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Back to South America, that lovely continent of varied and breathtaking terrain, delicious food, fascinating politics, and welcoming people with a strong sense of their identity and culture. Yes, I sound like a travel channel special, but I can’t help it! I’m becoming obsessed…
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, with a life expectancy of only 63 years. It’s also the most forgotten country in the Americas. A recent poll showed that the majority of U.S. citizens don't know where the country is located. The presence of the United States is never forgotten in Bolivia, however. The livelihoods of many Bolivians literally depend on the United States for survival, as the economy depends on exports of zinc, tin and oil to the U.S. and Brazil. And, of course, on the exports of the biggest industry – trade in coca leaves. Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine. The U.S. recently suspended trade benefits with Bolivia, and that combined with the global financial crisis is currently posing severe challenges for the Bolivian economy.
I spent all of my time in La Paz, the capital city. Few cities in the world can claim such a spectacular setting, built in a narrow canyon in the midst of the Andes mountains. The permanently snow-covered mountain Illimani looms over the city, and many of the city’s inhabitants still revere it as a powerful deity. The city as a whole is unlike most capital cities I’ve travelled to, where usually, more so than any other part of the country, you can feel the effects of globalization. La Paz, however, still feels removed from the pace of the rest of the world and less affected by globalization. It has retained its distinct cultural heritage, made up of two very different societies: the indigenous and European. La Paz was founded as a center of Spanish power in the Andes, but many of the indigenous Aymara people from the surrounding countryside were resettled right across the river from the Spanish city to serve as a pool of cheap labor. Ironically, this section of the city is also where most of the churches were built as part of the effort to convert them to Christianity.
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, with a life expectancy of only 63 years. It’s also the most forgotten country in the Americas. A recent poll showed that the majority of U.S. citizens don't know where the country is located. The presence of the United States is never forgotten in Bolivia, however. The livelihoods of many Bolivians literally depend on the United States for survival, as the economy depends on exports of zinc, tin and oil to the U.S. and Brazil. And, of course, on the exports of the biggest industry – trade in coca leaves. Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine. The U.S. recently suspended trade benefits with Bolivia, and that combined with the global financial crisis is currently posing severe challenges for the Bolivian economy.
I spent all of my time in La Paz, the capital city. Few cities in the world can claim such a spectacular setting, built in a narrow canyon in the midst of the Andes mountains. The permanently snow-covered mountain Illimani looms over the city, and many of the city’s inhabitants still revere it as a powerful deity. The city as a whole is unlike most capital cities I’ve travelled to, where usually, more so than any other part of the country, you can feel the effects of globalization. La Paz, however, still feels removed from the pace of the rest of the world and less affected by globalization. It has retained its distinct cultural heritage, made up of two very different societies: the indigenous and European. La Paz was founded as a center of Spanish power in the Andes, but many of the indigenous Aymara people from the surrounding countryside were resettled right across the river from the Spanish city to serve as a pool of cheap labor. Ironically, this section of the city is also where most of the churches were built as part of the effort to convert them to Christianity. 
The population is still very divided, with the colonial city center full of banks and government ministries on one side of the river and the main indigenous neighborhoods full of bustling markets on the other. I spent one of my afternoons wandering through one of the markets, where Aymara women were selling llama fetuses, dried frogs and lizards and a manner of other dead animals that are still commonly purchased for use in Aymara rituals. One of the women I was travelling with recently visited a small village and watched one of the rituals, where the priestess burned the llama fetuses during a ceremony of several hours and used the ashes to predict the future. my friend didn't catch all of it, but thinks it had something to do with anticipating the crops for the coming year.More than 60% of Bolivians are of Indian decent, but traditionally the Bolivians of European descent have controlled the positions of power and wealth. Recently, however, the country elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales. Much of the language used in the election stirred up nationalist questions about who is truly Bolivian, and as a result, the country is very divided at the moment. When the public discourse emphasizes the rights of the indigenous people who, although the majority of the country, are the poorest, most marginalized and oppressed, it makes room for dissention very difficult. Many of the hopes initially placed in the new president to are waning. While I was there, I heard a political economist speak about the current context of the country, and in many cases poverty levels and discrimination are actually increasing. There are concerns that although the indigenous discourse is used, the structures still haven't changed, and the same people still control the country's wealth and power like they always have.
I spent most of my time working with CARE Bolivia’s staff, who, given the changing social, economic and political environment, are determining how to be most strategic with their work. This entails assessing the root issues in the country that are causing poverty and social injustice, and deciding what work would be most effective in addressing those issues. They focus their work on indigenous women and children, who suffer disproportionately from poverty and lack of access to opportunity. So the conversation was incredibly interesting, learning about the people they’re working with and the issues they face.
They promised that when I go back, they'll take me to the Amazon, where you have to get permission from the tribes to visit. I spoke with the guy who runs CARE's programs there, and his stories were unbelievable - snakes the size of trees, herds of the largest rodents in the world that swim, crocodiles on every side as you canoe through the rivers. Sign me up!
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