An escape to nature: Santiago de Chiquitos

Friday afternoon we (my SALTers, my friend Delicia and I) finally managed to escape the city of Santa Cruz for more tranquil tierra in Santiago de Chiquitos - a mere 12 hour train ride away. Unfortunately half the group wasn't feeling so good before setting out and so one stayed behind, but those who went were able to enjoy a relaxing weekend away from the noise and pollution of the city.


This is the gorgeous view out to the "Escuelita" - a remodeled school house that now serves as the little hotel where we stayed for the weekend.


For a country girl, Santiago has twice been my oasis from the static of the city. Oh, yes cows and chickens. Home, home on the range! Nothing like the smell of fresh country air and the feel of red dirt under foot!

The life cycle, from adorable little chick to fried chicken for lunch....but they sure are cute!

Saturday we carried our tired, train weary bodies up the "Cerro" - a good 2 hour hike up a rocky terrain, overlooking the valley.

With each passing day I become more convinced that human beings were not intended to be isolated from nature. The work of God's genius is life giving, enriching our existence and our experience of the world itself. (From left to right: Caleb Detweiler, Sithabile Ndlovu, Peter Wigginton, Heidi Banman, Kathleen Vitt, and Toni Hiebert).

The weekend ended on a good, but sad note; we left behind Peter - our SALTer who is working with the Youth Orchestra in Santiago. The rest of us made it safely back to the city without incident - except me getting stung by a "peto" (a vicious little bee) and my hand then swelling up like a pumpkin - but nothing a little red mud can't heal!

A Prayer for the peace of Bolivia

Holy Father, Lord of life and history,
we make ours the words of your son Jesus:
"My peace I leave with you, my peace I give you."

With an open and grateful heart
we invoke you today in this Bolivian land
blessed with every kind of material and spiritual good

Disposses our spirit of hate, of violence,
of resentment and of division between brothers.

Help us to surpass fear and mistrust,
to cure the wounds of our past,
to surpass our differences and unkindnesses,
to overcome the errors and injustices against
the most poor and marginalized.

Concede to us the grace of your forgiveness
with the end that we too
will be able to forgive one another
and together construct a better Bolivia
via roads of reconciliation, of truth,
of justice, of fraternity and of peace.

...We place in your hands our patria
so that in her a lasting peace might reign.

This prayer was taken from the Catholic "Conferencia Episcopal de Bolivia"

Conflict and a call to Peace

After a week of violent protests, tensions continue to rise here in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The press is reporting the deployment of military troops from La Paz and Cochabamba to the eastern departments of Pando and Santa Cruz.

Until this point, President Evo Morales has publicly prohibited the armed forces from using arms against the Bolivian people, which has helped to temper the loss of life, but not prevent it completely.

In the spirit of the call to peace and dialogue issued by Bolivian Cardinal Julio Terrazas, there is encouraging news of dialogue between the president and the governors of the eastern states of Bolivia.

Please pray for peace in Bolivia, for an end to the conflict, and a mutual effort to construct peace, a wholistic peace that promotes the dignity and well-being of humankind.

For more news reports see the following links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7614784.stm
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/09/12/bolivia.stateofseige/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

More good links to check out...

Here are two good articles fromt the Democracy Center - an NGO working out of Cochabamba...
http://www.democracyctr.org/blog/

Friday, September 12, 2008

Violence in Bolivia
This week violent confrontations in Bolivia have leapt from one eastern department to another, like sparks in a wild fire, or a demonic plan.On Tuesday it was Santa Cruz, where the Unión Juvenil Cruceñista converted itself into a mob, buring and looting government offices and the offices of the phone company Entel. Wednesday the violence spread to Tarija, when a mob of so-called "civicos" invaded the Mercado Campesino to destroy the offices of a local indiginous organization (CIDOB), leaving at least 80 people wounded.Today the sparks of Bolivan-on-Bolivian violence blew up into fire once more in the department of Pando. A concentration of campesinos were headed to the city of Cobija to debate how they should respond to violent events in the country's east. They were met about 20 miles out of town by functionaries of the Governor who used heavy equipment to dig a hole in the road and block their entry. Soon after the standoff turned into a flurry of bullets leaving 7 campesinos and one of the Governor's people dead.Where all this is headed next is guesswork.Booted AmbassadorsFollowing the violence in Santa Cruz Tuesday, President Morales put in a call to Bolivia's Foreign Minister who was in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, Phillip Goldberg. He called, according to press reports, to pass along the message that Bolivia was invoking its right to send Goldberg back to the U.S., an announcement he made on televsion shortly afterwards. Morales blamed Goldberg and the U.S. for inciting the Santa Cruz violence, citing the Ambassador's recent visit to two of the opposition governors.This afternoon the U.S. moved into "an eye for an eye" mode and dismissed Bolivia's U.S. Ambassador, Gustavo Guzman from Washington as well. "In response to the unwarranted action and in accordance with the Vienna Convention, we have officially informed the government of Bolivia of our decision to declare Ambassador Gustavo Guzman persona non grata,'' Bloomberg News quotes a State Department Spokeswoman.Hours later Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez jumped into the send-the-diplomats- packing competition, calling on the U.S. Ambassador in Caracas to leave as well. "Go to hell, shit yankees, we are a dignified people, go to hell 100 times," Chavez shouted at a political rally, according to a Reuters report. He also invited the Bush Administration to do the same to Venezuela's ambassador in Washington.So far that means four ambassadors packing suitcases tonight, a flurry of last minute tickets going north and south on American Airlines, and that much less diplomacy at a time when diplomacy would be a useful thing.The Case for Foreign Diplomatic InterventionAmidst all the trilateral ousting of diplomats, the more sobering question still remains: Who will mediate in a Bolivian conflict that is bad and getting worse?There are some essential facts we can agree on, I think:First, it is quite unclear how this new round of violence will come to a peaceful end. The mobs of the eastern provinces are escalating their handiwork in blood and fire, not curtailing it. Key leaders in the burning departments are inciting more of the same, not calling for cooler heads. President Morales is not backing down on his resistance to the eastern leaders' demands nor can he send in the army to force his adversaries to back down. Television images of one set of Bolivian youths (the "civico" mobs) beating the crap out of other Bolivian youths (the Army's young conscripts) is a pale preview if Evo militarizes. Absent some form of mediation between the warring factions, Bolivia is headed toward an abyss.Second, there is no one, no one, in Bolivia who can mediate. The Catholic Church lost that broad trust long ago. The Defensor del Pueblo isn't viewed as neutral and doesn't have the weight. There is no actor in politics, academia, or any other sector in Bolivia who has the clout.Mediation is critical right now and it can only come from outside the country. And as a practical matter that mediation needs to come in a diplomatic form and it needs to come from the two Bolivian neighbors most affected most directly affected by the crisis – Brazil and Argentina. Each depends heavily on Bolivian gas exports and it is how the revenue from those exports is shared that is the center (at the moment) of the violence.The two governments ought to act now to do the following. First, they should jointly call on all sides in Bolivia to cease the violence and honor a month-long cooling off period. They should then anoint a creative bilateral team of people that can garner wide respect in Bolivia – from human rights leaders to business people – to come and consult with both sides and suggest potential compromises.There are some who will call this proposal naïve, noting that Bolivia's conflicts are not so easily solved. There are others who won't be able to get past loyalties to one side or the other – "Evo and the people should not back down to racist pressures," or, "The people of the east are trying to block the advent of Evo-authoritarianism."But if you are walking down the street and stumble upon two people fighting each other with knives, you can sit around and debate who started it, or put that debate off until after you have separated them and stopped them from killing each other.With nearly a dozen people dead, socres wounded, and more violence on the way, the most important task at the moment is to break up the fight. And diplomatic intervention from Bolivia's calmer neighbors is just about the last shot Bolivia has.
posted by The Democracy Center at 12:19 AM 11 comments links to this post

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

The Face of Autonomy
Well, now we know what Santa Cruz leaders had in mind when they demanded to govern their region of Bolivia without national interference.Today, as part of a regional temper tantrum over their demand for a bigger slice of the nation's gas and oil revenue, champions of Santa Cruz autonomy have:Sacked and torched the local headquarters of Entel, the phone company. [The theft of all those Entel pre-pay phone cards was a particular contribution to democracy.]Invaded and taken over the local offices of the national authorities dealing with taxes and land issues.Engaged in a six-hour battle with soldiers.Stole some guns.This is just a part of today's fine handiwork by the Unión Juvenil Cruceñista, which is looking more and more like the Civic Committee's Brown Shirts every day.So much for the ever-shrinking opposition's argument that Morales' backers are the thugs and they are the honest law-abiding defenders of democracy. Lacking even a third of the national popular vote, Santa Cruz leaders have now apparently decided that it isn’t worth even pretending to have moral authority either.Their goal, we can assume, is either free cell calls using the stolen Entel cards, or more likely, to goad Evo into declaring a "State of Siege" and a sending in of the troops.We can hope that Evo and the people around him are not so foolish. Sending in troops to Santa Cruz won't quell violence; it will amplify it up to a level not seen since Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada played the send-in-troops card in October 2003. That planted more than sixty people in their graves and landed the President in suburban Maryland exile.A better message might be:"Well my fellow Bolivians in Santa Cruz, if you are dedicated to burning down your own city there isn't much I can do to stop you, but it is pretty lame thing to do."And then I'd get on the phone to someone who can mediate – the Church, the OAS, Lula, anyone – and suggest that they suggest a compromise of giving back to the regions half the gas revenues Evo is using for his new pensions program for the elderly. Bolivia is banking hundreds of millions in reserves, so it won’t be hard. And then I'd magnanimously accept the deal and see if the Civic Committee, Mayor and Governor might like to stop destroying their city for a while.But of course, I have a personal bias toward rational behavior to confess. I'd like the Santa Cruz airport to be open next week when I head home.Updates on Wednesday EveningHere's a few updates:Santa Cruz Governor Ruben Costas justified Tuesday's violence as the legitimate reaction of a "a tired people" and blamed "government terrorism" as the root cause behind yesterday's events. Well, and sometimes when I was 12 I told the teacher that the dog ate my homework. He also called the actions of Santa Cruz's rioting youth, "heroic." What do they get if they burn down a hotel? Sainthood?Santa Civic Commitee President Branco Marinkovic weighed in as well, declaring that the Unión Juvenil Cruceñista was merely attempting a "peaceful takeover" of the government installations yesterday. It was just those misguided police who got in the way of things that created the problem. The clubs and molotov cocktails and fires were apparently imaginary. After making his press statement Marinkovic put on wings and flew off to complete his rounds putting coins under the pillows of children who lost teeth around the world yesterday.The Morales government meanwhile resisted efforts to goad it into sending in the military and declaring a "state of emergency" in Santa Cruz, declaring instead that it would use all powers "legal and constitutional" at its disposal to bring and end to the conflict. Yeah, that'll work. At the same time supporters of the government in rural arras in the embattled region announced that they would begin to blockade roads in and out of the city to bring pressure on anti-Morales forces to end their attacks on the government. So do keep an eye out for truckloads of "peace-seeking" Santa Cruz youth headed out to the blockades.And now this...Evo has now publicly called for U.S. Ambassador Goldberg to leave Bolivia, charging the diplomat with having his hand in the uprisings in the cities in the east. "I ask the foreign minister to find the legal and diplomatic framework to return him urgently to his country. We do not want separatists, divisionists, people who conspire against the unity. We do not want people who work against democracy." On the one hand, Evo frequently overstates the role of the U.S. in Bolivia's political battles. Mr. Goldberg has always seemed more incompetent than conspiratorial. On the other hand, he has become like a party guest who is still looking for food to eat in the kitchen long after everyone normal has left and the hosts have announced they are going to bed. He should have left long ago.Stay tuned.

Link for more information

Here is a link to a BBC article on the protests in Santa Cruz - the article is pasted below. The link shows a video as well.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7607158.stm


Anti-Morales protests hit Bolivia

The opposition stronghold of Santa Cruz saw violent protests
Anti-government protesters have stormed public buildings in eastern Bolivia amid a deepening row between President Evo Morales and his opponents.
The biggest protest was in Santa Cruz, where demonstrators raided several offices and clashed with riot police.
Bolivia's energy-rich eastern provinces oppose Mr Morales's attempts to redirect gas revenues to poorer areas.
Troops have meanwhile been deployed to guard gas pipelines to guarantee exports to Brazil and Argentina.
Since last week, anti-government demonstrators have been blocking roads and occupying buildings in eastern regions, which are home to Bolivia's important natural gas reserves.
But Tuesday saw an escalation of their action and some of the worst violence in the country for several months.

The government condemned the unrest as a "civil coup"
Hundreds of people raided the state-run telecommunications company, the tax agency, the local state TV network and the land reform institute in the city of Santa Cruz.
Clashes broke out between the protesters and riot police, who were forced to take cover.
Trouble also flared in the provinces of Beni, Pando, and Tarija as opposition activists raided public buildings.
"Fascist, violent and racist people attacked institutions...that belong to all Bolivians," said Interior Minister Alfredo Rada.
In the Chaco area, protesters stormed a station controlling a natural gas pipeline and tried unsuccessfully to cut exports to Brazil, officials quoted by Reuters news agency said.
Reform
Bolivia has the second largest natural gas reserves in South America but they are situated in the east of the country, where Mr Morales faces his fiercest opponents.
Brazil, and to a lesser extent Argentina, are Bolivia's major gas customers and any interruption to supply would have a serious effect on both economies as well as damaging Bolivia's reputation as a reliable supplier, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires.
On Monday, the government announced that soldiers were being sent to guard natural gas fields and pipelines.

Mr Morales came to power in 2006 promising reform
"The government will not allow the interruption of natural gas exports," said Energy Secretary Carlos Villegas.
Shortly afterwards Mr Villegas was moved to the development planning ministry while Saul Avalos took over at the energy ministry.
The changes were part of a cabinet reshuffle seen as an attempt by President Morales to tackle the growing opposition to his plans to radically reform the way Bolivia is governed.
The president wants to give more power to the country's indigenous and poor communities, by carrying out land reform and redistributing gas revenues.
Mr Morales's attempts to change the constitution are fiercely opposed by opposition governors who run five of Bolivia's nine regions.
They and their supporters want greater autonomy as well as more control over revenues of natural gas in their areas.
Mr Morales is seeking approval in Congress to hold a referendum on 7 December on his proposed constitutional changes.

Uncertainty in Santa Cruz

The pop, pop, pop of explosions is a haunting, telling sound. It has been going on for a couple of days now...the latest noise in an ongoing controversy.

I would be lying if I claimed to understand well what the conflict is about, but I know enough to say that it is about revenue from gas taxes and a new constitution for Bolivia, both of which Bolivia's President, Evo Morales, supports and therefore finds himself as the primary target of this recent disturbance.

However, Mr. Morales, even if feeling the political aftershocks of the Santa Cruz riots in his home in La Paz, is far removed from the destruction being done here, primarily by the Cruceñista youth movement who have organized the taking of several government buildings, including the nationalized phone company Entel and the local bus and train station in addition to others, even the national airport, which was quickly re-taken by the military.

Fortunately, the loss of life has not been large in number - 1 is the current death count, but every human life is precious and no amount of money from gas revenues can return that person to his or her family. There have been numerous persons injured and the excitement of the mob before destruction is contagious...

No one knows when the ransacking and rioting will end, but hopefully soon. Hopefully soon the roar of micros and taxis will not be echoed by exploding flares and tear gas... Hopefully soon we will all be able to travel back and forth freely as we did before.

It is a concerning thing to witness...the destruction of a mob. The city is a different place. It is as if the people involved allow the spirit of violence, the spirit of destruction to compromise their better judgment, their better self who respects human life and public property.

I am no expert, and don't quite know what to think, but I do know Jesus' example shows me, tells me, that violence is never justifiable...that human life is God-created and holy and that life is to be given, not taken. It makes me sad to see humans harm each other...it makes me sad that politics and manipulation have made a mob out of good people.

mayado mayado....

So, after 2 days of being sick I'm alive and well for the most part. Stomache ache gone, headache gone, fever gone! Yay! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I was pretty miserable, but thankfully my friend Juana dropped off some ibuprofen for me and three pills later I was feeling fine and dandy. Apparently just a mild case of "mayado," some kind of flu transmitted by mosquitos...such unpleasant little plagues. But yes, I am doing well again so no worries =)