Paula`s Big Adventure

Library Project Funding Opportunities

2007-02-15T10:37:00.000+11:00

I have been living in Bolivia now for almost 4 years and recently decided to leave my full time employment and work voluntarily on some library projects here in Cochabamba and La Paz. I first came to Bolivia in July 2003 to work as the librarian at the American School in Cochabamba. During my time at the school (3 years in total) I spent most of my spare time volunteering at the Temporal Public Library. At first it was just helping the librarian, Teo, with some cataloguing and reference work, and then developed into running activities for the children in the neighborhood. From this experience I found it more challenging and worthwhile to work within a community with very few resources, as opposed to a well financed and resourced community.

Word soon spread through various networks, and I have been asked by various organizations and other public libraries to help them develop their libraries and train their staff. As there is only one Library School in Bolivia (in La Paz and focusing on Small Special Libraries), there is virtually no one in Bolivia with the public library skills that I have been able to provide. At present I work with around 15 librarians from some of the poorest neighborhoods of Bolivia. Here they work under tremendously hard conditions, many of them are volunteers or receive very little remuneration for their work. They are incredibly dedicated and determined to deliver library services to their own communities. The work I am doing with them, both training and literacy programs, enables them to continue their work with greater success and confidence.

With the new governments focus on literacy development, I am in a perfect position to offer help to a country which has few professional public librarians working in the field. For those of you who have known me for a long time, I have always wanted to work towards developing libraries in communities most in need. I have been extremely lucky, in Bolivia, to find a place which not only could benefit from the skills I have to offer, but also enables me to work in a place which is challenging, meaningful and fulfilling, both on a personal and professional level.

I am writing to ask you to support me in my efforts to work with libraries here in Bolivia, this support is meant to just help me until I find long term funding.

There are two aspects to the work I am doing:

1: Training

Currently I am implementing a training program in the city of El Alto, situated high above the city of La Paz. Here I am currently implementing a year long training program and am acting as an advisor to the librarians on different issues such as literacy promotion and the profession of librarianship. This training program includes library promotion, conducting literacy programs, classification of material and creating community spaces.

The program stated in August 2006 with the theme of “What is a Library”. Its hard to breathe at 4000 meters above sea level, but over the course of the day the librarians and I fleshed out the idea of what the perfect library would be (in an ideal world) and how we could meet these needs based on the limited resources we have here in Bolivia. It was a great day, and we worked hard and enthusiastically. Recently I returned to Senkata to help the network plan its year and was happy to see that the issues we discussed in the first workshop were being discussed in real terms in the planning meeting.

I have also been asked by the University of San Andres (the main public university in La Paz) to present a workshop to the library students there and participate in developing library training programs for the Public Library in La Paz.

I hope to be able to offer this training program to other librarians and networks in the future as there is an obvious need.

2: Developing Libraries

I have been working both with Public Library Networks as well as Non Government Organisations (NGOs) in an advisory capacity. As well as the Senkata Network I have been working with a small association here in Cochabamba.

“Atillka” Bibliotecas Populares (Association of Libraries in Marginal Neighborhoods), is an organization situated in Cochabamba Bolivia, whose objective is to provide social and educational support for the children and young adults in poor neighborhoods in Cochabamba. I have been acting as an advisor to this association for almost 2 years now and have been implementing a reading program in these communities. For 6 months, one afternoon a week, I visited the libraries and worked with a group of children on their reading skills. This program was supported by a small grant we received from the International Reading Association and a very good friends mother in Belgium. We were able to buy resources for the program such as books, DVDs, and games. The program ran over 6 months and was very successful. At the end of the year we showed a video (as a reward) to each of the groups, one group didn’t want to watch the movie, they wanted to read instead. We took this as a huge sign of success!!

I am hoping this year, to be able to train volunteers in the community to take on the responsibility of the project and this will take the pressure off the librarians and make the project more sustainable.

Other projects include developing a national public library network, starting with bringing the Senkata librarians to Cochabamba for a meeting with the Altikka librarians. The value of networking is huge here as there are no resources, we need to put our heads together and help each other.

Currently I am helping two Non Government Organisations to set up their library systems. Both who work in the areas of advocacy and human rights. In 2006 I wrote an analysis for a prison NGO which has enabled them to look at potential areas for growth in libraries with in the prisons. I am hoping that I will be able to continue to act as advisor for organizations who need to create libraries and organize their information within the confines of a very limited budget.

WHAT THE MONEY WILL BE USED FOR

Bolivia is not an expensive country and a little bit of money can go a long way and make a real difference – whether $50 or $500 or whatever amount is possible within your budget. (You can donate monthly if you want as well.) The money would be used to help cover some of the operating costs that go along with providing my consulting services, such as internet service, membership fees for professional librarian organizations, travel, telephone, printing, photocopying and supplies. It would also help cover some of my personal living expenses so that I can continue here until I am able to obtain a grant or access other ongoing funding.

There are also a couple of specific projects that need funding, if you are more comfortable donating for a specific project. One is that we are trying to develop a national library network here and want to bring the El Alto and La Paz librarians to Cochabamba for a planning meeting, however we need funding to help cover travel and meeting costs. If you would prefer to donate to buy resources for the reading program, that would be great as well.

WHY DONATE

Bolivia is a country with few resources and expertise to deliver library services at this level. The communities in Cochabamba and El Alto are some of the poorest in Bolivia and their libraries survive on the dedication of a group of volunteers and lowly paid librarians. In Bolivia there is little or no opportunity for library staff development, and therefore programming suffers. As such, I find myself in a place where my skills and expertise are really needed. The training and library development I am doing here are interventions that will be sustainable, helping to maintain the libraries and their programming even after I am gone.

This is an exciting opportunity for me personally and professionally. I am in the process of identifying longer term funding to cover my work here. However, I have a gap and need help in order to stay and continue my work until I access a grant, fellowship or other funding stream. That is why I am turning to friends and family. I believe very much in what I am doing here and if you feel the same way, please help. Anything that you can afford to send would be very much appreciated and would make a big difference here.

In return for your support, I promise to send updates about my work and be completely accountable for the money sent. (Just in case you think Im going to use it to travel South America!!!)

PLEASE DO NOT DONATE MONEY IF IT IS OUTSIDE YOUR FINANICAL RESOURCES.

HOW TO DONATE - please contact me directly paula (dot) pfoeffer(at)gmail.com

You can donate directly to my personal account or send a cheque to Paula Pfoeffer at this following snail mail address:

Cochabamba- Another Popular Revolution?

2007-01-18T08:34:00.000+11:00

My friend and long term political compañera Lee Cridland and I have written an article about the current situation in Cochabamba, the city where we live. Here it is.

Cochabamba is a city with a history of struggle. In April 2000 the people stood up against the privatisation of their water supply, threw out the multinational Bechtel and retook control of the local water company. In October 2003 they joined the thousands of people on the street in El Alto, La Paz and other cities to defend the right of the people to nationalize the country’s gas reserves, effectively forcing, then president and champion of the neo-liberal economic model, Gonzales Sanchez de Lozada to flee the country.

Over the last few months, the citizens of the Department of Cochabamba have once again taken to the streets to defend democracy, this time calling for the resignation of the Perfect of the Cochabamba (a position similar to governor). In a so called pro-democracy, pro-autonomy rally in December of last year the Governor of the Department of Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, aligned himself with the Media Luna (the block of Eastern Departments demanding autonomy) and called for yet another referendum on the issue of autonomy despite the fact that in July 2006, the same referendum was defeated by 63% of the voters. This plus his long history as a nefarious civic leader, has forced the social movements (campesinos, teachers, factory workers, small merchants, coca growers and others) out into the streets demanding his resignation.

Who is Manfred?
Manfred Reyes Villa is a former student of the School of the Americas in Panama. He was a student of the brutal dictator Garcia Mesa who has been implicated in a number of political assassinations. During his time as Mayor of Cochabamba he signed the contract with Bechtel, privatising the city’s water supply hence precipitating the Water Wars. He was a member of the last Gonzales Sanchez de Lozada government under which up to 80 people were killed during February and October 2003. In 2005 he was elected Prefectura of Cochabamba and during his 11 months in office he has used state funds to finance a political advertising campaign which has been used to cover up his past political doings and further his own political ambitions. He owns several houses in Cochabamba and the US.

Recent Events
Reyes Villa’s previous history, combined with his call December 14, 2006 in a public rally of his supporters, for another vote on the issue of autonomy set in motion a series of massive open meetings called “cabildos”, and marches. As the social movements took to the streets through out December and early January, resentment continued to grow and eventually lead the social movements to call for his resignation.

On January 8, a march on the main plaza turned into a fight between local police and protesters and part of the Municipal Council building was burnt. With a people dozen injured, the social movements began to march each day demanding the resignation of Manfred Reyes Villa.

On January 11, violence erupted when Manfred supporters, many of whom wore white shirts to identify themselves, and a group called Youth for Democracy broke through the police lines and began indiscriminately beating any indigenous person they could find. The “white shirts” then attempted to take the main plaza but those in the plaza fought back. A long and violent battle that lasted well into the night resulted in 2 dead (one campesino and one member of Youth for Democracy) and over 200 injured. The city was in shock as images in the media of the white elite fighting the brown skinned working class graphically illustrated the clear class and race divisions within Bolivia.

The Aftermath
Before the violence broke out on January 11, Reyes Villa went to La Paz for a meeting with the Governors of the Media Luna block, (some of his supporters were angry that he had deserted them). From there he flew to Santa Cruz, refusing to return to Cochabamba for fear of inciting violence, and demanding the government come to Santa Cruz to negotiate with him. In doing this he has clearly aligned himself with the eastern states, and this may serve to anger some of his base here in Cochabamba where divisions, even amongst the elites, are regional.

Evo Morales returned from early from his Central American tour to meet with the social movements and has said that this is clearly an issue that needs to be negotiated between Cochabamba´s social movements and Manfred Reyes Villa and not an issue for the National Government. Morales also introduced a new law which would allow official recall votes of any public official, similar to the law passed in Venezuela. The MAS government have repeatedly said that they will not go to Santa Cruz to negotiate with Reyes Villa, that Cochabamba’s problem must be negotiated in Cochabamba..

Racism, Class and Autonomy
The push towards autonomy in the Media Luna states is steeped in racism. These states hold the vast natural resources, which the Morales government has just nationalised, and most of the economic wealth. The divisions between class and race were no clearer than in Cochabamba on the afternoon of January 11. The white shirted Manfred supporters were mostly white, middle and upper class people, whereas the social movements represent the working class, peasants and poor.

The history of Bolivia is a history of exploitation. From the Spanish Invasion and the use of slave labour in the mines in Potosi 400 years ago, to the neo-liberal policies of previous governments, indigenous people have been exploited and excluded from wealth and power for over 500 years. The election of Evo Morales in December 2005 was a turning point in the history of Bolivia, yet many of the elites (a lot of who gained their wealth through government corruption) cannot except that their “right to rule” is over.

The Media Luna block are fermenting divisions between departments, with their political speeches, their open racism towards President Morales and their unwillingness to share the wealth with the rest of the country.

MAS and the Social Movements
For some time now an interesting dynamic between MAS and the social movements has been developing. There are those social movements aligned with the government, such as the cocaleros and some which are clearly not (Coordinadora of Water and Life in Cochabamba). Some of the social movements critique the government and accuse them of coopting the movements so that criticism of the government is kept to a minimum.

During the cabildo on Tuesday 15 January the social movements of Cochabamba elected a Popular Prefectura and its council The MAS government has come out and said that they do not support this decision as it is not supported by the constitution and is un-democratic. A party which was once at the front line of the struggle has now become a voice for the system. Whilst Evo and has government are pushing along with some reforms which benefit the people (free universal health care, financial support for education, literacy programs) they are also allowing the right to still dictate the way they govern.

January 18 will be the first anniversary of Evo Morales’s inauguration as Bolivia’s first indigenous President. The hope and excitement of that day is not forgotten, but a lot of reflection needs to take place on which road the government will choose to take this year and who they are willing to placate instead of listening to the people and their own base.

In Cochabamba, like Oaxaca, Mexico, the people are standing up against corruption and oppression. It is the people of these cities who serve as an inspiration to those of us who are living in the world of Howard and Bush.

Power of Women

2006-11-11T03:18:00.000+11:00

Unarmed Women stand up to Agression in Palestine and Mexico

Oxaca, Mexico
A 5 month teachers strike turns into a popular uprising demanding the resignation of the Governer. Plain clothed policemen shot and killed at least 20 unarmed people, including an Indy Media journalist Brad Will. Vincent Fox sent in the federal troops to quell the protest and they were met by a blockade of people welding flowers. The people of Oxaca have not backed down and they are not alone in their fight.

Oaxaca

Forgotten by the world, the women of Gaza, this week, unarmed, stood up against the genocidal agression of the Israelli government.

We Overcame our Fear

The same week that Saddam Hussien is sentenced to death, where is the justice for the thousands of people killed by governments complicit in the destruction of the Middle East. USA, Israel, Britain, Australia, the leaders of these countries are all war criminals and should be made to pay for their devasting actions.

Women are once again showing the way to resistance.
There can be no peace without justice.

La lucha continua.

El Coraje del Pueblo

2006-10-15T06:08:00.000+10:00

The Courage of the People

Today is the third anniversary of the end of the Gas War which cost 67 lives and hundreds of injuries. The ex-President Gonzalos Sanchez de Lozada and 2 of his ministers are still living the comfortable life in the US. After repeated requests by the Bolivian Government to serve these 3 men with legal papers to return to Bolivia to answer charges of murder, the US government are still neglecting to do so. Whilst at the same time refusing a visa to Juan Patricio Mamani, whose brother was killed in October 2003 and who wanted to share his story with people in the US.

On this day, remember those that were killed and their families who are fighting for justice. There are many events happening world wide to support the campaign to bring these men to trial. See www.boliviasolidarity.org for more information.

¡Juicio por Goni YA!

Names of the Fallen in Bolivia's Gas War of 2003

Name Age
José Luis Atahuichi Ramos 44
Ramiro Vargas Astilla 22
Demetrio Coraca Castro 62
Simael Marcos Quispe 20
Juan Cosme Apaza 44
Marlene Nancy Rojas 8
Sergio Vargas Castro 19
Arturo Mamani Mamani 42
Marcelo H. Cussi Vargas 21
Domingo Mamani Mamani 32
Jacinto Bernabé Roque 61
Edgar Lecoña Amaru 20
Jaime V. Quispe Zacarías 30
Braulio Callizaya Dorado 38
Benita Ticona 45
Florentino Poma Flores 34
Rosendo Riolobos Alba 43
Raul Huanca Marquez 70
Juan Carlos Barrientos 32
German Carvajal Valencia 36
Víctor Arcani Ticona 36
Filomena León Mendoza 36
Serapio Arnada Calle 40
Walter Huanca Choque 25
Alex Llusco Mollericona 5
David Salinas Mallea 29
Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Tinta 23
Marcelino Cuty Mamani N/S
Nicolás Morales Choque 24
Luis Reynaldo Cusi Quispe 22
Francisco Ajllahuanca Alanoca 43
Luis Fernando Quelca 16
Manuel Yanarico Janco 35
Damián Luna Palacios 30
Efraín Mita Quispe 22
Edmundo Charcas Choque 41
Marcelino Carvajal Lucero 59
Roxana Apaza Cutipa 19
Constancio Quispe Mamani 43
Máximo Vallejos Caiza 21
Augusto Hilari Pari 50
Juan Ticona Mamani 68
Damina Larico Maquera 22
Richard Charca Chana 23
Félix Bautista Paco 26
Wilson Hugo Chuquimia Durán 32
José Masias Quispe 30
José Miguel Pérez Cortez 40
Félix Javier Quispe Tacco 23
Enrrique Héctor Marín Limachi 40
Marcelo Chambi Mollinedo N/S
Teodocia Morales Mamani 38
Jhonny Sunavi Quispe 28
Narciso Colque Mamani 26
Lucio Santos Gandarillas Ayala 33
Carmelo Mamani Patzi 47
Eduardo Hino Baltazar 35
Roberto Huanca Porce 34
Vidal Pinto Blanco 21
Wiler Ortiz Córdoba 35

Surviving Bolivia

2006-05-26T05:01:00.000+10:00

A lot of things have happened since I last updated this blog. I finished work at the Calvert School in Cochabamba and started my new job working with some public libraries here in Cochabamba and El Alto in La Paz. I did my first training session of librarians in Spanish, which went pretty well and I spent some time in the far reaches of Bolivia. I survived bad roads and scary bus rides but had a number of experiences which have reconfirmed my thoughts that Bolivia is one of the most fascinating and interesting countries I’ve ever had the luck to travel in. Here are a few highlights.

Training librarians in Spanish

Late last year I met some people working in a small community on the outskirts of El Alto, a city on the edge of La Paz. There were building a community library and needed some help developing it. This was the right timing for me as I was contemplating my future at the school and was looking at doing something very different but with communities that needed help, rather than rich kids.

Through Maggie and Tim I met some other people who had helped to set up a network of public libraries in Senkata, also in El Alto and they asked me to come and help train the librarians who worked there. So on August 5, I embarked on my very first (and very scary) workshop on What is a Library? In Spanish. The librarians were fantastic and very enthusiastic. It is very different training people who have no access to information or opportunities to participate in these kinds of sessions. Needless to say, I stumbled through and in the evaluations the overwhelming feeling was that the day was valuable and completely aimed at their own experiences rather than some high level theory.

I’ve been invited back to do some more training sessions so my new job has began!

Surviving Bad Roads in Bolivia
I’ve been on many bad roads in Bolivia and in my many years of travel but going by road to Rurrenabaque and through the province of the Beni was possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had. First I had to go by the so called Worlds Most Dangerous Road (so called because of the amount of deaths per year, the highest in the world) by bus (most tourists do it by bike and this is considered safer). The road is absolutely stunning, you drive through the barren altiplano and then descend into tropical rainforest. But the road is one way with 2 way traffic and the traffic going down the road has to give way to the traffic going up, and the traffic going down is on the edge of the road. This means that constantly to give way to the traffic going up you have to reverse back, and most of the time the bus reverses back to the very edge of the road where all you can see is the abyss.

Not so bad, things were actually going well on this trip until we came across the wreckage of the first truck that had gone over. Looked like the driver got out okay so I was feeling okay. Then we came across the salvage crew of a bus that had gone over the night before, killing all of the 50 passengers. The Bolivian woman behind me started crying hysterically and all of my confidence waned a little.

We made it however but the next day the road was closed so all traffic was to take the “new road”. Of course no one told us this in Corioco so whilst waiting for my bus to Rurrenabarque I was a little concerned that I would have to go back to La Paz which is something I didn’t want to do. After 3 hours of waiting, we (some others waiting for the same bus) decided to risk the road and get to a little town called Carinarvi and pick up our bus from there. However to get there we had to get a camion, that is a open topped truck. I know the statistics, its these trucks that go over the side, usually they have too much weight and the drivers are a little on the manic side. I also know that most of the deaths occurred on the death road are from camions, but it was the only way so in we hopped. I could describe the fear that I had as we went up the hill and I did get mildly hysterical at one point, especially when the sun went down and the camion didn’t have any lights so was using its indicator to see the road, but I survived and that’s the point. The road however was incredible, a clear sky so you could see all the stars and a full moon. WOW!

We then took the bus along possibly the worst road in Bolivia to Rurre, a long dirt and dusty road, in a very uncomfortable bus. I went by bus after Rurre to San Borja, San Ignacio de Moxos, Trinidad, Santa Cruz, Vallegrande and back to Cochabamba. And I had a lot of time to thing about the way roads are used to oppress people and the rich bastards who have stolen all the money allocated to improve the roads in Bolivia and the people are stuck with terrible roads, bad transport and no means of travel. In the 4 months of rainy season in the Beni, the roads are impassable and no one can travel. I felt outrage at the state of the roads, and not just because I definitely did some damage to my back, but because I know money is there is improve the roads but the communities never see the money. Infrastructure is one way to improve the living conditions of the people.

La Pampa

Whilst I was in Rurre I did a 3 day tour of the Pampa, which pretty much meant 3 days on a slow boat watching the wildlife in the park. We saw loads of animals, alligators, monkeys, snakes, birds and (my personal favourite) pink river dolphins. We saw the most spectacular sunset and sunrise I’ve seen in Bolivia and every night the entire milky way. There are times I feel very lucky to be living in this wonderful country.

Chasing Che
My last week was spent with my friend Lee in the town of Vallegrande and La Higuera, the villages where Che Guevara spent his last days. It completed my Che tour of world, from his home town in Argentina to his part in the Cuban Revolution, this was something I had wanted to do for a very long time, go to the place where he met his death.

In his ridiculous attempt to ferment revolution in Bolivia, Che and his motley band of guerrillas attempted to set up a training camp in the region to encourage revolutionaries to spread the good word across Latin America. He failed miserably for many reasons, but inspired a cult following which to this day intrigues me. I’m not a huge fan of Che but I do find him a fascinating world figure so I have been chasing him all over the world to attempt to understand the phenomenon he has inspired.

La Higuera is a very small village (population of 18) and is where Che was executed by the Bolivian army. It is a beautiful little place, with a stunning view of the mountains and valley below, the village has no electricity or running water. The people who live there have mostly lived there for their whole lives and were there at the time of his death. The view Che with amusement, and are now making a meagre living of his memory and the hundreds of worshipers who come every year.

We stayed in the school and medical centre built by the Cuban Government in one of their initiatives to help Evo´s government. It was a very beautiful place to die and a very peaceful place to spend a couple of days.

Vallegrande is a well off town where Che´s body was taken and displayed to the world, then buried in an unmarked grave for 30 years, before in 1997 it was exhumed and returned to Cuba. So we visited the place where he lay, and the other grave of guerrillas that fought with him, and the hospital where he was shown to the world. The hospital was also renovated by Cuban money and was very nice.

If anyone comes to Bolivia or is in Bolivia I would highly recommend this trip. Not only is Vallegrande and the valley stunning and a peaceful place to pass a week, the history and mythology around Che makes for a different experience of Bolivia.

So now I’m back, having survived the 12 hour journey yesterday to get back to Cochabamba. Its work from now on. I have 3 projects I am working on and I must get going on them. So stay tunned for very exciting news about my library projects and other reflections on life in Bolivia.

Over stones to you

2006-05-20T00:55:00.000+10:00

I feel like I have to write something about GW McClennan, singer of the Go-Betweens who died on May 7. Everything about my life in Australia has a Go-Betweens songs entertwinned with it. The last two visits I have made to Sydney, I have been at their gigs at the Metro in Sydney with old friends who I knew I wouldnt see again for a long time. It was my farewell of sorts to my life in Oz and to the friends I love.

Robert was always my favourite performer, although it was GWs songs I liked best. GWs solo album means more to me than any other album I own. I listened to it alot when I lived in Adelaide, it got me through some pretty tough times. Whenever I played it I remembered the lost friends I had in Adelaide and the laughs we had. I have carried it around the world with me, when choosing music to come to Bolivia with, his album was my first choice. I cant listen to it now because I cant believe he is gone.

Its funny when heroes die, its like you have lost a close family member, even though you never knew them. I had two musicians who influenced my life, David McComb from the Triffids and GW. They are both dead now, both died of natural causes before they reached 50. Their music lives on of course and I guess thats what we have left.

I wrote about death in a previous blog and how in Bolivia there is no time to grieve, you just pick up your life and move on. Walk through the streets of your town and be glad that you have moments in your life which bring you happiness. Like listening to 16 Lovers Lane on a sunny afternoon, drinking paley in the beer garden of the Austral.

¡Ya nacionalisacion!

2006-05-06T00:28:00.000+10:00

On May 1, in Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Evo Morales announced the nationalisation of gas, making good on an election promise and one of the demands of the Bolivian people. I was there for this incredible announcement with my good friend Mark Goudkamp from Australia. He has written an account of our day and I though it would be good to have a different voice for a change. So here is Marks account.....stay tuned for photos.

Primera de Mayo en La Paz

First, Paula and I watched and participated in the COB
(Centro de Obrera Boliviana) march which had around
20000 people, including mine workers, factory workers
(including textile and large soft drink factory
contingents), postal workers, and even a contingent of
kids who work on the streets. This march was
consciously separate from the rally organised by
Movimiento Al Solcialismo (movement towards socialism,
the party of Evo Morales which is now in government).

We headed up to the Plaza de Murillo, where the MAS
rally took place. The stage was set up in front of the
Presidential Palace, which Morales has chosen not to
live in). After numerous groups played traditional
andean songs (including "song of the condor" which was
put to different lyrics by simon and garfunkel!), Evo
morales spoke. I say spoke rather than appeared
because, he spoke from ground level, I presume so that
symbolically he was on the level of the people. The
largest cheer came when he said that if the foreign
energy companies don´t respect us, they can get out of
the country. Unknown to the crowd, after he spoke he
headed to the La Paz to fly to a gas field in Yaquiba
on the Argentinean border to announce the
nationalisation of Bolivia´s gas fields and
refinieries.

It was then Vice President Alvarro Garcia (an
ex-Marxist guerilla and one of the few non-indigenous
cabinet members) who announced the nationalisation
decree (from the balcony, not ground level). The
largely indigenous crowd cheered, while some said
"bien dicho" (well said).

The government has given the companies six months to
sign new contracts.

Mark wrote this before Evo returned from Yacuiba. As we left the internet cafe, I thought I heard Evos voice from the Plaza so we ran down the hill to hear the last part of his speech. There he was, he had just returned from the gas fields in the South to address the crowd that had been there since early in the morning. Afterwards there was singing and dancing in the streets and a universtiy choir singing the Internationale. It was quite a day and, for me, yet another emotionally charged day in Bolivia.

This country leaves me nothing but optomistic about the state of the world.

Death and Life

2006-04-22T00:45:00.000+10:00

At about 6.30am Tuesday morning, I received a phone call from a friend. A work collegues father had died and he wanted pick me up and take me to the memorial.

Memories flooded back.

Its 2 1/2 years since Ben died in Cambodia. A year since Ben died in Adelaide. Only 4 months since Elissa died in Canberra.

For every one of these deaths I have been in Bolivia.

For Bolivians burial is quick. Isela´s father died on Monday night. We went to her house where an open casket laid to pay our respects on Tuesday morning. He was buried Tuesday afternoon.

For the 4th time in less than 3 years, I realise that life is extremely short. That what we have right now is extremely precious and that happiness is not an illusive goal, but is the present.

For many of the things Bolivia has given me, the most significant has been the recognition of the beauty of life and the importance of being happy.

Hope in Dark Days

2006-03-15T23:16:00.000+11:00

As we approach the 3rd anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq, I have been reflecting alot on the impact of the war and methods of resistance.

Over the weekend the news came through of the death of Tom Fox, a Christian Peacemaker Team member who had been kidnapped over 3 months ago with his 3 CPT collegues. CPT are an organisation who sends volunteers to war zones to document human rights abuses and give voices to those who have no voice, the Palestinians, the Iraqis and other oppressed groups. The death of someone who fought to give voice to these people through peaceful means is a huge tragedy. Tom Fox was totally against the invasion of Iraq, he knew the dangers of going to Iraq, but he went anyway, and like Margaret Hassan and the many other aid workers and peace activists killed in Iraq, he was killed because of the imperialist ambitions of the US, Britian, and indirectly Australia. It makes me very sad.

Over the last week Father Roy Bougious, a Maryknoll Priest and founder of the School of the Americas Watch has been on a visit to Bolivia to talk about the impact of the school on Latin America and the resistance movement which has grown up opposing it over the last 16 years. The School of the Americas in located in Fort Dennison, Georgia, and trains military personal from Latin American countries. SOA graduates have been found responsible for the torture and murder of thousands of Latin Americans, including Archbishop Oscar Romero, 6 El Salvadorian Jesuit Priests and thier house keeper and 6 year old daughter. Graduates include Augusto Pinochet, Hugo Banzar (former dictator in Bolivia), Garcia Meza (currently the only Bolivian dictator in jail for huan rights abuses) and Manfred Reyes Villa (the current Governer of Cochabamba and former Mayor of Cochabamba during the Guerra de Agua in 2000). Father Roy and many other activists have put themselves on the line constantly to try and get the SOA closed. He alone has spent almost 4 years in Federal Prision because to cross the line and enter the school is a Federal crime in the US.

When the torturers of Aru Garib and Guantanomo Bay go free or get minimal sentences of one year, these peaceful protesters get up to 3 years.

It makes me question myself and what I am willing to do for peace and justice in this world? Would I put myself in front of an Israeli Bulldozer when they are destorying Palestinian homes, just like Rachel Corrie who was run over by one and refused justice?

There are different ways to change the world, Im not saying that this is the only way. Just like the Bolivian people, who in their thousands not only have fought for change over the last 500 years at a huge cost but won many of those battles. But its people like Tom Fox, Father Roy and activists like them who put their lives on the line to tell the stories of the oppressed people of the world, who give me hope in these very dark days.

Amachuma and New Opportunities

2006-02-07T01:02:00.000+11:00

A couple of weekends ago I visited in a small community in the city of El Alto with a Marynoll Missionary and her family. I went there to help them out in their attempts to build a community library.

On Saturday morning I went to a meeting of the Comitte Impulsor, the group coordinating attempts to bring Goni to justice (see We want Justice).

There was alot of energy in the meeting, alot of hope in the new government and alot of strategising. It was decided that we need to start pressuring the US government more intensly to deliver the papers so that the legal process can start. So we are relaunching the online petition. If you havent signed it, please do and please forward it on to other groups and people who might want to sign it.

Sign Here

Amachuma and a number of other communities in El Alto are attempting to set up community libraries, with the help from Maryknoll and other funders. My friends had asked me to come along and try and assist with planning, training and programming.

When you get out into the campo you realise that sometimes, in the city, you still live in a little bubble. The adobe houses are scattered next to potato fields on the mountainside. Small houses with whole families sharing as little as 2 small rooms. When potato fields bloom there is a sea of purple flowers as far as the eye can see, unfortunately a couple of weeks before a hail storm wiped out one of the crops, therefore none of the flowers were there, just different shades of brown as far as the eye can see.

The library project is small but already in Sekarta, has had a big impact. Here the have become a community space. They provide a service so desperately needed, and it is a story echoed across the country. School students cannot afford to by text books so they need to have access to them from somewhere, a library is often the only place they can find these. Reading programs are small and with few resources very difficult to maintain interest. Staff are volunteers or students paid on minimim wages, with no formal library training it makes it difficult for services to developed.

I am hoping to help the library´s in El Alto and here in Cochabamba over the next year or so. I have decided to stop working at the American School here in Cochabamba and work on some ideas I have for community library development. Already I have secured a grant from the International Reading Association to run a literacy program in 5 libraries in Cochabamba. Its a risk but I need to put my skills to real work to benefit a whole community, not just a small, elite population.

So with all these plans I am excited and looking forward to new challenges, it will all begin in June.

The end of the age of perfection

2006-01-24T22:49:00.000+11:00

Well its almost over, one more day (as I am reminded by my friends here) until I reach the end of my 33rd year - the age of perfection as my friend Lee always told me. Time to reflect on the year that was.

I cant complain really, about my last year. I have to say it may have been the best yet. I saw the downfall of yet another Bolivian government (Mesa in June), but the beginning of a new era in Bolivian history with the election of Evo(see previous blog). I had a great trip home to Australia and realised that, as we get older, relationships change for the better. I discovered that in times of crisis there are people in my life that I can rely on, both in Bolivia and the rest of the world. Who can forget that Australia qualified for the World Cup and lastly, I fulfilled a life long dream of going to Cuba.

Alot to pack into one year I would think. There are many downsides to traveling and living abroad. One is that you create a distance between your family and friends, the people who are most important. But on the upside, Ive been extremely fortunate to make friends from around the world and in Cochabamba, I have a community of wonderful people who have become part of my own family here in Bolivia.

So as I finish my year of perfection I feel very lucky and happy to be alive, and I know that the rest of my life can only get better.

A new era begins

2006-01-23T22:58:00.000+11:00

This weekend has been a special weekend in the history of Bolivia. The more I talk to people, the more I realise just how important Evo´s victory was and how the road ahead is going to be difficult. I decided not to go to La Paz for the ceremonies, for a lot of reasons, but I shared this historic experience with friends here in Cochabamba.

Nick Buxton has taken some excellent photos of the ceremonies over the weekend.

Transition of Indigenous Power
On Saturday at the ancient temple of Tiwanaku, indigenous leaders handed over power to Evo in a traditional ceremony. To grasp the importance of this one has to remember that this ceremony has not been performed for 500 years. The last Incan leader to have this done was Tupak Amaru, who was eventually hung, drawn and quartered by the spanish. 500 years of discrimination and exclusion, and now the indigenous have taken their country back.

Dressed as the Sun God, Evo walked to the 4 alters around the site, there thereligiouss leaders performed the ritual of handing over power. This was a private ritual, there was television coverage only at the last table. He walked bare foot down to the Sun Gate where he spoke to over 10,000 people, pledging his promise to make Bolivia a more equal place.

Emotional Ceremony
The official ceremony on Sunday was a little less colourful, but highly emotional. He took his pledge with his left fist raised high and tears rolling down his face. This is a man who has struggled his whole life, who knows what its like to have no food on his plate and now he is President. For me, it was one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed.

The previous night I was talking to a Bolivian friend who I hadn't seen since I returned from holidays. When he talked about Evo, he looked so incredibly happy, in fact I had never, ever seen him look this happy. And I realised just how important Evo being President is. Sure, there are a lot of doubts that MAS will be able to make the changes necessary, but symbols are powerful here and the symbol of Evo receiving the Presidential sash yesterday was the most important event in many Bolivians lives.

Ama sua, ama qella y ama llulla
Do not steal, Do not be Lazy and Do not Lie
This ancient Incan code is what characterised Evos acceptance speech. Talking for almost 2 hours, he first asked for a minute silence to remember all those who had died in the 500 years of struggle, from Tupak Amaru to Che Guvera, to the cocaleros killed by US sponsored troops, to those fallen in October 2003. Then, in a the part of his speech where he committed his government to fighting corruption, he pointed to one of the previous corrupt Presidents of Bolivia, Jamie Paz Zamora. It was a very special moment.

Humble
He is only accepting 50% of the salary usually paid to the President and is expecting his ministers to do the same. He is not going to live in the Presidential Palace, but rather will find another, more humble house. He has been causing a bit of a stir about his clothing. He didnt wear a tie to the ceremony, in fact he never wears ties. His now famous, alpaca sweater, is being reproduced and made into a chain of "Evo Wear". He continues to show that he is still a man of the people.

Historical Moments
I am constantly reminded of how important this change in Bolivias history has been. They are little reminders like the fact that the President of Chile visited and had a meeting with Evo. There have been no diplomatic relations with Chile for many years. Every Latin American President was present, including Chavez, Lula and Kirchner. Then there was the 200,000 people from all over Bolivia who waited in the pouring rain in Plaza San Francisco in La Paz to watch the ceremony and, afterwards, to hear their President speak to them. Eduardo Galeno, the Uruguyan writer and author of "The Open Viens of Latin America" was there and spoke to the crowd. He said that Bolivia no longer lives in fear, that this will encourage people across the Americas and the world to no longer live in fear.

Personal Reflection
As I wrote in my previous blog, to be living here in Bolivia during this change is possibly one of the most hopeful and exciting things that Ive ever witnessed. Before the end of last year, when news of the riots in Australia came through and with the mess in Iraq, I had a deep feeling of despair. How much further can we stoop as humanity before we pull the world out of hell? For the first time for as long as I remember, I feel we are moving back. Albeit slowly, but the world is starting to change, and as always Bolivia is in the lead.

It might last only 6 months, but I am holding onto this feeling of hope. Its a new feeling for me and Im not going to let it go.

El Mundo Mejor es Possible

2006-01-21T01:09:00.000+11:00

A New World is Possible

So says Fidel, in a propaganda poster I saw a lot in Cuba, but with the inauguration of Evo Morales in Bolivia on Sunday, I feel, for the first time in a very very long time, that the world is starting to change.

A lot has been written about Evo Morales, by the left and mainstream press, I'm not going to offer my own analysis but I do feel Evo needs critical support. His government will be attempting to overturn 500 years of exclusion, discrimination, and exploitation. This change does not happen overnight, and people need to give him a chance to push through his mandate.

There are many problems with MAS, but the symbol of Evo winning, for the first time in Bolivias history, a clear majority in the election, shows that people want change and are tired of struggling. There is a lot of expectation and excitement about the new government and there are thousands of people traveling to La Paz this weekend for the ceremony.

My friend Tom just got back from ToroToro (about 5 hours south east of Cochabamba), there a group of campesienos were getting ready to travel to La Paz for the inauguration. This is just a reflection of how important being there at the ceremony is to so many people.

I have lived in this amazing country for almost 3 years. I have watched in horror the brutal repression of the people of El Alto in October 2003, I have been in the Plaza Principal in Cochabamba when the tear gas canisters have exploded and listened to the people tell their stories of struggle and their demands for a better life.

Some say the election of Evo is a peaceful revolution. But lets not forget those who died in the 6 years of struggle to bring change to Bolivia. This peaceful revolution still has blood on its hands and we should never forget.

The socialist romantic in me tells me that this is a chance to build a new Bolivia, a society not based on wealth or colour of skin, and that compromise should never be given. The realist in me tells me that Bolivia has a long road ahead, that the pressures from outside and in are great, and that this is just the start of another long struggle.

For the moment I am so grateful to have the opportunity to live in this incredible country and I have become an optimist.

El Mundo Mejor es Possible, we just have to continue to fight for it.

¡Ahora es cuando!

2005-12-10T02:38:00.000+11:00

Now is when!

Thats the slogan of the Movimento al Socialismo (MAS), the party whose candidate, Evo Morales, currently leads the polls for Presdiency.

With the approaching elections on Sunday, Evo seems to be edging ahead in the polls, he has 34%, whereas the nearest condender, Tuto Quiroga has 27%. However he must get 51% to win outright, otherwise the Congress decides who takes the seat in La Paz or a coalition of right parties will win.

Last night I went to the MAS closing rally at the stadium here in Cochabamba. I have never been to anything like it. As we arrived the stadium was full, all you could see where blue and black flags (the offical MAS colours) and the Wipala (the colourful Andean flag). Thousands of people were chanting "Sestente Sestente Evo Presidente", and cheering as candidates made a lap of honor around the stadium. There was traditional music, all using the slogan "somas mas" " we are more". They even set a white dove free and as it flee around the stadium to cheers of hope.

At 7.30pm Jorge Alvero, the MAS candidate for Prefecturo, made an incredible, powerful speech in Quechua (obviously I didnt understand it, but I felt the power of it). The stadium errupted, but unfortunately so did the sky. The clouds opened up and it started raining, with a lightening storm over head it didnt deter the crowds who were waiting for the man of the hour-Evo Morales.

Alvaro Garcia Linera, the Vice-President candiate was next. He is a sociologist, interlectual and a man who spent 5 years in jail under the dictatorships for his political beliefs. He is well respected among many and a powerful orator. He told the crowd that this is a historic moment. That never in the history of Latin America had an idigenous President been elected, that the hope of indigenous from around the continent lay in the vote on Sunday. He said that the power of the social movements in Bolivia, that are the inspiration to people all over the world, is the nightmare of the United States. He said, as his voice was cracking, that he was happy, that MAS were ready to govern and that now is the time to end 550 years of discrimination and imperialism. I was extremely impressed with his speech, it felt like victory.

Evo Morales was not as well spoken and he spent alot of time talking about the lies that other candidates had said about it. But this is a man whose family lost the jobs when the mines closed in the 70s and went to the Chapare to start a Coca farm. Who at one stage of his life suffered extreme poverty, with no food for his family. He was the leader of the Cocalarios during the 80s, he was shot and spent time in jail because of his activities. He is a man of the people, he knows what its like to suffer and to fight. He isnt an educated man in the traditional sense, but he was educated in the pueblo, he knows what the people of Bolivia need and want. He said, the Bolivian people are fighters and now is the time to win the fight.

MAS have many issues, however, there is no choice at the moment, Evo has to become President.

Friends from Central and Latin America yesterday, remarked to me that this is just like Guatmala in the 60s or Chile in 1973. That the feeling of hope among the people, and the fear of the US and the multinationals of an indigenous president collide. Some of them fear a coup, fear that the US government will intervene, like they have always have. Standing in the stadium talking about Chile 1973, a shiver ran down my spine. The staduim in Santiago was used as a torture chamber when Pinochet took power, I thought of how easy it would be for the military and the right to come in and cause havoc.

However this is 2005, the US have changed their tactics some. They have other ways of intervening now. I am hopeful of a new Bolivia and of a new world. If MAS wins, the face of Latin America will change and it will only be for the better.

La lucha continua parte 2

2005-12-10T00:18:00.000+11:00

Last night the Congress (a coalition of parties WHO DO NOT REPRESENT ANYONE)threw out the case against Goni and his collaborators for the 35 deaths of February 2003 and for the economic crimes they have been accused of commiting(strangely $20 or so million went missing from the Bolivian Governments coffers on the same day Goni fled the country).

The case against him and his collaborators for the deaths of October 2003 can still proceed and is not affected, but this is a major blow for the families of those who died in February 2003.

Just think of how the mother and young son of Anna Colque feel. She was a 24 year old nursing student who was shot by a sniper whilst trying to help someone else who had been shot. She was unarmed and was wearing the red cross and only trying to save someone elses life. She left a 2 year old son. Where is the justice?

This christmas spare a thought for her family, Nestors family and every other family that has lost people in the various Bolivian struggles. At the same time spare a thought for the thousands of innocents who have been killed in Iraq through the illegal invasion. We are all in this together, in the year 2006 I hope that justice will be done to all who have died.

On a final note, all you slackers who havent signed our petition, DO IT PLEASE. Sign Here to help bring justice to the people of Bolivia.

La lucha continua

2005-12-09T04:00:00.000+11:00

The struggle continues for the families of those who lost loved ones in October 2003 and we must stay vigilant. There is currently a cynical attempt by Congress and the Military (no doubt influenced by Goni and his party MNR)to stop the judicial process proceeding against him.

In the Los Tiempos today (Cochabambas local paper) the Attorney General and the Supreme Court threw out a challenge to stop the investigation into Goni and his collaborators. But this is just one example of the many different attempts being made to sabotage and delay the judicial process, not just here but abroad as well.

The US government, still, has yet to serve Goni and his collaborator who fled to the US with their legal papers, 5 and half months after they were issued. Without the serving of these papers the case against them cannot move forward. This is a blatant disregard for the legitimite Bolivian judicial process.

Not a surprise to many who have been following the history of US imperialism, but still something to stand up against.

If you havent read Harold Pinter´s Nobel Prize Lecture, you should.

Harold Pinter is not only a fabulous play write (not of course for everyone) but is a tireless campaigner for those who have suffered under US imperialism over the last 50 or so years. I remember seeing him speak at a Cuba Solidarity function when I lived in London. A small gathering of around 150-200 people, he read one of his poems, I remember feeling a ray of hope. (This was also the only time I ever saw Kirsty McCall, who came on stage to sing A New England with Billy Bragg).

With the new anti-terrorist legislation in Australia one wonders if blogs like mine and many others will be in existence much longer. But out of England comes news of a 72 year old man who refused to pay his tax because it was going to fund the illegal war in Iraq. He was arrested, charged and found guilty. If we all did actions like this, maybe the world will change.

We want justice!

2005-12-04T02:05:00.000+11:00

Nestor Salinas is 29 years old, he lives in El Alto with his Mum and has 6 brothers. He used to work as an inspector in a factory in El Alto.

All this changed on October 18 2003, when his 29 year old brother died due to complications from a bullet wound sustained from a military issued gun. Now Nestor is the President of the Families of the hero's and fallen in the defense of gas, an organisation made up of those who lost loved ones during Black October.

Nestor was with his brother when he died, he fought hard for proper medical care that never arrived. The last words his brother heard was Nestors promise to bring justice to those who were responsible for his death and the deaths of many others. And so Nestors life has changed dramatically.

He no longer works and has dedicated his life to fighting for those responsible (ex President Gonzales Sanchez de Lozada, Carlos Berzian and the other 10 minsters)to justice. He is an articulate man, who very calmly tells you the story of his brother, Davids, death. He must have told this story hundreds of times, but it still packs a punch, there is emotion in his voice, but he doesn't waver.

Nestor talks about what it was like during the uprising in October. He tells you about the 5 year old boy who happened to be looking out the window of his parents house (curious about the commotion in the streets below) only to be shot in the face, later dying. He tells you that all the fatal bullet wounds sustained were to the chest or above. A clear example of the policy of the government and military to shoot to kill.

Nestor tells you that there was no adequate medical care in El Alto. That ambulances from La Paz could not get through to the city to bring the critically injured to hospitals in the city where they may not of died. The roads were blocked by the military. Many of the deaths caused were due to this.

Nestor keeps reminding you that is it easy to forget what happened in Bolivia in October 2003, as we go on with our lives, but the struggle of Nestor, the families, and of Bolivia is inextricably tied with the demand for justice and dignity and the charges of murder against those responsible.

He asks the question "what type of democracy do we have, when you go out and buy a piece of bread, and you get a bullet in the heart? This is the type of democracy we have." A question that can be asked of many countries.

In response to charges of murder this week, the head of the Army in Bolivia, General Antezana actually said that many of the deaths were caused due to "autoeliminacion", that the people shot each other. This, he said, happens a lot during times of political unrest. This absurdity is a direct strategy by the powers that confuse and delay the judicial process. Imagine how the families feel, what an insult.

After meeting Nestor last night, I am more dedicated now to the struggle to bring those responsible to justice. Sometimes its easy to work for a cause and have no emotional attachment. Nestor is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met in my life, he brings dignity and power to a struggle which is surely going to last years.

He said that this is his life now, he will not rest, will never give up and will continue to fight no matter what, until those responsible for Davids death and the death of 60+ others, plus the injuries of over 400 people, are behind bars in jail.

In a world where there is so much injustice, its people like Nestor who make you realise that justice will only be achieved through struggle and if everyone struggled together, justice will come much quicker.

If you want to do something, get involved with the campaign of the Bolivia Solidarity Network to help bring justice to the people of Bolivia.

Sign the Petition

2005-12-02T05:27:00.000+11:00

In support of Bolivian human rights organizations we are gathering signatures to demand that US Government immediately serve former Bolivian President, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, and former ministers, Carlos Sanchez Berzain and Jorge Berindoague with legal papers requiring them to return to Bolivia to testify in the deaths of 59 Bolivians who were protesting during the "gas war" of September and October of 2003. To sign the petition click the link below.

Sign Here

We hope to get over 500 signatures by December 9th. Please forward this email and encourge as many others as possible to sign.

For more information about this case go to:
Get Goni

Bolivian Writing

2005-11-24T01:58:00.000+11:00

There are so many good pieces anaylising the situation in Bolivia today, that I feel it is better to link to them. They all are much better than I can write, check them out.

Eyes on US Troops in Paraguay as Bolivian Election Nears by Benjamin Dangl

Nick Buxton is an english man living in La Paz, his blog has a number of personal stories which give you a powerful idea of the realities of life in Bolivia

Jim Shultz has lived here for almost 8 years and offers a very good anyalsis of different campaigns on his blog.

WE QUALIFIED!

2005-11-16T23:46:00.000+11:00

I hardly ever support Australia when they play sport, any form of nationalism makes me uncomfortable, except when it comes to soccer.

Australia has qualifed for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, and only the second time in the history of the competition.

I watched Australia lose to Argentina in 1993, I cried when we should have beaten Iran in 1997, and well, Uruguay 4 years ago was a disaster. If anyone has ever read Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, youll know how I feel right now.

The great thing is we qualified on our own merit, we beat a South American team and we deserve to go. Alot of debate surrounds providing a direct qualifying spot for Oceana, but I, for one, think its much better to qualify the hard way, and show the world we deserve to go, than be given a spot.

We might lose every game in the compeition, but who cares. WE ARE GOING TO GERMANY!

I watched the first leg in a small cafe in La Paz, I didnt get up at 5am to watch the game in Sydney, I knew my heart could not withstand a penalty shot out, which is what I suspected it would end up in. But I was there in spirit.

Well done boys!

Lies and Irresponsibility

2005-11-12T05:01:00.000+11:00

"it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."

George W Bush, 11 November 2005

What sort of a statement is this? Rewrite history? No one is rewriting history, we are telling the truth. They lied and cheated their way into war. For those of us who knew the truth from the start, its small condolences that we have been proven right again and again.

What makes me angry the most is the media and those who claim the moral high ground, most of those supported the war from the start. HOW DARE THEY claim now that they were lied too. It was them who claimed the anti-war movement was misguided and in support of Saddam Hussain, it was them who gobbled up everything Bush, Blair, Howard etc said without criticism and without question.

I was on anti-war rallies in 3 Continents - Europe, Australia and North America. I was part of the march in London that had 1 million people on it. I was part of the 78% of world population who was against the war. The war is wrong, always has been and always will be. History will prove this, but it wont bring back the thousands of innocents that have died in the process.

It is irresponsible to not tell the truth. It is irresponsible to allow the deaths of thousands of innocents in the name of oil. It is irresponsible (and criminal) to use phosphorous on human beings. Everything the Bush govnt, and in absolute support of it, the Howard Govnt does is irresponsible.

The world cannot survive another 3 years of Bush and his cronies. Ive heard people say, "we survived Regan, we can survive Bush", sure, we can, but the Middle East and Latin American and other countries cannot.

Its time for regime change.

Serving Goni

2005-10-28T02:14:00.000+10:00

The former President of Bolivia, Gonzalos Sanchez de Lozada (Goni) has been requested by the Bolivian Government to return to give testimony in a case against him for the murder of up to 60 people during the October 2003 uprising.

So far the US govnt has been impeeding the process to serve him with the nesecary papers, so a group of dedicated residents from Washington DC decided to take matters into their own hands.

On the night of November 1, Todo Santos, where the spirits return to earth to be with their loved ones, 6 amazing acitivsts went to a wine and cheese function held by Princeton University where Goni was due to speak to serve him with the papers, the US govnt had neglected to. Here are the photos and the account of the event.

Goni must not get away with what he did in Bolivia.

http://genuineimagephotography.com/sanchezdelozada/

Dougs Account
A group of 6 people gathered in a cafe nearby about an hour before the event at the DACOR House in downtown Washington not far from the White House and State Department. Its a well preserved luxurious old house near the World Bank, owned by the Association of Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired. Five of us took copies of the subpoena (Imputacion Formal). Sara was designated as the person who would make the attempt to serve the documents first, and the rest of us were to be backups. We agreed to serve him as soon we could get a clear opportunity for a good picture. Some of us also carried leaflets.

We went to the DACOR House separately. I was the fifth to enter. There was no real security. Just someone from Princeton checking off the guest list, handing out nametags, and taking payment from those who hadn't yet paid. An a capella choir of university students were singing on the stairs. I am not good at estimating crowds but I bet 50-100 people, mostly in suits were there.

Sara had already spotted Goni talking with 2 diplomatic types near the wine and cheese, but it was a narrow room and Conrad wasn't sure he could get a good shot.

Then Goni began to move toward the room where the audience was and I was standing in the doorway when he stopped right next to me a someone greeted him. I looked at Conrad who was pulling his camera out.

I turned to Goni, held out the envelop and touched it to his chest. He took it in his hands, and I said a statement that I had memorized beforehand "Mr. Sanchez de Lozada, I serve you with legal documents from the Government of Bolivia, which require you to appear in Court in Boliva to answer questions regarding the wrongful deaths of 2003."

Goni did not say a word. He just looked stunned. The man to my left in the photograph said "Guys, No! Don't do this." and I believe that he took the envelop from Goni. He told Conrad and I to "leave now! Get out of here!" and along with another man, began pushing us toward the door. We left because we wanted to get away with the pictures.

Meanwhile, (according to other witnesses) Sara also served Goni with the copy of the papers that she had. He refused to take them and they fell to the floor. Another man who was with our group picked up the envelope and served it to Goni, and Goni shoved the activist (I believe this is on the video). The activist then pulled out the documents and began reading the memo from Nestor Salinas to the audience. Four men dragged him through the door expelled him from the house, but he was able to read most of the memo in a loud voice before he was pushed from the room. The person who was taking the digital video was also expelled.

In this commotion, Sara sat down in the audience as was undectected by event organizers. She listened to Goni's speech in which he said nothing particularly new. She then left the room, passing out flyers on the way out. Another person in our group remained in the audience and witnessed an unexpected protest during the question and answer period. An activist in the audience who we were unaware of, stood up and made an impassioned please for justice. She was also physically removed from the room. The last person in our group waited until the end of the event and passed out flyers as the audience was leaving.

Will there, or won´t there....

2005-10-15T00:35:00.000+10:00

The electoral pingpong continues. A decision is yet to be made on whether the elections in December will go ahead as planned, even though the main candidates for President have launched their campaigns.

With departments fighting over how many seats are to be redistributed, the black comedy continues. Under the constitution, the Congress has to agree on the redistribution of seats, yet they are refusing to make a decision. Most of this week, there has been recess after recess with a deadlock in the negotiations. Santa Cruz diputados have offered to drop 2 out of their 4 allocated seats, however sections of Santa Cruz have threatened not to participate in elections if they are not given an extra 4.

The President Eduardo Rodriguez, is doing his best to find a solution, and has given an ultimatum to the parliament, make a decision by Monday or he will impose his plan (not sure what that is yet).

I suspect elections will go ahead but at what cost, I really dont know. Ill keep you posted.

The continuing crisis

2005-09-30T22:26:00.000+10:00

Alot has been written and argued about the state of Bolivian politics, Im just about to add my own perspective.

Two weeks ago the Constitutional Tribunal voted to redistribute the seats within Bolivia to ensure that representation of the population was fair and even. This is constitutional and what they do every time before an election. Problem is they are basing the decision on the 2001 census, which saw an increase in migration to the department of Santa Cruz. This means that the poorer departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosi, are actually losing seats.

The congress is currently in deadlock, debating the acceptance of the tribunals decision. The current President has threatened to resign if elections dont go ahead (cant blame him really). MAS is crying conspiracy and there is a general feeling of disillusionment amongst the people. The President did give Congress until the 8th Ocotber to make a decision, but in true Bolivian style, yesterday the Congress decided to "take a break" and not reconvene until Tuesday next week (11 Oct).

Where does this leave us? A compromise must be reached, Santa Cruz has offered to drop 2 of their 4 extra seats, and elections could be postponed until January. Either way, I think we should prepare ourselves for alot more of the same.

In other Bolivian news...the US are building a military base in Paraguay, very close to the border with Bolivia. Although they claim that it is to "intervene" in humanitarian situations, and that these areas were used (in the past) as a training ground for Al Queada terrorists (heard that before!!); we all know that if Evo wins the election the base will be used for covert actions on Bolivian soil.

The base is very close to the Bolivian gas reserves, and already the people of those communities have been occupying them. Yesterday an occupation was broken up by the military, this occupation was about building an access road so that the workers could get to their fields a little easier.

Last week a human rights protest was brutally broken up by the military. This protest was held by the families of those killed in October 2003 and their principal demands are for the US to extradite Goni on the murder charges (which he has been indicted for). The march on the US embassy was peaceful and non violent. These protests will continue every Thursday until a solution is reached. There was a solidarity protest in Cochabamba yesterday, and organisations are organising here to support the protests in La Paz.

Heres what I think. The main contenders for the Presidency are Tuto Quiroga and Evo Morales. Tuto is the US favoured candidate and was President in 2001, after Banzar resigned due to health reasons. During his term as President he ordered the repression of a number of protests, this resulted in the death of 30 or so people. We must not forget this. If Tuto wins the election we will probably see mass repression of the inevitable protests that will ensure.

Evo Morales and MAS probably wont gain the necessary votes in the departments of Santa Cruz to form a majority government, especially with the redistribution of seats. The Bolivian Electoral system is complicated. To gain the right to govern, the Presidential candidate needs to form coalitions with the diputados in the congress and senate. MAS says they will not do this, but they claim they will win outright majority. This seems unlikely, but nothing is impossible.

¿Quien sabes? Who knows what will happen here in Bolivia. I will try and keep you posted with information as it unfolds.

Adventures

2005-09-24T01:43:00.000+10:00

The best thing about living in Bolivia is the access to an amazing array of cultural events and natural scenery. Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy experiencing these things.

Cerro Tunari
For those of you who have been following my adventures, you would know that I have climbed the highest peak in Cochabamba twice (5050m). One Sunday some friends and I decided to go to the other side of the peak for a picnic. Here, at around 4,000m we picniced and drank wine and generally enjoyed the incredible scenery.

Here we are having the picnic! The landscape of the altiplano is barren and cold. There are a scattering of villages and llamas. At times its incredible to think that people can live right out there, but they do.

Chernobyl
The wonderful place of Chernobyl was named after the Russian city which had the nuclear diaster. Legend has it that on the same day this particular bar had a fire which destroyed it. Hence when they renamed it, they called it Chernobyl. This place is somewhere you can go to drink chica, dance with the locals and generally have a good time. We went off course, heres the proof. This is Ceildhe, she likes chicha!

Otra Vez Marcelo

2005-09-24T00:59:00.000+10:00

I received alot of emails after my last blog commenting on how sad I seemed, actually it wasnt meant to sound sad, it was a reflection on how life was going for me. In actual fact I am quite happy at the moment. Heres a photo of myself and Jen drinking beer after a walk in the rain, I dont look too depressed do I!!

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. So I am going to create a couple of blogs to fill you in.

One thing I have quickly realised is that I dont know enough about Bolivian history. I went to see a play about Marcelo Santa Cruz Quiroga, a politician, writer and socialist, who was killed by one of the military dictators during the repression of opponants.

This incredible play was performed and writen by Teatro de los Andes and examined the relationship between Marcelo and is wife Christina as well as his political discourse. Marcelo fought for the nationalisation of gas and he fought for change in the political system which would enable greater participation of the masses. (sound familiar??) He was forced into exile by a number of military dictatorships but eventually returned to Bolivia to continue the fight. He was murdered by Garcia Meza. Christina, an incredible woman, supported Marcelo through his various struggles and it was her who brought his killer to justice, by fighting for 10 years and eventually having Garcia Meza found guilty of murder.

There is a message in this play for contemporary Bolivia. The issues are still the same as they were 20 years ago, there must be nationalisation of gas and there must be an assemblea constityente to increase real participation in the political process. Goni must be extridited to stand trial for the murder of 60 people in 2003. Bolivia cannot move on until these things happen, in my opinion.

You can not have peace without justice.

In another event: 2 friends of mine were walking across the bridge near my house. A car pulled up. A man got out with a gun. One of my friends ran, and the other screamed. Then the man got back into the car and drove off. They took nothing and my friends are safe. This incident is a symptom of what is happening in Bolivia. With the increase in poverty, the instability of the government and the lack of progress on improving social conditions, violence on the streets is increasing. Although Cochabamba is the safest city I have ever lived in or travelled through, unless social conditions improve, safety is threatened.

The moral of this story however is DO NOT RUN WHEN THERE IS A GUN!!

Simplicity and Longing

2005-09-04T03:57:00.000+10:00

Last week I was invited to a 15th Birthday party of the daughter of the librarian I work with at the public library after school. 15 is an important age in the life of a young adolescant woman in Bolivia, its the age where you are let loose on the world, for the middle and upper class it is similar to a debutant. The parties are lush and extravagant, where the birthday girl usually has their girlfriends dress in elaborate dresses (all the same), food and drink are abundant as the families celebrate this coming of age.

This is for those with money. Teo and his family dont have much money, if any, so the 15 (Quince) I went too was very simple and very real. Teo is from Oruro, in the Altiplano, his family live in Villa Pagador, zona sur, the poorest part of Cochabamaba, they speak spanish as a second language, their first being aymaran, and their spanish is a mix between the two.

I spent a couple of hours with the family, eating torta (cake) and picante de pollo (spicy chicken) and listening to the stories of their lives. Everyone was fascinated with Australia and with me. Why was it that I choose to live so far away from my family, why is it that I live alone without a partner, why am I so thin, do I not eat enough?

I have written and talked about this before. The strangeness of living in a country where family is so important and, for me, living so far away from my own family and friends. I have created my own family, here, of sorts, a mix of expats and bolivians who have chosen to make Cochabamba their permanant home, but it isnt the same.

When Teo´s mother, a distingused lady who wore the traditional bowler hat, asked me how my family coped with me so far away I almost cried. When you live as an expat, you choose the selfish life (as I call it), and living in Bolivia where my life is simple, free of stress and where I have the freedom to have and do what I want, you forget the impact it has on the people you leave behind.

My friends Lyn and Jim adopted Mariana 2 years ago when I first arrived. I have seen her grow up over the years I have been here, watched her become a little girl, increase her vocabulary and go through the recognition process where she started to call me by name. I now have 3 nieces and nephews, my oldest friend has a child, and I am missing the formative years. I watch Mariana grow with jealousy and I long for my own family.

Its hard to know what my life holds for me. Bolivia has provided me with a sense of place, unlike anywhere I have ever been in my life. This sense of place and being comes at a huge cost. I wish it were Australia, I wish I could transplant all the important people in my life here, I wish that things were different.

Australia, Argentina and Bolivia: 3 different worlds

2005-08-15T07:51:00.000+10:00

So its been a while since I wrote and Ive been in Australia for 6 weeks, Buenas Aries for 3 days and back in Bolivia for 2 weeks. Its been a whirlwind and all three places were such a world apart from each other, its taken a while to process. Here are some observations of an expat.

Paula with Joel (my nephew)

Australia
My first impression of Australia, having not been back for 2 years, was that everyone drives new cars, and most of them are white! The shock of driving from the airport to my parents house was incredible. Everything seems shiney and new, everything was clean, there was no smell of urine or rubbish in the air and people actually obeyed the traffic laws!

Having been in transit for 2 days and leaving Bolivia in a state of tension, it took atleast a week to take stock of being back. As always it is the people who I travel to see and it was great to spend time with my family and friends. Everyone seems to have become mellower, and that could be because we are older now and the things that seemed to bother us in our 20s are no longer issues.

The issues now seem to be health, fitness and career. Im not really interested in any of those things which is probably why I live in Bolivia (although I am healthier here than I have been anywhere else) but I noticed that everyone else was. Im not criticising it, its just an observation, perhaps this is a trait of being in our mid 30s, who knows. But gone are the days of sleeping late and staying out at the Town Hall until 5am (although I did manage this for old times sake a couple of times).

Politically Australia is both exciting and depressing. The resignation that nothing will change and the depression which followed the taking control of the Senate by the conservatives on July 1 made me itch to return to Bolivia. However I found out about some really amazing things that were happening. The refugee action collective fighting for justice for refugees, incredibly committed people who will bring about a change in the policy of mandatory detention. I certainly didnt feel a sense of defeat here at all, and I found it inspiring.

Im not sure Im ready to return to life in Australia but its not all a dead loss as I thought it might be!

Argentina
Having spent 6 weeks last year in Argentina I was determined, on my short 3 days, to seek out the other side of Buenas Aries, the side hidden to tourists and the world. There are huge slums in BA, mostly made up of Bolivians who have migrated to the city in search of work. They live in tall housing blocks and houses made of any material they can get their hands on. And its not just Bolivians living like this. Just 2 blocks from the Caminata in La Boca, a huge tourist district of BA, there a people living in makeshift houses.

Walking along these streets it made me realise that when you travel you only tend to see the side of a country that they want you to see. The mountains, the museums, cultural centres etc, but there is always another side to a place and to understand it, for me, I have to seek it out.

I also found the Madres de la plaza de Mayo building. This organisaiton of women began in the late 70s when, at the height of Operation Condor and the military dictatorship, their children disappeared. Every thursday they protested in the main Plaza, against repression and violence, they went back every week, and they still go back to demand answers and justice. They are the most incredible group of women and they now have a bookshop, cafe and public university devoted to public education on political issues. Its organisations of this that give hope to the world.

Bolivia
Returning to Bolivia was a sigh of relief for me but very odd. Having left in a state of uncertaintly, its like nothing ever happened. The same issues are festering, the election has been called for Decemeber 6 and poltiical parties are manovering. Who knows what is out there for the country.

There are things I crave for when I am away from Cochabamba, things like sitting on the Prado drinking beer and eating Pique Macho discussing potato prices with an economist friend, walking to the Saturday market, buying fresh flowers every week and sitting in my garden contemplating the world and the future. These are things I could do anywhere in the world (except for potato prices that is) but with the mountains every where I look in Cochabamba, it just wouldnt be the same.

The People Rise Again

2005-06-14T16:43:00.000+10:00

What a week it has been in Bolivia. The people stood their ground, encountered mass mobilization of the right and the US government and said "no vamos a permitir a Vaca Diez de Presidente", we will not permit Vaca Diez to be President.

And they didn't permit him. In what turned out to be an incredibly tomultulous day in Bolivian politics, the uncertainty of who would govern the country was not resolved until 11pm at night. There were mass mobilizations in La Paz, Cochabamba and Sucre (where the congress was due to meet), the people were preparing themselves for a long, and possibly bloody fight.

It was a long and stressful day. There didn't seem to be a clear solution, unlike the Water Wars and Black October 2003. The mass meetings resolved to continue fighting for the complete nationalization of gas and an Assemblea Constityente, and that they would not accept Vaca Diez or Cossio as President.

In Sucre the miners has converged on the city. Thousands and thousands of workers blocked the Congress so they couldn't meet. Vaca Diez was in negotiation with the US embassy and the nephew of former President Goni to be installed as President.

Then a miner was killed by security forces. According to Luis Gomez from Narco News, Vaca Diez ordered the killing by the elite police force. If this is true, this was his greatest mistake. Once this got out, other right wing parties withdrew their support for his bid for Presidency and he was alone. It wasnt until around 10.30pm he finally announced he would decline the role, as would Cossio. Hence a new Bolivian President was installed, Eduardo Rodrigez.

On a personal note, in the meantime in Cochabamba, the airline workers had gone on strike so all flights out of Cochabamba had been cancelled. This meant that if anyone had connections in Santa Cruz, we would miss them. I had friends who missed their flights, I got a phone call at 7am saying that if I could be at the airport in 30 mins, I could catch the only flight out of Cochabamba in the morning and hence meet my connections home.

I ran and caught this flight and I left many friends in Cochabamba without saying a proper goodbye. The stress of the last week meant coming home to Australia was not as hard as I thought it would be, but more on that later.

So, another victory for the Bolivia. On a side note, President Bush blamed the Bolivian crisis on Chavez and also told the people of Latin America that the answer to their poverty and problems is to embrace the free market. He just doesnt get it. The answer to their problems is to fight the free market and build a society based on justice and equality, not profit.

I have no doubt the people of Bolivia will contine to fight for this and will eventually achieve it.

For an excellent run down of events in Bolivia read:
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/6/12/214534/676

¡El Gas es nuestra!

2005-05-29T06:45:00.000+10:00

(warning: this is a rant!)

The gas is ours!

Say the people of Bolivia.

¡ya, basta!

Bolivia has had enough. They have had enough of the elite and multinationals stealing their resources, they are tired of having no say in the decisions which effect their daily lives and they are fighting.

We now enter our 3rd week of protests and blockades, mainly in La Paz, but this past weekend they have spread to almost all departments, including Cochabamba. 57separatee blockades engulf the country, gas plants have been taken over by the people, every day different groups join the struggle.

The main demands of the people are the nationalisation of gas (their last remaining natural resource and the second largest in South America) and an Assemblea Constityente, which would change the constitution and create a new political structure which would give the indigenous majority a greater say in the political system.

The other main issue is Autonomy. Most of the departments want to be able to elect their Prefectura, which at the moment is government appointed. But this movement has been highjacked by the white, right wing capitalists from Santa Cruz. They want autonomy to keep all the profits from the gas to themselves.

To understand the current crisis in Bolivia one has to go back to Spanish colonial times. Potosi, was the richest and biggest city outside of London in the 1500s. The demand for tin and silver in Europe was met by the slave labour that the Spanish used to mine Bolivia´s resources. Thousands and thousands of men, women and children perished in the slave mines of Potosi, these included not just indigenous Bolivians but African slaves bought over to work.

When you visit Potosi, you feel the ghosts of these people and you realise, quite quickly, that Bolivia has received nothing from those times. When you think of their fight, now, to keep their last remaining resource nationalised, you have to remember that Bolivia has had all of its resources pilfered and has had nothing given back to its people.

The Bolivian people have been exploiteded by other countries for most of the last 500 years, they have had enough. Why should they not have the right to a profit share of the gas that is taken out of their soil? Why canÂ´t they have a right to spend this money on social, health and education programs whibenefitfit the majority of people? What right does the IMF, World Bank and various world governments have to tell the Bolivian people what they should do?

If Bolivia has to pay back millions of dollars in loans to these institutions then Spain and other governments should pay back the billions of dollars it took out of the ground and the US government should pay back the millions of dollars its taken away from the people of the Chapare and other regions through its gross anti drug program.

The US government are running scared. On Friday it released a "black list" of countries involved in human trafficking. The four Latin American countries listed are Bolivia, Cuba, Eucador and Venezuela. The four countries which either have left wing governments or have very strong social movements. At the meeting of Latin American States, the US government "strongly denounced" Bolivia for being undemocratic. Not in the sense that the indigenous majority has been kept out of political power since the Spanish conquistadorsors, but because the multinationals can not make money when the people are on the streets.

How democratic can you be? Bolivia puts democracy into action. Every night the neighborhoodood committees get together, discuss the days actions, make consensus decisions on further action. Everyone is involved in the decisionion making process, even the decisions you don´t like are ones which are made by consensus involvement. The US are scared of this.

Don´t let Bolivia do it alone, too long have they been the pin up country for anti-globalisation movements. They have thrown out 2 major water companies and they forced their President to resign whilst watching many of their comrades die at the hands of that murderous man.

If we want real change in this world we have to make a stand now.

For daily updates from the ground in La Paz, read Luis Gomez at
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/luisgomez

Post a solidarity notice on Indy Media
http://www.bolivia.indymedia.org/

Champange of Chica

2005-05-09T07:21:00.000+10:00

One of the best things about living in Bolivia is the festivals. Every weekend there is a festival of something or the other, mostly to do with fresh produce such as peaches, corn and every town has its own Saint or Virgin to celebrate.

Last weekend was the Festival of Chicha. Chicha is an old incan drink made from corn and a whole bunch of other stuff which might gross people out if I tell them! I'm not such a fan of this drink, however I do like the cinnamon version, which is called Gadapiña and best drunk after a long hike of some sort up one of the many mountains here in Bolivia. People in the countryside make their own chicha and you can buy it from any house a white flag is flown from the outside. Cochabamba Department is the place to try this drink and once a year they have a festival to celebrate.

Last Sunday it was! After we spent the day wandering the streets of a small pueblo called Morachata, high over behind the highest mountain in Cochabamba, watching people watching the micro of gringos who only just pulled up into the village for the day, we hit the Chicha festival.

I got to try a number of different types of chicha, I felt like I was back in the wine country, except you just down it! Chicha de durazno and the champagne of chicha were my favourites.

To drink Chicha it seems that you must listen to chicharia music, which consists of a guitar, a charango (small guitar, sounds like a mandolin) and a woman singing in a very high pitched voice, so high pitched it hurts your ears. But the people like it at that's the main thing. Chicha has a pretty high alcohol content so when we arrived at the festival at around 7pm, people were already plastered and dancing in the streets. A favourite Bolivian past time.

And so my time passed in Bolivia consists of visiting festivals, climbing mountains and drinking chicha, what a life!

Big Adventure is back!

2005-04-23T05:00:00.000+10:00

Ive finally recreated my blog! For those of you who followed my last blog, travels through Asia, Europe, Russia and North America, I apologise for the 2 year delay in sorting out my stuff. I guess most of you have been reading up about my adventures in Bolivia via email or by word of mouth, so heres a quick update.

I moved to Bolivia in July 2003 to take up a position of School Librarian in the city of Cochabamba. Initially it was for 2 years but I have grown to love this country and have decided to stay one more year. In that time I have witnessed the downfall of a government (almost 2 with the recent attempted resignation of the current President ), battled my way through life with bad gringa spanish and travelled through this wonderful and strange country.

Today
Its a rainy day in Cochabamba, Ive taken the day off work to rest and recover from a cold that has been lingering for a couple of weeks now. So much for Cochabamba being the "City of Eternal Spring", its not supposed to rain in Autunm or Winter! Strange to say that, but the rainy season should end in February, just after Carnavale. So I was supposed to go and do all those things Ive been putting off for the last couple of weeks, like go to the post office (there is only one!) but as the rain continues to be steady, Im staying indoors.

Bolivian Lunch
Yesterday I had lunch with Teo`s family. Teo is the librarian at the Bibliotecca Popular in Temporal (the public library I volunteer at). It was a lesson in personal space! Bolivians find it hard to understand why I would live on my own, this is because families live together in small spaces for most of their lives. Teo has 4 children, ranging from ages 4-17 and they all share one room. The house they live in is big, but the landlord will only allow them to use 2 rooms. This means that everyone sleeps in one room and the other room is used for meals, study and storage.

For most bolivians the extended family is important so you live with you abuelos (grandparents) for most of your lives. Because rents are expensive in Cochabamba, if you get married you usually move in with someones parents unless you can afford your own place.

Lunch was nice, I came away with 2 bags of vegetables and a bag of apples from Postosi. Apparantly I am muy flacita (very skinny) and as I live on my own and dont have a man to cook for, I am obviously not looking after myself enough! Its nice to have people looking out for me!

Its 6 weeks before the school year is over and most of my friends leave for other places. 2 years, time moves pretty fast these day. Its going to be a whirlwind but I will update as we approach the end.