Poder - May 2nd, 2008

I can hear the crackling of rifles and small explosions as they echo through the narrow streets of La Paz, but instead of a frenzied crowd they seem to reverberate harmlessly across the people of the city. The sounds are not those of revolution and warfare, but the constant cacophony of marches and demonstrations. As I sit in a cafe and try to communicate what the mood is like here in Bolivia, the sounds fade away into the background noise of micros and street vendors selling their wares.

For those of you curious, here is a quick (quick!) intro to Bolivia to set the scene, or rather, you can simply click here to figure it out better. Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar, the Sudamerican-born Spaniard who practically single-handily liberated all of South America. It was actually the last country to receive it´s independence, and has always struggled with it´s decidedly diverse populace. (Map) In the eastern half of the country lies the imposing Andes, and in the southwest the Bolivian Altiplano. The capital of the country, La Paz, also lies in the west of the country. To the far north and northeast of Bolivia lies the amazon, relatively undeveloped and underpopulated. The major cities of Cochabamba, Sucre, and Potosi lie in the middle, and Santa Cruz and it´s lowlands make up the countries southeast. In all of these states the culture and ethnographic mix varies wildly, a situation which, like Canada offers an incredibly diverse and dynamic culture, but also the possibility for civil strife and misunderstanding.

Bolivia has the highest population of indigenous peoples in the world, somewhere between 50 and 70%. Primarily this population is made of two groups, the Aymara and the Quecha. The Quecha are known for being direct descendants of the Incan empire, which collapsed only a few hundred years ago, and their language is the same. Their presence in the country is primarily focused in specific areas where the Incans needed to consolidate their control over the more resident Aymara, such as Potosi. Both languages are fluently spoken by a majority of the population, which is in itself a unique trait for most global indigenous languages, and for the first time in history, the president, Evo Morales, is of indigenous descent. A historic moment, and one that has opened the door to much of the current political strife here in this country.

I came to Bolivia with the belief that it was a country undergoing something of a revolution for the populat, but can now say that I was pretty much completely wrong. If anything, the country is pulling itself apart.

As it is currently, every state except two is pushing for Autonomia, which while in some occasions does not mean complete separation, in many others it does. The major reason for this seems to be, in my and others opinion, the sudden shift of power inherent in Morales´political ascension. He is the first president not to directly represent an elitist and primarily eastern lowlands agenda, meaning that the wealthy elite of the oil and gas-rich Santa Cruz department have suddenly found themselves sitting outside the fence, instead of owning it. In this gulf the push for autonomy, essentially the demand not to share the state´s wealth with the poor, and more indigenous altiplano. The vote is on Sunday, and the country waits expectantly for the result.

All in all, it is understood that the vote will pass for Autonomy with a crushing margin, but as there is no legal precedent for succession, a situation most Canadians understand, no one quite knows what to expect. Civil war is a possibility, albeit very minor, as there are no Santa Cruz corps waiting to march on La Paz. If anything, increased tension and racism will be the major results, and in a country with more governments than years of history, the fragile nature of Bolivia seems shaky and unstable.

I´m off tonight to meet with an MSF head to see if he can sneak me into some work here in the country. (For those of you unaware, I´ve been working at becoming a Logistician with them for the last couple years, and this would be a huge step.) As well, I´m going to ask Naomi Klein to dinner tonight at her talk. It´s so easy to be brave when you´re a naive gringo whose Spanish sucks.

Tomorrow photos of marches, and children dressed as chickens.

Nick.