There is, however, change at the symbolic level: The country has been renamed, Bolivia is now the “Plurinational State of Bolivia”, expressing the country’s ethnic diversity. The Bolivian flag is now accompanied by the Wiphala, the colourful flag representing the indigenous peoples of the Andes. And the president enjoys the attention he receives in the international arena for his anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist speeches - while considerable parts of his own country are being destroyed by mining industries (Gudynas, 5 March 2012).
Recently, the MAS has discovered another powerful symbolism: The end date of the Mayan calendar in 2012 and the fears and hopes surrounding the “end of the world” in 2012 (Salazar,2012). For the Bolivian government, the magic date of the 21st of December 2012 will bring about the Cambio / change so desired by them.
When the Organisation of American States (OAS / OEA) met in Cochabamba in the last days of May 2012, the opening speeches of the Bolivian hosts made abundant references to the “Mayan prophecies” (Salazar, 2012): For them, the year 2012 marks the beginning of a “time of balance”, a new time, a new system that would, for instance, make a restructuring of the OAS / OEA necessary.
Along
similar lines, Chancellor of State David Choquehuanca declared a few days ago
that the 21st of December 2012 would mark “the end of capitalism,
the end of Coca Cola, and the beginning of the Mocochinchi” (Gonzales Yaksic,
July 2012). For the uninitiated amongst you, Mocochinchi is a traditional drink
in Bolivia, prepared by boiling dried peaches. It seems to be the wish of the
government that this traditional refreshment should replace the “Black Waters
of Imperialism”, Coca Cola.
 |
| Mocochini, offered in Cochabamba, source http://www.flickr.com/photos/imenezes/ |
But does the alliance between the Bolivian government and the Mayan prophecies take a more concrete shape? What is, for instance,
the contribution of the Bolivian government to restructuring the OEA? At the
meeting this year, the government representatives were focused on gaining
support for their demand against Chile – a demand to receive back the Bolivian
access to the sea that was lost to Chile in the Pacific War more than 100 years ago
(Salazar, 2012).
And will
the government really make Coca Cola leave the country? At their most
courageous, they will apply the same technique as with the mines, oil fields
and utility companies that have been “nationalised”: Local MAS supporters or
soldiers will occupy the production sites until a new treaty is set up, one
under which Coca Cola still owns the plants but makes a few concessions to the
Bolivian government. At least this is the experience from previous “victories
against imperialism” through “nationalisations” (Gonzales Yaksic, July 2012).
In fact, we
don´t know if Bolivians will really only drink Mocochinchi from 2013 on. But
what we do know is that the Bolivian government entertains a range of symbolisms
– more often ridiculous than powerful – to fuel its “process of change”, while
at the same time being rather helpless in the real implementation of changes
for Bolivia.
SOURCES
Gonzales
Yaksic, M. (July 2012). Mocochinchi
y Coca Cola. Los Tiempos, 15 July 2012. Retrieved from http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/opiniones/columnistas/20120715/mocochinchi-y-coca-cola_178520_377029.html
Salazar, J.
C. (2012). El mar, la OEA y las profecías Mayas. Nueva Crónica y Buen Gobierno. PRISMA / PLURAL editores, No. 106,
primera quincena de Junio 2012. Stefanoni, P. (2012). ¿Y quién no querría “vivir bien”? Encrucijadas del proceso de cambio boliviano. Cuadernos de pensamiento crítico Latinoamericano, Numero 48, Junio 2012
Gudynas, E. (5 March 2012). La izquierda marrón (The Brown Left). La línea de fuego. Retrieved from http://lalineadefuego.info/2012/03/05/la-izquierda-marron-por-eduardo-gudynas/
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