Bolivia, a New Dawn?
La Paz, Bolivia.
April 7th, 2017.
Bolivian history is a violent one. Marked by a vicious cycle of endless robbery by a few elite criollos of Spanish and European descended people who make up the upper class, especially in the east of the country. Add to that political instability. But, times are changing as the Rolling Stones said. A new president, Evo Morales, the first of openly Native American ancestry, and proud of it, has introduced changes to Bolivian society. The old ruling class however has tried to hamper as much as they can changes that they feel challenge their rule of the country. Centered in the east of the country, headquartered in Santa Cruz, they rule like some bunch of modern day gangsters over mestizos mainly of Native American ancestry.
New infrastructure, building constructions, schools and vital social projects are transforming the country. The Native American majority of the country is feeling the change. For some the changes are not occurring fast enough. Evo Morales’s government is trying to implement changes without antagonizing too much the economic elite. It is a difficult business. But improved education for the masses increases the distribution of wealth that hitherto has been concentrated in too few hands. Hopefully this will also mean increase in sovereignty for Native Americans in the country. So many of them in the east of the country have been stripped of their identity. A silent mass easily manipulated. Or so was the wish of the ruling class. Whether their grip on the mestizos will hold or not, only time will tell. Increased education and ethnic centered tourism might affect changes to old views and power structures.
——–
Þó borgin heiti Friðurinn þá hefur hún samt verið höfuðborg ríkis þar sem criollos eða hvíta spænskumælandi yfirstéttin hefur rænt og ruplað í margar aldir. Í landinu var t.d. stærsta silfurnáma heims, Cerro Rico í Potosi, sem í um tvær aldir sá heiminum fyrir öllu því silfri sem á markað fór. Af þeim auð sést lítið í dag.
Fyrsti indíáninn, Evo Morales, sem er af þjóðflokki Aymara, var kosinn forseti árið 2006, í landi þar sem indíánar eru annars mikill meirihluti.
Þá var landið nánast gjaldþrota. Innviðir allir í molum, fátækt mikil og bandaríska fíkniefnalögreglan og innlenda yfirstéttin óð uppi með offorsi og yfirgang.
Eftir valdatöku Morales hefur efnahagslíf landsins tekið miklum stakkaskiptum. Skuldir ríkisins minni, uppgangur góður, tekjur ríkisins aukist og skilar nú tekjuafgangi. Ólæsi nánast útrýmt.
Fátæktin og vandamálin eru samt enn töluverð. Landsmenn óþolinmóðir eftir betra lífi fyrir börn sín og afkomendur. Mistök sem gerð eru af hálfu stjórnvalda kalla á mótmæli fólks sem er óþreyjufullt. Samt sem áður fékk flokkur Morales um og yfir 50% atkvæða í síðustu kosningum.
Áhugavert verður að fylgjast með þróun mála í Bólivíu næstu árin.
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Bolivia, a New Dawn?
Posted on 8. April, 2017 by Man in the World
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La Paz, Bolivia.
April 7th, 2017.
Bolivian history is a violent one. Marked by a vicious cycle of endless robbery by a few elite criollos of Spanish and European descended people who make up the upper class, especially in the east of the country. Add to that political instability. But, times are changing as the Rolling Stones said. A new president, Evo Morales, the first of openly Native American ancestry, and proud of it, has introduced changes to Bolivian society. The old ruling class however has tried to hamper as much as they can changes that they feel challenge their rule of the country. Centered in the east of the country, headquartered in Santa Cruz, they rule like some bunch of modern day gangsters over mestizos mainly of Native American ancestry.
New infrastructure, building constructions, schools and vital social projects are transforming the country. The Native American majority of the country is feeling the change. For some the changes are not occurring fast enough. Evo Morales’s government is trying to implement changes without antagonizing too much the economic elite. It is a difficult business. But improved education for the masses increases the distribution of wealth that hitherto has been concentrated in too few hands. Hopefully this will also mean increase in sovereignty for Native Americans in the country. So many of them in the east of the country have been stripped of their identity. A silent mass easily manipulated. Or so was the wish of the ruling class. Whether their grip on the mestizos will hold or not, only time will tell. Increased education and ethnic centered tourism might affect changes to old views and power structures.
——–
Þó borgin heiti Friðurinn þá hefur hún samt verið höfuðborg ríkis þar sem criollos eða hvíta spænskumælandi yfirstéttin hefur rænt og ruplað í margar aldir. Í landinu var t.d. stærsta silfurnáma heims, Cerro Rico í Potosi, sem í um tvær aldir sá heiminum fyrir öllu því silfri sem á markað fór. Af þeim auð sést lítið í dag.
Fyrsti indíáninn, Evo Morales, sem er af þjóðflokki Aymara, var kosinn forseti árið 2006, í landi þar sem indíánar eru annars mikill meirihluti.
Þá var landið nánast gjaldþrota. Innviðir allir í molum, fátækt mikil og bandaríska fíkniefnalögreglan og innlenda yfirstéttin óð uppi með offorsi og yfirgang.
Eftir valdatöku Morales hefur efnahagslíf landsins tekið miklum stakkaskiptum. Skuldir ríkisins minni, uppgangur góður, tekjur ríkisins aukist og skilar nú tekjuafgangi. Ólæsi nánast útrýmt.
Fátæktin og vandamálin eru samt enn töluverð. Landsmenn óþolinmóðir eftir betra lífi fyrir börn sín og afkomendur. Mistök sem gerð eru af hálfu stjórnvalda kalla á mótmæli fólks sem er óþreyjufullt. Samt sem áður fékk flokkur Morales um og yfir 50% atkvæða í síðustu kosningum.
Áhugavert verður að fylgjast með þróun mála í Bólivíu næstu árin.
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Category: Aymara, Native Americans, Political Commentary, Quechua
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