ixinadequate in developed countries will be enough here for
relative affl uence.
Security
Bolivia is amongst the safer countries in the world.
Petty crime is relatively minimal, given the country’s
poverty, and violent crime is rare, but it is well advised
to not fl ash a gold necklace in an outdoor market. One
would expect the local cocaine issue to explode in
violence, as it does in neighbouring Colombia. But in
Bolivia, even coca growers, called cocaleros, employ
Ghandi-style non-violent protests such as hunger strikes
and penurious 30-day women’s marches to defend their
native crop against eradication, in the absence of feasible
economic alternatives.
An uncharted future
Bolivia is a country with grave economic and social
problems, inherited from her colonial past. As the structural
schemes of the 20th century become discredited and the
country’s indigenous majority awakens, creative alternatives
can no longer be stifl ed and an uncharted future is laden
with surprises.
A decade ago, venerable Trotskyite activist and historian,
Guillermo Lora, warned me that, “Bolivia is heading for a
great social convulsion.” He was right, but spirited non-violent
dissent has mitigated the rougher edges of social upheaval.
The statistic listing Bolivia as the third poorest country in
the Américas, based on per capita income, does not consider
that many of the country’s indigenous communities maintain
self suffi ciency without being part of the money economy.
Massive famines do not seem to punish this country and
natural disasters are rare, so Bolivia doesn’t get anywhere
near the publicity of Third World sisters such as Indonesia,
Ethiopia or Bangladesh.
After years of coups and revolutions, Bolivia’s political
system has mellowed out into a democracy of relative
tolerance. With the ongoing discrediting of traditional political
parties, freedom of expression seems to thrive, especially
in community radio, independent newspapers and public
assemblies. Not unexpectedly, the frame of discourse onBOLIVIA.indb ix 7/13/10 2:47:16 PM