November 1st-20th

The first week of November, our friend Juan took us to see a traditional cemetery in Cochabamba which was really interesting. It also happened to fall of “Dia De Los Muertos” which translates to Day of the Dead. We saw many families gathered by their late loved ones graves with blankets and tables covered in a variety of different foods, ranging from sweets and breads to full meals such as soups and meat dishes. Funerals in Bolivia traditionally consist of three day ceremonies which are still very common in the more rural areas. The funerals that take place in the more urban areas are usually condensed. Similar to North American customs, the mourners all wear black. The wealthier Bolivians are buried above ground in private garden cemeteries, which we saw a lot of during our visit. They varied from simple mausoleums to lavish glass houses surrounded with beautiful floral arrangements and ornaments.

My 2^nd week in November consisted of a look at the economy in Bolivia, and the different factors that negatively affect it.  The GDP per capita in Bolivia is 5000$, with the natural resources such as tin, natural gas, crude oil, silver, gold, and lead, and mining being their major industries. More than half of the labor force in Bolivia is in agriculture, with Coca being the largest cash crop, illegally of course, coca being the main component in the creation of cocaine. There have been efforts to reduce Coca trafficking, as the plant itself has many legitimate uses in Bolivian society, which include medicinal (altitude sickness, nausea etc.) and dietary. Coca is a large part of Bolivian culture and it really is a shame that drug traffickers exploit its production and uses; I have enjoyed many cups of coca tea since arriving in Bolivia! Bolivia is the poorest and least developed country in South America, and second poorest country in Latin America next to Haiti. The access to adequate health care, education and economic opportunities directly affects the lives of most Bolivians, especially those in the more rural areas. Approximately one third o the population lives in poverty, as mentioned before, surviving of less than 2$ USD a day. I study international development at Saint Mary’s and have always read and studied poverty, thinking I would be prepared for the experience of seeing it firsthand, and I must say it is a thoroughly different reality when it’s directly before your eyes as you walk to work each day.

Anyone interested in international development or who is studying it, at one point or another has likely heard of the “Cochabamba Water Wars”.  In 1998 Bolivia faced a political and economic crisis related to water. The government began construction of a pipeline, and started to consider the taxing of water to fund the $450 million project. In Cochabamba, which is Bolivia’s third largest city, the state owned water supply was sold to a private association of international companies. Construction of the pipeline was supposedly to aid Cochabamba in obtaining water from several rivers located in the city’s mountainous surroundings. In December, 2000, the government raised water prices by 35% which caused protests prompting the government to lower the prices. However, in April of 2000 the government again considered raising the prices of water, which sparked mass protests not only in Cochabamba but neighbouring cities as well. Demonstrations lasted 2 weeks in total, and ended in 8 deaths and 22 arrests. The army was heavily criticized for their tactics against protesters.

It has been interesting learning all the history that exists in Bolivia, and being a girl who has a keen interest in politics, the political history is particularly interesting.  If you are a lover of intense and captivating political history, I suggest taking some time to read about Bolivia’s history. The current President is Evo Morales, who was elected as a leftist and indigenous leader, part of the Aymara indigenous peoples, which was a first for Bolivia’s political history. Bolivia has one of the richest natural gas reserves in South America, though even still the majority of people still live in poverty. Morales was elected on the basis of a message that he would take back control of the country’s natural resources for the benefit of the people and not the corporations. This is what makes Morales a popular leader as he appeals to the 65% of indigenous people who currently reside in Bolivia.