Global Voices » Bolivia

Bolivia: Web 2.0 Workshops for Aymara School Teachers

Eduardo Avila — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:51:03 +0000

On May 2 and 3, 2012, a series of Web 2.0 workshops were held in the Department of Oruro in Bolivia. These workshops were organized by the Ministry of Education [es] and the Jaqi Aru [ay] Project, which is comprised of a group of linguists in the city of El Alto, Bolivia. This group has been promoting the use of the Aymara language on the internet. Many of the volunteers from Global Voices Aymara [ay] also form part of Jaqi Aru. Education professors from the Teacher Training Superior School (ESFM for its initials in Spanish) took part in the workshops, and the event's objective was to help the professors and their students begin to create digital media content in the Aymara language.

According to the planned program, the workshops took place in the following schedule:

On Thursday, May 3, the workshop began at 9:30 am in the conference room with an opening presentation by the facilitators from Jaqi Aru.

Following this presentation, Mario Duran Chuquimia [es] gave a talk about Web 2.0 and Wikipedia. In the afternoon, hands-on workshops took place in the computer lab, where each professor worked on an individual computer with an Internet connection.

Martin Canaviri provided a workshop about social networking sites, focusing on the use of Facebook, and Ruben Hilare [ay] shared his experience in the use of Twitter. Finally, Victor Paco Montevilla [ay], gave a presentation about the use of the photograph sharing site Flickr.

Photograph by Mario R. Duran and used under a Creative Commons license

On Friday, May 4, Elias Quispe spoke about blogging on WordPress, and Edwin Quispe [ay] introduced the participants to Skype. Hilare later presented a workshop on Wikipedia Aymara.

The workshop ended in the conference room with a short evaluation, in which the professors gave thanks to the members of Jaqi Aru and the Ministry of Education for organizing the workshops and for the training sessions. Many participants said that they were motivated to create content using these new technologies.

Professor René Chura Quispe from ESFM Mariscal Andrés de Santa Cruz Calahumana, located in the Department of La Paz, said:

…los conocimientos tecnológicos debemos experimentar, las herramientas son muy importantes…

…we should know and experience this technology, these tools are very important…

Antonio José de Sucre, a professor from ESFM Antonio José de Sucre, mentioned:

Un trabajo conjunto esa motivación hacia nuestros estudiantes, es poder hacer el uso de plataforma; no solamente en idioma Aymara, sino también en idioma castellano.

Work combined with this motivation towards our students, will help us use this [citizen media] platform; not only in the Aymara language, but also in the Spanish language.

Cristina from ESFM Caracollo in the Department of Oruro said:

…que no sea este único taller sino que haya más talleres sobre el manejo de herramientas digitales; difundamos nuestra idioma Aymara en Internet como idioma Ingles.

…hopefully this will not be the only workshop, but rather that there will be many more about the use of these digital tools; let's spread our Aymara language like the English language is spread on the Internet.

The professors indicated that there is a commitment to create and spread new content on these virtual platforms, which they learned about during the workshops.

Jaqi Aru published a blog post [ay] about the workshop, where they also published the following video from the event:

Latin America: Art from the Colonial Period in 2.0

Jon Lindsay Miles — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:47:59 +0000

All links lead to Spanish-language websites, unless otherwise noted.

The long colonial period that resulted in what we know today as Latin America, has left its traces in the colonial art still preserved throughout the continent. Citizen media attests to this. Many online spaces are dedicated to the sharing of photographs, video, texts, specific works and other examples of artistic expression from this period, at the same time explaining how these images today make up part of the landscape and identity of the countries they belong to. As one would anticipate, the images from each region show an enormous diversity in response to the inspiration that arrived from Europe.

We present here a sample of the many 2.0 websites dedicated to this colonial art, that serves as the common denominator adopted by indigenous cultures across most of the continent, before being adapted by each as its own.

The Portal de Arte (Art Gateway) from Colombia, provides us with a context for the definition of what is understood by the term Colonial Art:

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Reproduced under the Creative Commons licence

Este arte se caracteriza por la fusión de cosmovisiones y técnicas de conquistadores y aborígenes […] En cada pieza escultórica, catedral y pintura, los motivos religiosos son los gobernantes, así como los parámetros de representación europeos; pero éstos fueron sutil y subterráneamente “digeridos” por los aborígenes americanos, quienes colocaron en cada obra elementos propios de sus culturas (símbolos religiosos y espirituales, figuras antropomorficas, zoomorficas y fitomorfas) de modo tal que se entremezclaban con los imágenes católicas importadas, manteniendo de este modo, la voluntad de forma de la producción artística indígena subsitiendo [sic] por debajo del arte europeo impuesto a la fuerza.

This art is characterized by the fusion of the world views as well as the techniques of both the Spanish Conquistadores and the indigenous people. […] European religious motifs and representational parameters govern each piece of cathedral sculpture and painting, but these are then subtly and surreptitious “digested” by the indigenous people of the Americas, who placed elements of their own cultures into each work (religious and spiritual symbols, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and other biomorphic figures) in such a way that these mix with the imported Catholic images, assuring that the expressive forms of indigenous artistic production survive beneath the forced imposition of those of European art.

In Ecuador, Iván Petroff shares some of his work, done for his studies in artistic expression, pointing us to some characteristic features of the colonial plastic arts:

La plástica colonial, al comienzo fue repetitiva, o mejor, recreativa de los modelos europeos, sin embargo, pese al control español, el artista indígena introdujo pequeños elementos de su arte y religión, especialmente en los rasgos físicos de los santos provincianos y en la carga cultural no europea de los retablos y algunos motivos ornamentales de capiteles y frisos.

The colonial plastic arts at first repeated, or rather, recreated European models. Nevertheless, and in spite of Spanish control, indigenous artists introduced small elements from their art and religion, particularly in the way of physical features given to the images of provincial saints, and in a non-European cultural charge expressed in altarpieces and in ornamental motifs given to capitals and friezes.

In the same way, Iván uses his blog to open access to a musical piece from the epoch, placed on YouTube by denesago. The song was composed by the Spaniard Juan de Araujo, who was confirmed as one of the most important musicians of the colonial epoch in what is now Bolivia. The video images show something of baroque architecture and painting from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru:

In Venezuela, Janeth Rodríguez manages a blog dedicated entirely to colonial art in Venezuela and its different expressive modes. The sources of her posts are various academic pieces, the principal motivation being to gather, celebrate and bring to people's attention the preservation of these pieces:

Este blog nace con varios objetivos: difundir nuestro patrimonio artístico de los siglos XVI al XVIII con la intención de promover su preservación; servir de vehículo para promocionar la investigación que los estudiantes de la Escuela de Artes de la Universidad Central de Venezuela producen en torno a este tema; y lograr una comunicación más efectiva entre todos los interesados en el mundo colonial.Nuestra meta es presentar a los visitantes una breve historia de diversas obras de arte venezolanas, e incluso de algunas extranjeras que llegaron a nuestro territorio durante ese período.

Several objectives are behind the birth of this blog: to disseminate information about our artistic heritage from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in order to argue for its preservation; to serve as a vehicle for the promotion of investigation of this material by students of the School of Arts at the Central University of Venezuela; and to open up the most effective communication we can between all those interested in the colonial world. Our aim is to present to those visiting our site a brief history of varied Venezuelan objects of art, as well as others that arrived here from other lands during this historical period.

Meanwhile, the blog Romanticismo, launched by students of Spanish and Literature in the Colombian capital Bogotá, shares examples of the characteristic forms of literature from the colonial epoch:

La literatura en lengua española durante la colonia comenzó a desenvolverse en Nueva España desde un principio. La literatura de la conquista son mayormente coplas y romances, burlas hacia los gobernadores, ayudantes, etc. mientras que la de colonia son textos que incitan a la libertad y revolución.

Literature in the Spanish language during colonial times quickly began its particular development. Literature from the time of the conquest is mostly in the form of verse and romances, poking fun especially at those who governed and those around them, while that from the colonial period comprises texts urging liberty and inciting revolution.

Then there is Optimusomnium, which shows several examples of Peruvian painting of the colonial period in a video:

Finally, user LordArchibaldHartley gathers a number of artistic and cultural images that have served as the inspiration for much of the art made in Mexico today.

These are just a few of the many examples of sites offering information on colonial period art in Latin America in 2.0. If you'd like more information and to investigate other similar sources in the Spanish language, visit the Wikipedia article Arte colonial latinoamericano.

Bolivia: Protests Sweep Across the Country

Pablo Andres Rivero — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:40:16 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

A wave of different protests are sweeping across Bolivia, affecting at least six of the largest regions in the country. Although the conflicts are not initially linked to each other, they have generated a climate of political instability, raising challenging questions for the government of left-wing, coca-growing leader, President Evo Morales.

The Andean Information Network has published a calendar with the conflicts and protests that have taken place over the last couple of weeks.

In order to understand this climate of conflict it is important to look at these protests individually.

Transport unions strike

Photo by Mario Duran under CC licence

A 48-hour transport strike took place in La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government, and El Alto on May 7 and 8, 2012. Transport unions reject the recently passed Municipal Transport Law that attempts to deal with the chaotic transport system and also proposes a network of public buses to be launched in 2013.

Digital journalist Wilfredo Jordan (@wilofm) commented on Twitter [es]:

Buenos días, jornada difícil en La Paz y El Alto por la Ley de Transporte, para seguirlo en twitter ver#parotransporte

Good Morning, tough day in La Paz and El Alto due to the Transport Law, follow it on Twitter under #parotransporte (”transport strike”)

The 48-hour strike deployed thousands of buses and minibuses that blocked the streets of La Paz and El Alto and restricted any transit, even emergency services.

Several citizens criticized the blockades and showed their support for the Mayor's initiative to implement the local Transport Law.

Moreover, in only 48 hours a group on Facebook [es] emerged and gathered over 4,000 members who called for a “pedestrians strike”. They encouraged citizens to share cars, use bicycles or just walk instead of commuting for one day as a protest against the transport strike and the blockades.

Paginasiete uploaded this citizen video of citizens confronting the transport workers during the strike:

Luis Revilla, the Mayor of La Paz who is championing the Law, is a member of Movimiento Sin Miedo (”Movement without Fear” in Spanish) a left-wing party that stands in opposition to Evo Morales' party MAS (”Movement for Socialism”).

La Paz and El Alto rely on a private bus and minibus system that provides poor and unsafe services with previously set tariffs to almost 2 million inhabitants.

Netizen Fernando Cabezas wrote on the Facebook Page [es] of the Observatory “La Paz Cómo Vamos” (How are we doing La Paz), an independent watchdog for issues in La Paz:

Una de las observaciones de los choferes al Proyecto de Ley Municipal del Transporte es que para renovar el parque automotor, el Estado debería liberar de impuestos y avalar los créditos para la importación de nuevas movilidades. La pregunta es ¿Por qué, los choferes deberían tener estos privilegios si el transporte público se ha convertido en un negocio privado? Los actuales operadores deben brindar un servicio seguro, cómodo y puntual; y evaluar si pueden hacerlo o no.

One of the observations by transport drivers on the Municipal Transport Law is that the state should release and endorse tax credits for importing new vehicles in order to renew existing ones. The question is, why should transport drivers have these privileges if public transport has become a private business? Current operators must provide a safe, comfortable and punctual service; and it must be assessed if they can provide this or not.

Indigenous march against road through TIPNIS

As closely reported on Global Voices, The TIPNIS issue is one of the most challenging ongoing conflicts for Bolivia's government. Indigenous people from the Indigenous Territory National Park Isiboro Sécure are marching for the second time in one year towards La Paz, demanding the cancelling of a road project attempting to cross right through the middle of their National Park, a constitutionally protected area.

Over 600 marchers are in Puerto San Borja, approximately 300 kilometres from La Paz, at the time of writing this post. Fundación Tierra enabled a widget [es] screening the latest news on the indigenous march.

Health sector protests

Unionised Doctors, health workers and medicine students have been protesting and holding a strike for almost six weeks against the Decree 1126 passed by President Evo Morales. The regulation attempted to include all health workers into the General Labour Law, forcing them to complete an 8-hour work day, and not a 6-hour work day as is currently established. The reform also restricts cashing more than one salary from public funds.

Although president Morales “suspended” Decree 1126 on May 4 and called for a “Health Summit” in July, protesters demand a repeal instead of a suspension and reaffirm their claim to be part of the General Labour Law under full payment and benefits for extra hours.

As explained on a blog post by Videourgente [es], Medicine students support the strike, claiming that the government is capping lecturers' salaries and reducing practice hours.

Blogger Mario Duran, based in El Alto, commented on the Health Sector strike:

Analicemos las demandas y expliquemos las mismas:

8 horas. Sí. Esta medida merece nuestro apoyo, en Bolivia, obreros o profesionales, deberian trabajar ocho (8) horas.

Ley General del Trabajo. Sí. Todas las relaciones laborales deberian establecerse segun la Ley General del Trabajo […]

Nivelación Salarial a la CNS. Si.

Aqui se encuentra el meollo del paro medico, la Caja Nacional de Salud, al ser una entidad autarquica (en los hechos, aunque no en la reglamentación), sucesivamente ha destinado mayores recursos a la partida presupuestaria de sueldos y salarios,[…] hay que tener presente que en Bolivia, el salario mínimo es de 805 Bs.-. En promedio, los sueldos de la CNS superan entre un 20 - 40% al sueldo que se paga en otras instituciones.

Entonces, la movilización del gremio medico, no busca mantener el trabajo de 6 horas, sino exigir la elevación de sueldos y salarios.

Let's analize and explain the demands:

8 hours. Yes. This measure deserves our support, workers or professionals, should work eight (8) hours in Bolivia.

General Labour Law. Yes. All labour relations should be established according to the General Labour Law […]

Wage leveling for CNS (National Health Fund in Spanish) workers. Yes.

This is what the strike is about, the National Health Fund, being an autonomous entity (in fact, although not in the regulations), has successively increased the budget for salaries and wages, […] it must be taken into account that in Bolivia, the minimum wage is 130 US dollars. On average, the salaries at the National Health Fund are between 20 - 40% higher to the salary paid in other institutions.

Consequently, the protest by the health sector is not seeking to maintain the workday of 6 hours, but demands raising wages and salaries.

YouTube user davidangelcaballero1 shares the following citizen video of the march:

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

Bolivia: Development at What Cost? New Conflict Over TIPNIS Road

Pablo Andres Rivero — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:01:39 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage International Relations & Security.

A proposed road project in Bolivia that plans to cross right through the middle of Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS for its initials in Spanish) is once again generating conflict and protest. Indigenous organizations, TIPNIS inhabitants and their supporters began a new long march on April 27, 2012, from Trinidad to La Paz demanding an end to the road project.

Plans for the 306 kilometer road are the result of an $415 million agreement [es] signed by the Presidents of Bolivia and Brazil in August 2009. The Brazilian company OAS was initially awarded a turnkey contract [es] to build the road in 40 months with financing from the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

TIPNIS march arrives in La Paz in October 2011. By Szymon Kochański on flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

In October 2011, after a large march of indigenous peoples and protestors arrived in La Paz, President Evo Morales passed a bill declaring the TIPNIS “intangible” or “untouchable”, which was understood by environmental campaigners and indigenous organizations as the final word on the issue.

However, in February 2012, Bolivia's government gathered pro-road supporters and supported a different march that proposed a new law calling for “prior consultation” that would allow indigenous peoples a greater say. Indigenous inhabitants of the TIPNIS - supported by the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia (CIDOB) claim that such constitutional mechanisms should have been conducted before any agreement or contract was signed.

Morales eventually announced the cancellation of the contract for the road with the Brazilian company OAS at the beginning of April, but protestors still reject the terms and conditions of the proposed consultation.

A large number of indigenous organizations and citizens acknowledge that Evo Morales - an indigenous and coca grower's leader himself - has improved their situation. Still, indigenous organizations emphasize that their protest is about their right to be consulted [es] before policies concerning their territories are implemented.

This video shows interviews with indigenous TIPNIS residents and their views on the road project.

The environmental impact of the road is another issue sparking protests [es], particularly among Bolivia’s urban and middle classes.

Nevertheless, Bolivia's government insists on the benefits of a road that would link the central zone of the country, beginning from where most illegal coca is produced and where Evo Morales garners grassroots support. Coca-grower organizations are openly supporting the road as it may provide opportunities to expand production into the TIPNIS National Park. Inevitably, this generates further suspicion among environmentalists, international organizations and public opinion.

Debates also continue on social media platforms, particularly on Twitter (under the hashtag #TIPNIS). One of the questions simply asks “are you in favor or against the road #TIPNIS?”

Among the replies was:

“I think the country must be integrated, if [it] is…best to go through the TIPNIS, so be it, the road should go through where is the best for Bolivia.”

Criticisms are also leveled at the relationship between the road project and the Brazilian-supported Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA), a development plan to link South America's economies through new energy, transportation and telecommunication projects.

According to researcher Gustavo Soto's post on the CEADESC [es] blog:

The 2010-2015 MAS (Evo Morales' political party) program aligns the Bolivian economy to the emerging global capitalist interests of the 21st Century… expressed in mega-energy… road and extractive projects mostly encapsulated in the IIRSA II that inevitably lead to the violation of indigenous rights.

This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide.

Visit the ISN blog and see more related stories.

Bolivia: Netizens Report on Transportation Strike

Silvia Viñas — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:59:32 +0000

Blogger Mario R. Duran from Palabras Libres [es] is gathering citizen reports and reactions to a transportation strike in El Alto and La Paz taking place today, May 7. Public transportation workers are protesting a law that reforms the municipal transportation system. You can follow the day's events on Twitter through the hashtag #parotransporte [es].

Bolivia: TIPNIS Indigenous March Again

Pablo Andres Rivero — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:45:39 +0000

Over 500 members from Bolivian Indigenous organisations gathered in Trinidad, approximately 600 kilometres from La Paz, and began on April 27, 2012, at 8 pm (GMT) a march to Bolivia's Seat of Government for the second time. They are opposing Bolivia's governmental plan to built a road that would cut off right through the middle the Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS for its initials in Spanish). Real-time reporting is available on Fundación Tierra website [es] and also the hashtag #TIPNIS on Twitter.

Bolivia: Discussing Indigenous Issues and Natural Resources in the Chaco

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:00:13 +0000

Blogger Dario Kenner shares three interviews he conducted in south eastern Bolivia, in the Chaco region: “The interviews are only with a few people so they do not cover every perspective to be found in the Chaco but the views below do give an insight into some of the major issues facing the region.” The interviews focus on indigenous issues and natural resources.

Bolivia: Questions Over Murder of Indigenous Female Council Member

Pablo Andres Rivero — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:57:38 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

The murder of Juana Quispe has boosted the demand of Bolivian civil society and many civil organisations for the Plurinational Assembly (Bolivia's Parliament) to pass the law “Against Political Violence and Harassment based on Gender”.

Juana Quispe, an indigenous woman and Council Member elected in 2010 in Ancoraimes, a rural municipality close to El Alto city, was an active promoter of this law herself.

Being a member of Federación Pueblo Indígena (Indigenous Federation), a political movement opposing to the ruling party MAS, Quispe had been victim of political harassment before being murdered in March 2012. Only a month before the crime, Juana Quispe managed to restore her political rights constrained by MAS members shortly after being elected.

Back in November 2010, Enlared informed about [es] the political harassment against Juana Quispe:

La concejala Quispe Apaza, de la agrupación Federación Pueblo Indígena, señaló a Enlared-Onda Local, que desde la posesión de las autoridades ediles, el pasado 30 de mayo, no se le permitió participar de las sesiones del concejo, y que en varias oportunidades incluso le pidieron que renuncie a su curul.

[…]

Ante esta situación, indicó que determinó acudir a la fiscalía e iniciar un proceso judicial, por incumplimiento de fallos.

“Yo voy a seguir luchando, por las mujeres y no sólo por mí. Las mujeres somos muy calladas, yo misma he callado muchos meses, pero ahora tengo el valor para denunciar”, remarcó.

Council member Quispe Apaza, of the political group Indigenous Federation, told Local Enlared-Onda that since the possession of the municipal authorities, on May 30, she was not allowed to participate in council meetings, and that on several occasions was even asked to resign from her seat.

[…]

In this situation, she decided to go the prosecutor and start a legal process for breach of agreements.

“I will continue fighting for women and not just for me. Women are very quiet, I myself have remained in silence many months, but now I have the courage to denounce,” she said.

The same article added:

Pero este no es el único caso. La concejala del MAS del municipio de Licoma (La Paz), Noemí Nina Chávez indicó que por no tener una formación educativa y ser madre soltera fue discriminada por la misma población.

“Una vez, en el desfile del 16 de julio, no tenía dónde dejar mi guagua y cargada misma tuve que entrar; la gente me criticó, me dijo que cómo voy a andar con mi guagua así, con el cargo que tengo”, relató.

But this is not the only case. MAS councilwoman from the Licoma (La Paz) municipality, Noemí Nina Chávez, indicated that due to her lack of a formal education and to her status as single mother she had been discriminated by the population.

“One time, in the July 16 parade, I didn't have a place to leave my baby so I carried her with me; people criticized me, they asked how I dared to carry my baby like that, considering my position”, she said.

Global Voices [es] recently published an article based on a report by Periodismo Humano which asserted that in Bolivia, “being a woman and indigenous is the worst thing that could have happened to you.” As blogger Eduardo Bowles [es] points out, referring to the same report, “this tragedy is perfectly reflected in the life of Juana Quispe.”

So far, Bolivian authorities have failed to clarify Quispe's murder; however, there is great concern that her murder was politically driven. As UN Women's official statement [es] mentions:

Expresamos, además, nuestra profunda preocupación ante la posibilidad de que este suceso pudiera tratarse de un caso de violencia política de género, según indicarían investigaciones preliminares adelantadas por la Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Crimen.

We also express our deep concern over the possibility that this event could be a case of gender political violence, according to preliminary investigations conducted by the Crime Task Force (Police).

Click Genero, a blog dealing with Gender issues, reported [es] on the draft of the law:

La Red Nacional de Trabajadoras de la Información y Comunicación (Red-Ada) el 2011, mediante una encuesta, concluyó que en Sucre, La Paz, Beni y El Alto, el 27 por ciento de las mujeres en cargos públicos se “asustan y callan”.

“Violencia política son acciones que van en contra de la integridad física de las personas. Hay secuestros o golpes para que dejen sus cargos y estos hechos no son denunciados”

After conducting a survey, The National Network of Women Workers in Information and Communication (Red-Ada) concluded that in Sucre, La Paz, Beni and El Alto, 27 percent of women in public positions get “scared and remain silent “.

“Political violence are actions that go against the physical integrity of people. There are kidnappings or blows to make them leave office and these incidents are not reported”

In turn, the Centre for Women's Information and Development (CIDEM [es] in Spanish) reported [es]:

En la gestión 2010 y entre Enero y Agosto de 2011 se registraron 249 asesinatos de mujeres, de los cuales 154 fueron casos de feminicidio (CIDEM, Observatorio Manuela).

El Estado debe tomar medidas urgentes para garantizar la adecuada y oportuna investigación, garantizando que este lamentable suceso no quede en la impunidad

During 2010 and between January and August 2011 there were 249 women murders, 154 of whom were cases of femicide.

The state must take urgent measures to ensure appropriate and timely investigation, ensuring that this unfortunate event will not remain in impunity

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

Bolivia: Activists Push for Better Internet Connectivity

Pablo Andres Rivero — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:16:11 +0000

Bloggers and activists are advocating for universal access and “minimum acceptable speeds” for Internet connections in Bolivia.

As previously reported on Global Voices, the first National Meeting to Promote Connectivity in Bolivia [es] took place in late January 2012. After the event, a group of activist continued to advocate, like blogger Mario R. Durán from Palabras Libres [es], who met [es] with Bolivia's upper Chamber President, Ms. Gabriela Montaño.

The campaign is also seeking to inform and raise awareness on the issues and limitations of the current connectivity conditions.

The group is gathering support at the site Más y mejor internet para Bolivia [es] (More and better Internet for Bolivia). The website “seeks equality in Internet access for Bolivians […] Do not dream of super speeds but do demand the minimum acceptable speed”.

Wanted - Better Internet Access for all Bolivians. Image by IICD on Flickr, CC BY 2.0

An infographic [es] that has been circulating on social media platforms shows that Bolivia is among the last places in connectivity and bandwidth in Latin America. It also shows that in Bolivia, one Mbps costs between 6 and 11 times more than in neighbouring countries including Paraguay, also a land-locked country.

Electric Engineer Sergio Toro, a Bolivian expert on ICT for development, comments on a post by TIC para el desarrollo's [es] blog:

el costo de una banda ancha superior a un megabyte es de 700 bolivianos, eso significa el 98% del salario mínimo, mientras que en Corea del Sur –por ejemplo- el mismo servicio cuesta un 0,2% del salario mínimo

The cost of bandwidth of one megabyte is 700 bolivianos (around 102 US dollars), that means 98% of the minimum wage, while in South Korea, for example, the same service costs 0.2% of the minimum wage

Among those advocating for Internet connections is Edgar Yana from Nuestra Cultura Primero. Edgar is a blogger based in the indigenous community of Chaguaya, 3.5 hours by bus from El Alto city. He attended the first National Meeting to Promote Connectivity in Bolivia, and the event's concluding report [es] underlines his situation:

Edgar Yana, comunario de Chaguaya menciona que tiene que viajar a El Alto para subir contenidos a su blog y que tener internet en su casa es una necesidad.

Edgar Yana, community member of Chaguaya mentions that he has to travel to El Alto to upload content to his blog, so having internet at home is a need.

The activists are gathered on the Facebook group ADSL Bolivia [es], the Facebook page Más y mejor internet YA [es] (Better Internet NOW) and also comment on Twitter using the hashtag #mejorinternetYA [es].

The main goal of the campaign is summarised by Mario R. Duran in a post for El Eco de los Pasos blog [es]:

la meta es que en el 2014, todos los hogares bolivianos tengan acceso a 1 mbps (como velocidad mínima) a un costo menor a 20 dólares

the goal is that by 2014, all Bolivian households have access to 1 mbps (as minimum speed) [Internet connection] at a cost less than 20 US dollars.

Bolivia: Health Workers' Priorities During Protests

Eduardo Avila — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:54:21 +0000

Much of the Bolivian public health sector is protesting the government's decision to raise the workday for doctors from six to eight hours a day. Patricia Almanza, a child anesthesiologist, tweets where she was instead, “My colleagues are blockading Arce Avenue [in protest] and here I am in surgery to perform an urgent Caesarean section (it was a boy). Emergencies are taken care of.”

Bolivia: The Wandering Hands of the Santa Cruz Mayor

Eduardo Avila — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:52:30 +0000

It was not the first time that Santa Cruz Mayor Percy Fernández was caught on video behaving badly. This time it was during a March 29, 2012, public event, where he appeared with suspended city council member Desirée Bravo. When Bravo got up to address the assembled crowd, the tape clearly shows the hand of Fernández near Bravo's rear end, and it appeared that Bravo attempted to brush his hand away, which led to many to believe that Fernández was sexually harassing the council member. To add to this bizarre behavior, Fernández could be seen kissing and caressing her hand, while laughing with those sitting nearby.

Some point to a pattern of questionable behavior with women displayed by that Fernández in such a public setting. Another 2010 video shows him forcing a long kiss on the mouth [es] of an unnamed public official at the inspection of a new public works project in the city.

Naturally, Bolivian bloggers were outraged and wonder how such a situation could happen or continue to happen. Javier Badani (@jbadani) believes that Fernández is a national embarrassment and wonders why “Cruceños (residents of Santa Cruz) are so permissive with this pig of an authority? [es]”.

However, some wonder why Bravo did not immediately scold Fernández or prevent the Mayor from continuing to touch her. The blogger that writes under the name Inés Punto G on the blog La Mala Palabra is quite frustrated how politicians have been treating women lately [es], and believes that Bravo should have stood up in defense of this pattern of behavior:

Somos la mofa de las otras vaginas que mientras le agarran el culo a Desirée, ésta le sujeta cándida la manita a Percysconi (el nuevo Berlusconi de Santa Cruz), y a la par somos la lástima de los hombres que dicen: “si se deja”, vaya burla. ¡Pero dale un revés pues, que no está para uno! Desireé, no me amargues el día como lo hiciste hoy, por dignidad renuncia o mándale a comer mierda al viejo-verde de tu lado.

We are the laughing-stock of other vaginas, that while he grabs Desirée's butt, she also lets Percysconi (the new Berlusconi [former Italian Prime Minster] of Santa Cruz) kiss her hand, and we are the pity of the men who say, “if she lets them..,” what a mockery. She should have hit him! Desirée, don't spoil my day like you did today, for dignity's sake you should resign or should have made the old man at your side eat shit.

Twitter user @arbork writes [es]:

El silencio de Desirée me duele más que el silencio cómplice de Mujeres Creando y colectivos femeninos en Bolivia a manoseo de Percy.

Desirée's silence about Percy's actions hurts me more than the silent complicity of [feminist group] Mujeres Creando (Women Creating) and feminist collectives in Bolivia.

Journalist and Twitter user Mery Vaca (@meryvaca) responds to some of this criticism placed on Bravo [es]:

Sólo veo que crucifican a Desirée (está bien, debió darle una bofetada), pero, el depravado es Percy. No perdamos de vista eso

I see that they are only crucifying Desirée (it's okay, she should have slapped him), but the one who is depraved is Percy. Let's not lose sight of that.

A nearby Assembly member claims that Fernández was simply trying to clean Bravo's pants [es] because she had been sitting on a dirty chair. Nevertheless, a day later Fernández released a statement apologizing for his behavior and that it was not his intention to offend anyone. He added that due to the age difference of about 20 years, that Fernández could essentially be Bravo's father, to which Ximena Flores (@ximefloresss) responded [es]:

#Percy dice que #Desire es “como su hija”. pero no recuerdo que mi padre me ande manoseando, su disculpa es tan inapropiada como su acción.

Percy says that Desiree is “like her daughter,” but I don't remember my own father behaving this way with his hands, his [Fernandez] apology is inappropriate just like his behavior.

Bolivia: Promoting Internet Connectivity in the ‘Real' and ‘Virtual' World

Silvia Viñas — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:04:39 +0000

Blogger Mario R. Durán from Palabras Libres [es] lists the recent accomplishments of a group of activists that make up the Facebook group “Más ancho de banda para Bolivia” (”More Internet Bandwidth for Bolivia”). The group recently held the first National Meeting to Promote Connectivity in Bolivia [es], and some of its members are meeting with government officials to talk about issues related to the Internet.

‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time

Kathryn Morgan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:34 +0000

“Una bloguera es, ante todo, una mujer valiente, que se atreve y se compromete. ¿Por qué? Porque a través de su blog se expresa, dice lo que piensa, siente, lo que es. Si tiene miedo de hablar o darle cuerpo a sus ideas, enfrenta ese miedo y lo supera.”

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?”, Mujeres Construyendo

A female blogger is, first and foremost, a brave woman, one who dares and one who commits. Why? Because through her blog she expresses herself, she says what she thinks, what she feels, what she is. If she is afraid to speak of or shape her ideas, she confronts this fear and overcomes it.

- “¿Quién es una bloguera?” [es] (Who is a female blogger?), Mujeres Construyendo

Women make up almost half of Latin America's Internet users. However, in spite of their high web-presence, women are mainly content consumers. Mujeres Construyendo [es], the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to transform Hispanic women into creators, not just consumers, of internet content.

Its founder, Claudia Calvin, answered some questions about this platform and community of Hispanic female bloggers.

Global Voices: How and when was Mujeres Construyendo created?

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo surge como proyecto en el 2008, después de un tiempo de haberme hecho bloguera. Su origen se encuentra principalmente en mis andares por internet y después de descubrir una realidad que llamó profundamente mi atención: que las mujeres de habla hispana que participamos en internet seguimos transmitiendo en este espacio una creencia profundamente arraigada en nuestra cultura. ¿Cuál es? Aquella que nos inculcaron de niñas y en la que nos decían que “calladitas nos veíamos más bonitas”. Descubrí que nuestra participación como blogueras era muy distinta a la participación de las blogueras estadounidenses: ellas en la actualidad representan casi un 60% de los blogueros en su país y las blogueras en internet de habla hispana representamos un escaso 27%. Cuando inicié Mujeres Construyendo, la cifra era más desalentadora aún: 15%.

Busqué afanosamente un espacio de convergencia de mujeres blogueras, un espacio que no fuese un directorio, sino un lugar de convivencia, una comunidad como tal. Al no encontrarla, decidí hacerla, y así es como surge Mujeres Construyendo.

Hablé con unos amigos desarrolladores y lograron darle vida a esta idea que tenía en mi mente. La plataforma Mujeres Construyendo surge como tal en el 2009.

Claudia Calvin: Mujeres Construyendo came about in 2008, after a period of establishing myself as a blogger. It came from my internet browsing and the discovery of a reality that really caught my attention: Spanish speaking women who contribute to the internet continue to transmit a profound belief that is deeply-rooted in our culture. What was it? The belief that has been instilled in us since we were girls, the idea that “the quieter we are, the more beautiful we are”. I discovered that our contributions as bloggers were very distinct to that of American women. They currently constitute almost 60% of bloggers in their country and Spanish speaking female bloggers make up just 27%. When I began Mujeres Construyendo, the figure was even more discouraging… 15%.

I frantically looked for a space where female bloggers could get together, a space that wasn't a directory, but rather a place of coexistence, a community, as it were. After failing to find this, I decided to make it myself, and that is how Mujeres Construyendo came about.

I spoke with some developer friends and they managed to bring the idea I had in mind to life. And so the Mujeres Construyendo platform sprung to life in 2009.

GV: What is Mujeres Construyendo's mission? What does it want to achieve with this female blogging platform?

CC: El objetivo de Mujeres Construyendo es que las mujeres aprendamos a hacer uso de las nuevas tecnologías y las herramientas que brinda internet para empoderarnos, crecer, desarrollarnos. Los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento para nosotras: nos permite comunicar lo que hacemos, pensamos, visualizamos y participar en un diálogo central en el nuevo espacio público, que es internet.

Hemos participado más como observadoras y consumidoras de contenido que como proveedoras y en este espacio vacío se está perdiendo una enorme oportunidad para construir una realidad que refleje nuestros intereses y manera de entender y participar en el mundo, tanto en el ámbito de lo social, como lo político y empresarial, y ni qué decir de lo personal y familiar.

Las mujeres vivimos muchos tipos de marginación en el mundo, no necesitamos sumar una más a las existentes: la digital.

CC: The objective of Mujeres Construyendo is for women to learn to make use of new technologies and tools that the internet offers in order to be empowered, to grow and to develop. Blogs are empowering tools for us - they enable us to communicate what we do, what we think, what we see. They allow us to participate in a central dialogue in the new public space, the internet.

We have been more involved as observers and consumers of content than providers. We are missing out on a great opportunity to construct a reality that reflects our interests and way of understanding and participating in the world, in a social sense, as well as a political and business sense, not to mention the personal and familial.

Women deal with many types of marginalisation in society, we don't need to add digital marginalisation to those that already exist.

GV: Why is it important for women to have a blog?

CC: Como mencionaba anteriormente, los blogs son una herramienta de empoderamiento en la medida en que posibilitan que las mujeres puedan comunicarse, expresar, proponer y dialogar en internet y con ello contribuir a la definición y construcción de una realidad que refleje sus intereses y visión. Las voces de mujeres en la blogósfera son importantes porque son el reflejo de la mitad de los habitantes del planeta y en el medida en que sean actores sociales, políticos, voten, consuman, tomen decisiones y vivan de manera cotidiana los diversos contextos de su entorno (desde violencia, hasta crisis económicas, pasando por desastres naturales o guerras) su voz es importante. Son actores de la vida cotidiana y su visión y mirada cuentan, valen, reflejan una circunstancia. Su silencio resulta -sin que ellas mismas los sepan- cómplices de realidades sexistas o que marginan y en la medida en que paulatinamente vayan apareciendo y expresando su voz…irá cambiando el entorno. El silencio jamás ha sido socio del empoderamiento.

CC: As I mentioned before, blogs are tools of empowerment insofar as they make it possible for women to be able to communicate and express themselves, make suggestions and converse on the internet. They are tools with which women contribute to the definition and construction of a reality that represents their interests and vision. Women's voices, in the blogosphere, are important because they reflect half of the planet's inhabitants. Their voices are important in the sense that they are social players, politicians, they vote, they act, they make decisions and everyday they live through different environmental contexts (from violence, to economic crises; from natural disasters, to wars). They are players in everyday life and their vision and perspective counts, they are valued, they reflect a situation. Their silence, although they themselves are unaware, acts as an accomplice for a sexist reality, or it means they are marginalised. As long as their voices continue to gradually appear and be expressed, this environment will keep changing.

GV: How many women have a blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: La comunidad de Mujeres Construyendo está constituida por la plataforma Mujeres Construyendo (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) y las redes sociales a través de las cuáles se conecta su comunidad. La suma de personas conectadas a esta propuesta y a este espacio suma hoy cerca de 9 mil personas.

CC: The community of Mujeres Construyendo is made up by the Mujeres Construyendo platform (www.mujeresconstruyendo.com) and the social networks that connect this community. The total sum of people connected today is around nine thousand.

GV: What is the profile of the women who blog on Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Cabe decir que participan hombres y mujeres en nuestra plataforma. Somos un espacio incluyente y consideramos que no se puede hablar de equidad partiendo de un principio de exclusión, por ello, las voces masculinas son bien recibidas. La mayoría, estamos hablando de más del 96%, son mujeres. Su perfil es principalmente urbano, de entre 25 y 45 años, en su mayoría de México, España, Argentina, Venezuela y Estados Unidos. Quiero destacar a una de nuestras blogueras más activas, y que inclusive ha sido entrevistada en televisión: Bertha, una extraordinaria mujer de 82 años que nos enseña que no hay edad para seguir aprendiendo y que las herramientas digitales son poderosas y permiten a las personas seguirle dando sentido a su vida.

CC: I should say that both men and women use our platform. We are an inclusive space and we don't believe that you can talk about equality while at the same time exercising a principal of exclusion, so male bloggers are also welcomed. The majority, we're talking more than 96%, are women. Their profile is mainly urban, from 25 to 45 years of age, and mainly from Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and the United States. I want to focus on one of our most active bloggers, who has even been interviewed on television. Bertha, an extraordinary 82 year-old woman who shows us that there's no age limit to learning and that digital tools are powerful and they can continue to give meaning to people's lives.

GV: What will 2012 bring for Mujeres Construyendo?

CC: Empezamos el año con el pie derecho, estrenando nueva casa y nuestro nuevo sitio nos permite interactuar mejor, conocernos y convivir de manera más cercana. Detrás de esto hay trabajo y compromiso y queremos consolidarnos como un espacio central para que las mujeres participen, tengan voz y con ello contribuir con nuestro grano de arena no sólo a su empoderamiento, sino al fortalecimiento de la democracia. Queremos incrementar el número de blogueras participando y vinculadas a nuestra comunidad, estamos trabajando en ofrecer herramientas a las blogueras que les permitan fortalecer su presencia y cumplir sus objetivos, sean estos personales, familiares, profesionales. Detrás de este trabajo hay alianzas y proyectos que podrán ver en un futuro muy cercano y del que con gusto les platicaremos en su momento.

Muchas gracias por su interés en conocernos y ojalá a través de Global Voices más mujeres se animen a sumar su voz a nuestra comunidad. Juntas podemos hacer una diferencia.

CC: We're going to start the year off on the right foot. Opening a new house and our new site will allow us to interact, get to know each other and live together in a closer way. Behind this there is work and dedication and we want to consolidate it into one central space so that the women who participate have a voice with which they do their bit, not just towards their own empowerment, but also towards strengthening democracy. We want to increase the number of female bloggers who participate within and are linked to our community so we are working on offering tools to the female bloggers that enable them to strengthen their presence and achieve their goals, whether these be personal, familial or professional. Behind this work there are aliances and projects that will be seen in the very near future, about which we'll talk about nearer the time.

Thank you very much for your interest in getting to know us and hopefully through Global Voices more women will be encouraged to add their voice to our community. Together we can make a difference.

Claudia is also a blogger [es] and she tweets under @LaClau [es]. You can follow Mujeres Construyendo on Facebook [es], Twitter, [es] YouTube [es], and LinkedIn [es].

Bolivia: New March Against TIPNIS Road to Start in April

Pablo Andres Rivero — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:10:32 +0000

Dario Kenner, a blogger based in La Paz, reports that “a majority of community leaders from the TIPNIS indigenous territory and national park decided to begin a march towards La Paz on 20 April to oppose a road project through their territory. This is the second time these communities will protest the road proposed by the Bolivian government led by President Evo Morales.” Further information can be found at Dario's blog or Facebook page.

Bolivia: Remembering Domitila Barrios de Chungara

Silvia Viñas — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:33:15 +0000

Emily Achtenberg, in the blog Rebel Currents, profiles Domitila Barrios de Chungara, “long-time social activist, union leader, feminist, revolutionary, and national heroine who died March 13 in Cochabamba at age 74. She is best known as the miner’s wife who led a hunger strike in 1978 that brought down the dictatorship of General Hugo Bánzer, paving the way for the return of Bolivian democracy.”