This morning we hosted a citizen dialogue in the mARTadero with Evo Morales present and participating.
As you all have probably gathered from my emails, politics down here are complex. When Evo was elected he became the first Indigenous president and caused a lot of consternation among the elites, particularly in the Santa Cruz region. The long and short of it is that his presidency threw into flux the position of privilege that a handful of families in this country have been enjoying for a number of years, though the accompanying frenzy would demonize everyone from Santa Cruz and deify everyone who was raised in the campo, or vice versa, depending on who your media outlet is. Perhaps its the nature of politics in general, but the polarization that has surrounded decisions and convictions and problems here is not healthy or helpful. The country has what occasionally borders on a case of xenophobia, and it can’t be denied that there is a tendancy on the part of a lot of public figures to blame the US, or the Spaniards, or the Cruceños for all the problems that exist, and I have had big gripes with that for the extent of my tenure here.
The event that went on today was a citizen encounter, in which about sixteen civil society groups (social movements, associations of professors, agronomists, women’s groups, etc) were invited to send delegates to the mARTadero, and each group was given a few minutes to address the president and to present whatever praise or concerns they had. After everyone had spoken they gave the mic to Evo, and without notes or prompts or anyone whispering in his ear he gave a very articulate, very thoughtful response to the questions or concerns raised, and explained a little more about some of the decisions he has made. He spoke with humor (rare), and he left ample space in his conversation for shared responsibility and shared credit. There was none of the everthing-that’s-wrong-with-Bolivia-has-to-do-with-Santa-Cruz, or the-Spaniards-are-the-root-of-all-evil or any of that. His criticisms were thoughtful, carefully directed, and reasonable, and therefore easy to hear and appreciate. His political agenda was quite clear but he didn’t paint anyone as the enemy, which is also rare. I was completely impressed by the fact that such a contentious figure could be so seemingly humble, and so inclusive in his talk about what he believes is ailing the country. One comment that sticks out in my mind: “Si no nos cambiamos a nosotros, jamas cambiara Bolivia” (If we don’t change ourselves, Bolivia will never change). I deeply appreciate the sense of responsibility that such a comment indicates. I also appreciate that he acknowledgef frankly that the problem between MAS and Santa Cruz, and even MAS and the United States is not of the politics themselves, but also of Evo Morales as a figurehead.
It’s refreshing, in a time when politics and relationships everywhere are so messy, to hear someone so charismatic speak directly and not fall back on their charisma. Evo’s not perfect, his agendas on gender and the environment (my two favorite subjects) leave much to be desired, but I was extremely impressed with his clarity and frankness. Politics here are rowdy, popular, and inclusive. There is no such distance or padding or insurmountable bureaucracy as exists in the States (while the bureaucracy required in order to, say, get your residence is a thousand times worse), and while this inclusiveness causes a hell of a lot of unrest, it also ensures that no one gets slack or apathetic. Some of my faith has been restored in the idea of political leadership.
And about the soccer with anarchists: I got a call from a friend a few weeks ago saying she needed another woman on their fulbito team because there was a tournament coming up that they wanted to enter. Fulbito is soccer, but played on a concrete court, ie, soccer adapted to city living. So I join the team, an awesome group of young women, most of us are sociologists or psychologists or environmentalists or all three, young, strong healthy, and we don’t give a hoot who hoots at us as we practice. And, practicing in a ratty part of town, we drew a lot of attention. So we have soccer practice a few times a week, and then the other day as we’re sitting on a bench afterwards having a juice, someone whips out the convocatoria (announcement) for the tournament. Across the top in big letters it says: LEAGUE OF YOUNG ANARCHISTS OF COCHABAMBA ANNUAL FULBITO TOURNAMENT, followed by a list of approximately thirty rules for enrolling in said tournament. Now, I knew nothing of the political bent of this event and it seems to me slightly ironic that even the league of young anarchists can’t put on a soccer tournament in keeping with their ideology, but I let that one slide.
Come last Saturday, day of: Of an entire purported whole women’s league, my team is the only women’s team that appears, so we are pitted against a team of men. We actually beat this first team of men, causing many a ruptured ego and many a snotty remark, though we got served during the second round. We play fulbito for six hours out in the searing sunlight at 12,000 feet, and we are all hot and exhausted by the time we gather our things together and limp down the street to the after-party (it must be mentioned that many events in Cochabamba are merely excuses for a good after-party). Our team was awarded different bits and pieces for defending ourselves honorably, and I got an MV goalie award which consisted of a stack of anarchist literature in Spanish, a couple of ripped copies of documentaries of the lives of famous anarchists, and about a zillion patches to be sewn onto clothes or bags, though what immigration officials will say about that remains to be seen. Joke. Some people had brought silk screens of varyious and sundry political slogans, and for about two hours everyone was running around in towels or borrowed sweaters while their newly-silkscreened dirty t-shirts dried on the roof. By eight o’clock the majority of people had drunk so much chicha that they couldn’t even stand. It was one of the more amusing days I’ve had here, and I love that, despite the fact that a lot of the university political groups seem to take themselves so seriously, at the end of the day the more imporant bits are the soccer tournament and the party.
