46 CultureShock! Bolivia
The promised constituent assembly for a new constitution
will be a lengthy and embattled process.
Nothing is certain, but Morales is well aware that this
is not a personal victory and that Bolivians will continue
to demand a new economic model while he will have to
deal with foreign fi nancial institutions and multinational
corporations with contracts to extract the country’s
natural resources.
Future confl ict is inevitable in the economic realm, though
it is hard to imagine that racism could once again pervade
the structure of Bolivian society.
Meanwhile, in the immediate aftermath of the election,
the image of cultural change fl ashes through the streets of
highland cities, where Bolivian offi ce workers and managers
are accustomed to suit-and-tie formalities. President elect
Morales has appeared in public in shirtsleeves with no tie, and
many Bolivian men are now going to work without a tie.2006: 1 May
On the symbolic date of 1 May 2006, Evo Morales surprised
the nation, announcing the nationalisation of Bolivian gas, by
presidential decree, and thereby fulfi lling one of his promises
to the social movements that had brought him to power.Culture and Tourism
This is the dramatic human setting into which the foreign
visitor will arrive. Much has been written about the negative
effects of tourism upon so-called developing countries.
However, for tourists ‘with an attitude’, Bolivia might as well
be Oblivia. It seems that they have not found this place. At
the same time the level of awareness and conscience of most
visitors to Bolivia is remarkably high. Correspondingly, this
author has felt none of the tourist dependency prevalent in
so many other developing countries.
Foreigners working for non-governmental organisations
often play a positive role in Bolivian society and foreign
journalists and human rights activists were instrumental
in bringing the water and gas issues to the attention of
international sympathisers and opinion makers.