* postcard from bolivia: may 2008
http://www.bearguerra.com/bolpstcard.mov
* audio slideshow: coca si, cocaina no (canadian edition)
The Walrus Magazine, 05.03.08: Coca is not cocaine. However, the leaf is the main ingredient for the drug, and the United States and the United Nations would like to see the plant completely eradicated. But Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, is a former coca grower who has pushed for an increase in the cultivation and legal uses of coca - while still clamping down on the illegal ones. He calls this new and controversial policy “Coca Yes, Cocaine No.”
http://walrusmagazine.com/cocaine/cocaine/publish_to_web/index1.php
* the cocalero government of evo morales
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Dispatches, 04.14.08: Bolivia’s president says it’s okay to grow coca. Just don’t grow it into cocaine. But there’s a fine white line between the two that’s becoming a flashpoint with the United States.
(please listen about 13:40 minutes into the broadcast)
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/dispatches_20080414_5353.mp3
* the fight against cocaine in bolivia
The World, 03.11.08: For years, Bolivia has been considered to be only a transit point for cocaine — but in the last five years it has increasingly become involved in cocaine production as well. Last week, the U.N’s International Narcotics Control Board annual report chided Bolivia’s government for allowing an increase in coca production. But president Evo Morales has repeatedly fought efforts to eradicate coca in his country, saying that an increase in coca doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in cocaine.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0311086
* a legal market for coca
The World, 03.10.08: The U.N.’s International Narcotics Control Board said last week that Peru and Bolivia should outlaw the chewing of coca. Those are fighting words in Bolivia, where coca leaves are widely grown and part of traditional Andean culture. Bolivia’s president Evo Morales is a former coca grower who has pushed for increasing the legal uses of coca leaves — while clamping down on the illegal uses. He calls his policy “Coca Yes — Cocaine No” — that means encouraging legal coca growers — but cracking down on drug traffickers.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0310087
* audio slideshow: coca si, cocaina no
The World, 03.10.08: A multimedia piece that follows the legal market of coca from the fields in Los Yungas, to the Villa Fátima market in La Paz, and finally, in the production of coca-based products. Photos by Bear Guerra.
http://theworld.org/images/slideshows/coca/index.html
* blogging in el alto (spanish version)
BBC Mundo, 02.14.08: Aymara is a language spoken by almost three million people in Bolivia, and by a majority of people in El Alto. Young Aymara bloggers in this sprawling city are now learning the ways of the blog to tell the stories of their city in their own ways.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/misc/newsid_7240000/7240004.stm
* blogging in el alto
The World, 01.24.08: One way to describe a “blog” in Aymara, is by using the word for “opinion”. Aymara is a language spoken by almost three million people in Bolivia, and by a majority of people in El Alto. Young bloggers in this sprawling city are now trying to tell the stories of their city in their own ways.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0124089
* the bolivian cult of iron maiden
BBC Mundo (in Spanish), 01.18.08: Daniel Romano is 37 years old. He’s a translator by day, and by night, he’s the president of the Iron Maiden fan club in La Paz, Bolivia. His long hair and faded t-shirt give him the look of a care-free adolescent from another era.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/misc/newsid_7193000/7193651.stm
* miss cholita pageant 2007
Vocalo.org, 01.16.08: This piece was originally done for the Third Coast International Audio Festival Dollar Storeys competition in the fall of 2007. It’s a 3-minute version of the original “Miss Cholita” story which ran on BBC’s “The World” last year.
http://www.vocalo.org/everybody/users/ruxandraguidi
* iron maiden fans still strong in bolivia
The World, 01.15.08: The British heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, has been around for more than 30 years. They have a large following all over the world — even inspiring “tribute” bands and fan clubs in places as far away from the U.K. as Bolivia.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/15366
* the street zebras of la paz
World Vision Report, 12.16.07: La Paz, Bolivia is notorious for its bad traffic. Neither cars nor pedestrians follow the laws. But officials in the Bolivian capital have come up with a rather unusual program to help restore some order amid the chaos and congestion. It involves poor city teenagers — dressed as zebras.
http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/radio.nsf/stable/wvradiostory_121607_lapazzebras
* american visa: the book review
Amherst Magazine, 12.10.07: American Visa, a crime noir novel by Juan De Recacoechea, has just been translated into English — it is one of only a handful of Bolivian novels ever to make it into the American literary market.
https://cms.amherst.edu/news/magazine/issues/2007_fall/amherstcreates/americanvisa
* the bolivian constitutional saga
The World, 12.05.07: Since he was elected president almost two years ago, Evo Morales has wanted to make some changes to Bolivia’s constitution. An Aymara indian himself, Morales says his country’s laws don’t represent the interests or the rights of its indigenous majority. The deadline for the constitutional changes is finally around the corner, on December 14th. But critics of Morales fear that the new constitution could further divide Bolivia and incite violence.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/14498
* “american visa” by juan de recacoechea
Latino USA, 11.09.07: “American Visa” is the title of the most recent novel by Bolivian author Juan de Recacoechea. The story profiles a high school teacher who embodies the dreams and aspirations of many would-be immigrants — a man who’s willing to do anything it takes to get that American visa, even if the search takes him to the darkest of places.
http://www.utexas.edu/coc/kut/latinousa/stationservices/podcast/2007/11/1109_02_lusa_podcast.mp3
* celebrating las ñatitas
The World, 11.09.07: Hundreds of people crowded into the central cemetery in La Paz yesterday, carrying skulls in wooden and cardboard boxes and showering them with flower petals. They were celebrating Las Ñatitas, or Day of the Skulls — an important Aymara tradition that follows the Day of the Dead.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/13922&answer=true
* autos katrina making their way to bolivia
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Dispatches, 11.07.07: These cars are unsafe at any speed. How so many of the vehicles busted up in Lousiana by Hurricane Katrina are now rattling around unrepaired on the roads of Bolivia.
http://www.cbc.ca/dispatches/thisseason/november.html
* sex workers on a nationwide strike
The World, 10.26.07: For the last two weeks, parents and students from El Alto, right outside Bolivia’s capital, have taken to the streets. Armed with sticks and stones, they’ve been destroying bars, liquor stores and brothels — demanding that the government stop the proliferation of these kinds of establishments. One group that’s been especially affected by the closedown, is the large community of women sex workers of El Alto.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=1026073
For more photos by Bear Guerra, follow this link:
http://flickr.com/photos/pritheworld/sets/72157602719665233/detail/
* tourism + politics on the che trail
The World, 10.08.07: On October 9th, 1967, revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara was killed in the remote mountains of southeastern Bolivia. Since then, his life and death have fueled a powerful myth that drives hundreds of people to retrace his steps in the Bolivian countryside every year.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=1008074
* the arrival of aymara open source
The World, 08.30.07: There’s been a renewed interest in fostering native languages since the election of Evo Morales. This month, a team of software developers launched an Aymara-language program that is available for free, and that promises to give the indigenous language the focus it deserves.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0830075
* katrina cars ending up in bolivia
Marketplace, 08.27.07: Over the last 6 months, cars damaged by Hurricane Katrina and discarded by the U.S., have been ending up in Bolivia. They are sold cheaply, look almost new on the outside, but have serious mechanical problems on the inside.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/08/27/PM200708274.html
* bolivia’s culture of protest
The World, 08.13.07: Protests by the social movements — made up of miners, coca growers, teachers, peasants, union leaders and average citizens — were an important force giving rise to President Evo Morales in 2005 . But now that Morales is in power, they could also be part of his demise.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0813075
* chavez launches “petro andina”
The World, 08.10.07: Bolivia’s nationalized natural gas industry may be struggling — so Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is coming to the rescue.
http://www.theworld.org/wma.php?id=0810074
* the evo style
BBC Mundo (in Spanish), o8.09.07: The traditional outfit that Evo Morales wore on his inauguration (traditional poncho and pointed wool hat) will be officially declared a “national treasure”. His outfits are setting trends — and the new law is likely to help the fashion + tourism industries in Bolivia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_6937000/6937892.stm
* dinosaur tracks at risk of disappearing
The World, 08.07.07: The Cal Orck’o dinosaur tracks — the largest set of fossilized dinosaur footprints in the world — date back 68 million years. But due to a lack of experts and funding in Bolivia, the site at Cal Orck’o is at the risk of disappearing.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/11929
* miss cholita 2007
The World, 07.16.07: The “Miss Cholita” pageant in La Paz focuses on indigenous culture, with contestants wearing traditional dresses and sporting long braids. A winner chosen last week was stripped of her title because her braids were made from hair extensions. A new contest was held over the weekend to crown a new winner.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/11478
BBC Mundo (in Spanish), 07.18.07:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/misc/newsid_6904000/6904556.stm#
* cross-walking zebras of la paz
BBC Mundo (in Spanish), 07.09.07: The Bolivian capital of La Paz has made it a priority to solve its serious traffic and pedestrian problems. An innovative program is employing young boys and girls by dressing them as zebras and positioning them in major crosswalks around the city, from morning until evening.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/misc/newsid_6282000/6282978.st
* glaciers melting away fast
The World, 07.06.07: South America’s glaciers are on their way to extinction. One of the ice masses, in Bolivia, is melting so fast that some scientists say it could be gone within a few years.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/11294
* bolivia’s ex-president wanted
The World, 02.22.07: Bolivia’s former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada is living in exile in the United States, but his country wants him extradited back home to face charges relating to the deaths of more than 60 protesters in 2003.
http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/8263
