I've enjoyed every place that I've visited during this year away, but Bolivia will, I think, stick out a little more in my mind than the others. It is a country with a troubled past (it holds the world record for most coups d'etat; I can't remember the official count, but well over 100 in the last 100 years) and a very unclear future. Today in La Tercera, one of Santiago's dailies, there was an article quoting Evo Morales (president of Bolivia) as saying that "In 10...15...20 years, Bolivia will be better than Switzerland." Considering Switzerland is one of the world's richest countries with a very high quality of life, and Bolivia is, well, pretty much the exact opposite of that, the statement is a little difficult to take seriously. Morales probably chose Switzerland as a comparison with Bolivia because it, too, is a land-locked country.
As the "capital city debate" continues, so do economic problems and growing movements within the country for autonomy. I arrived in Bolivia just as the official rate-of-inflation had risen from 0.65% to 2.68%, and Mauricio was always quick to point out that most of the economic growth in Bolivia today occurs in the eastern lowlands around the city of Santa Cruz, now Bolivia's largest city and far away from La Paz in terms of geography, culture, and wealth. The wealthier eastern region, along with the Amazon-basin in the north, feels the need to distance itself from La Paz. I never heard the word "secession" used, but perhaps this will be a word heard in Bolivia a few decades from now.
"I don't have hope for Bolivia," Mauricio told me one day as we discussed the state of his country. This was one of the saddest things I have ever heard someone say. No matter how dissatisfied I might feel about certain aspects of my own country, I always have hope for America. For someone to admit they don't have hope for their country is, to me, like saying they don't have hope for themselves or for their countrymen. But I suppose some of Mauricio's countrymen have failed the rest of Bolivians through their corrupt governments. Mauricio is moving to Barcelona next year, and I wonder if he'll ever go back to Bolivia to live again.
Check this BBC article out to get another perspective. I hope to visit Bolivia again one day only to find it looking at a more optimistic situation.
2 comments:
Coming from the "land of opportunity," it is indeed hard for us to imagine citizens of a country declaring they have no hope for their homeland and are willing to leave it behind. I, too, have encountered people in that situation throughout my travels and it always amazes me how spoiled we, Americans, are by the relative political and economic stability of our country. Not that I would consider myself a these-colors-don't-run American, but I can certainly appreciate the enormous opportunities and privileges we've had as American citizens by birth.
May we always, as Americans, feel pride and confidence in our country and may we always stand together no matter how corrupt some of our politicians may be or how much distortion and spin the media may put on what is really the truth. We are a blessed nation. Unfortunately there are now those in this world that wish us nothing but destruction. G
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