarity

NMAI hosts Bolivian presidentEvo Morales, Bolivia’s indigenous president, attended a historic meeting with North American tribal leaders at the National Museum of the American Indian Nov. 19.

The private event, which was requested by Morales and facilitated by the Bolivian Embassy, saw more than a dozen tribal and Indian leaders join the leader to share cultural insights. Many brought him gifts from their tribes and nations, and he, in turn, offered his gratitude and a few jokes that somehow transcended any language barriers.

Of Aymara descent, Morales is widely viewed as a hero among indigenous populations worldwide. He was first elected in December 2005, and won re-election with 67 percent of the vote after a recall referendum last August. He is Bolivia’s first indigenous head of state in the 470 years since the Spanish Conquest.

In an interview with Indian Country Today after the meeting, Morales said there wasn’t much time for philosophizing with the Indian leaders, but he shared his vision of what it means to him to be an indigenous leader.

“In indigenous culture,” said Morales, “equality is so sacred. It’s a profound difference between our model life in indigenous communities and the model of life put forward by a capitalist society.

“… The indigenous culture is very important in terms of keeping people honest. That’s what I was telling people during the election, that our ancestors gave us a law: Don’t lie, don’t steal, and don’t be lazy. This worldview that we inherited from our ancestors has now been enshrined in our new constitution.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see No Time for Indians and Peace Prize for Morales?

4th country adopts Native language

Indigenous languages added to new Ecuadorian constitutionEcuador could soon become the fourth country in the Western Hemisphere to have indigenous languages included in the list of the nation's official languages.

In late July, the National Constituent Assembly--the political entity that is writing what could become the country's new constitution--decided to include Quechua and Shuar, along with Spanish, as official languages. The proposed constitution will be put to a national vote Sept. 28.And:Of the 8.5 million Quechua speakers in contemporary Latin America, 2.3 million of them are in Ecuador, where the need for Spanish-Quechua translators is growing; whereas Shuar is spoken by about 30,000 people in Ecuador and 20,000 in Peru.

Quechua is also one of the official languages of Peru and Bolivia. Both of these countries have Spanish as the other official idiom. The official languages of Paraguay are Guarani and Spanish.Comment:  For more on Native languages, visit my Pictographs blog.