CENSUS 2012 - SURPRISING RESULTS

In November 2012, thousands of volunteers collected basic data about the Bolivian population in the latest census. Now, the official results are made public, and they offer some surprises.



Interviewing for the Census 2012 -
 source: http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2013/0801/noticias.php?id=102037

First of all, the number of inhabitants in total and in the different states varies considerably between the preliminary results published in January and the now published official results (La Razón, 4 August 2013; Opinión 1 August 2013 a). The states of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz see the biggest loss of inhabitants between preliminary and official results (ibid.).

This inaccuracy points to problems such as interstate border issues that were not clarified before the census, and the late and insufficient briefing for those collecting the census data (La Razón, 4 August 2013). In any case, it is a political issue since part of the seats in the legislative organ, the Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional, is distributed to deputies from the different states according to the number of inhabitants in the states (Opinión, 1 August 2013 b).

A second surprising result is the question of ethnic self-identification (La Razón, 4 August 2013): 41 % of Bolivians self-identify as indigenous, 58 % as non-indigenous (ibid.). In 2001, 62 % of the population identified as indigenous (Eju, 5 August 2013), which gave impulse to the indigenous movement.

This information, first of all, will have to be scrutinized and compared with other census data such as language groups (La Razón, 4 August 2013), but it already has opened a debate about Bolivian indigenous politics.

“With the census, the lie was discovered”, says one commentator (Eju, 5 August 2013). Along these lines, the argument is that the government’s indigenous politics and the new Constitution have been inconsistent with Bolivia’s reality as a country that is not mainly indigenous (ibid.).

On the other hand, representatives of indigenous groups remark that it is worrying that self-identification as indigenous has diminished despite the rise of indigenous politics (ibid.). This shows the insufficiency of political action directed towards indigenous groups (ibid.).

President Morales is surprised by this result as well, debating that it shows either the decreasing importance of pertinence to social group, or it is a sign of “a bigger colonizing mentality” (ibid.). With this last comment, many members of the middle class have felt offended (ibid.).

The census data shows that Bolivia is a country of mestizos (i.e. people with mixed indigenous and non-indigenous roots), and that is has a considerable group of people self-identifying as indigenous. It is this reality that the government has not taken into account sufficiently, directing its discourse mainly towards the indigenous. The government needs to work for both mestizos and the indigenous and indeed work more strongly towards reconciling these groups.

 

REFERENCES

Eju (5 August 2013). Censo revela nuevo estado de mayoría mestiza y descoloca teoría indigenista del gobierno. Retrieved from http://eju.tv/2013/08/censo-revela-nuevo-estado-ahora-de-mayora-mestiza-no-indgena/

La Razón (4 August 2013). Dos sorpresas del censo. Retrieved from http://www.la-razon.com/opinion/columnistas/sorpresas-Censo_0_1882011784.html

Opinión (1 August 2013 a). Datos de Censo varían y Bolivia tiene menos habitantes. Retrieved from http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2013/0801/noticias.php?id=102037

Opinión (1 August 2013 b). Cochabamba ganaría un escaño y Santa Cruz cuatro. Retrieved from http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2013/0801/noticias.php?id=102036

BOLIVIA AFTER CHAVEZ

When Hugo Chavez died in early 2013, Bolivia’s Evo Morales was deeply shocked. He accompanied the coffin of his mentor and Bolivia, like Venezuela, held 7 days of mourning after Chavez’ death (Pulsamerica, 11 March 2013).

With Chavez, Morales did not only lose a mentor for his “Socialism of the 21^st century”, but also the guarantee for economic and international political support (Al Jazeera, April 2013). The important social programme “Evo Cumple” – “Evo keeps his promise” was funded by Venezuelan sources (ibid.). After Chavez’ death, the continuation of all these aspects of support was uncertain (ibid.).

Elections were called in Venezuela, and despite protests from the opposition regarding unfair elections, Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as the new president in April 2013 (BBC, 19 April 2013). Maduro, a former bus driver, functioned as foreign minister under Chavez (Huffington Post, 19 April 2013).

And Maduro has shown that Venezuela’s support for Bolivia will be kept up: bilateral contracts were continued in May 2013 (Eju, 31 May 2013). Maduro also declared that “who messes with Bolivia messes with Venezuela” (El Imparcial, 4 July 2013).

Thus, Morales has found a new ally in Maduro. But the money that keeps flowing from Venezuela is not a present; it is an international debt that Bolivia keeps accumulating (Eju, 31 May 2013). And it is money that the people of Venezuela that suffer from the scarcity of even the most basic goods like toilet paper or milk would need urgently themselves (Eju, 15 June 2013).

 

REFERENCES

Al Jazeera (April 2013). Bolivia without Hugo Chavez. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2013/04/20134764150239799.html

BBC (19 April 2013). Nicolas Maduro sworn in as new Venezuelan president. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22220526

El Imparcial (4 July 2013). ‘Quien se mete con Bolivia se mete con Venezuela’: Maduro Retrieved from http://www.elimparcial.com/EdicionEnLinea/Notas/Internacional/04072013/723398-Quien-se-mete-con-Bolivia-se-mete-con-Venezuela-Maduro.html

Eju (31 May 2013). Venezuela flaquea y Bolivia se endeuda. Retrieved from http://eju.tv/2013/05/venezuela-flaquea-y-bolivia-se-endeuda/

Eju (15 June 2013). Nexos entre Evo y Maduro. Retrieved from http://eju.tv/2013/06/nexos-entre-evo-y-maduro/

Huffington Post (19 April 2013). Nicolas Maduro to be sworn in as Venezuelan president. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/nicolas-maduro-sworn-in-venezuela-president_n_3115289.html

Pulsamerica (11 March 2013). Bolivia: Morales mourns Chávez. Retrieved from http://www.pulsamerica.co.uk/2013/03/11/bolivia-morales-mourns-chavez-kidnapped-mennonites-oruro-airport-controversy/

SO, WHAT ABOUT RELIGION?

Maria has heard the calling. She spends every Saturday at her local Adventist church, praising the Lord. She has found a good husband who pays ten percent of their monthly income to this church. She is raising two children in the Adventist spirit, which also means that her kids attend the school run by the Adventists. Lately, she thinks that it would be best for everyone not to eat meat. For some time already, she has given up on alcohol and also wants her husband to do the same.

Like Maria, many people across Bolivia and Latin America in general have become members of a Protestant congregation. Be it the Adventists, the Pentecostal church, the Mormons, or smaller, locally founded congregations, protestant movements are growing in popularity in Latin America  (Dove, 2013). According to surveys, up to 25 % of the Bolivian population are part of Protestant congregations (Eju, 2011; La Razon, 2012). About 341 of such congregations are registered in the country at the moment (La Razon, 2012).

Politically and socially, these movements have filled niches in Bolivia: They are new actors that provide an alternative to the traditional synthesis of religion, politics, society, and economy (Knowlton, 1991). Also, these actors fill the considerable gaps in the provision of basic services such as schooling and nutrition, particularly in the countryside (ibid.).

The Protestant congregations are growing rapidly since they are more proactive than the Catholic Church in recruiting participants, and they are closer to people’s everyday worries (Peralta, 2013; SFChronicle, 2001). The Protestant priests usually stem from the local community and celebrate their faith in ways that fit with the local culture (SFChronicle, 2001).

Furthermore, the congregations function as “surrogate communities”, providing security in difficult socio-economic circumstances (Peralta, 2013). This explains why particularly migrants from rural areas are drawn to these communities (ibid.). El Alto, an important arrival town for migrants from the highlands, is the city with the highest membership in Protestant churches in Bolivia (ibid.).
 

A Protestant  Ministry in Cochabamba

With these Protestant churches, new ideas have been brought to Bolivia, such as vegetarianism or abstinence from alcohol (Knowlton, 1991). Since Protestant congregations have not been around for a long time in comparison to the Catholic Church, it will be interesting to observe how these communities shape people’s values and everyday lives in the long run.
The Protestant congregations are also new institutional actors in Bolivia’s social and political landscape, and their emergence echoes deeper conflicts and problems, such as the lack of basic services and the dominant role of the Catholic Church (Knowlton, 1991). The emergence of radical Protestant communities might add the distinction between believers and non-believers to the multitude of social distinctions in Bolivia.
Another issue that is problematic in social terms is the customary payment of the “diezmo”, ten percent of the monthly income, to the congregation. The “diezmo” is seen as a proof of one’s faith (Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días, 2013), but it is an economic burden on the population of the poorest country in South America. While the priests raise a considerable income through the “diezmo”, the mass of believers might just be sacked of the income they would need for covering their needs.
All in all, the rapid growth of Protestant congregations is an issue to be observed when critically analysing Bolivian society.

 

REFERENCES

Dove, S. (2013). Protestantism in Latin America. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199766581/obo-9780199766581-0087.xml

Eju TV (2011). Bolivia. Destacan el elevado indice de Cristianos en el eje central; el 81 % es catolico. Retrieved from http://eju.tv/2011/04/bolivia-destacan-el-elevado-ndice-de-cristianos-en-el-eje-central-el-81-es-catlico/

Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días (2013). Las bendiciones del diezmo. Retrieved from http://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/03/the-blessings-of-tithing?lang=spa

SFChronicle (2001). Bolivia’s Christian Soldiers. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bolivia-s-Christian-Soldiers-Protestant-2969986.php#page-1

Knowlton, D. C. (1991). Social and Political Issues of Protestantism in Bolivia. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/2007637/SOCIAL_AND_POLITICAL_ISSUES_OF_PROTESTANTISM_IN_BOLIVIA

La Razon (2012). Evangelicos piden que el diezmo esté fuera del control tributario. Retrieved from http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Evangelicos-piden-diezmo-control-tributario_0_1565843446.html

Peralta, P. (2013). Fieles religiosos en Bolivia. Aun prevalecen los catolicos pero hay un repunte de los evangelicos. Retrieved from http://www.lafronterados.com/2013/05/los-fieles-religiosos-en-bolivia-aun.html

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF QUINUA

The United Nations have declared 2013 the International Year of Quinua, a year of campaigns advocating the production and consumption of this highly nutritive crop (UN News Centre, 2013). Apart from providing a valuable basis for nutrition all over the world, it is also promoted as a source of income for small scale farmers (ibid.).

And indeed, in Bolivia, Quinua has been produced by small-scale farmers in very harsh conditions in the highlands, and it is being adapted for production in other areas of Bolivia (and the world) as well (Los Tiempos, 2 June 2013). And proudly, Bolivia has invited international buyers to visit the sites of Quinua production (El Diario, 2013).

But what is in this for Bolivia?

"As the price has risen quinoa is consumed less and less in Bolivia. It's worth more to them [the producers] to sell it or trade it for pasta and rice. As a result, they're not eating it any more", writes The Guardian (2013). This coincides with the observations I made during my fieldwork in Bolivia. With its international popularity, Quinua has become much more expensive than other staple foods.

In Bolivia, it is now valued by middle- and upper-class families as a healthy food. And also the internal supply chain is changing – while Quinua used to be sold and bought at the traditional markets, the urban elites prefer to buy it already packed in the trendy supermarkets.

The consumption of Quinua is changing markedly, from a traditional staple food to a global trendy health food. And these changes will have negative impacts on the sustainability of the production of this grain, which is still mainly produced in the fragile ecosystems of the Andes.

So what needs to be done for the boom of Quinua to be ecologically and socially sustainable is to work on its production and distribution as well. Only if the sustainable production of this crop is fostered in different regions of the world, the Andean ecosystems can survive this boom.

Quinua has been promoted as “The golden grain, a gift of the Andes to the world” (Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, 2012). And indeed, Quinua has been taken from Bolivia like a gift, like gold has been taken since colonial times, without any promises for benefits for Bolivia. So the Bolivians have to be very careful with this gift – they have to know its value and insist on Quinua being traded on fair terms and being produced in an ecologically sustainable manner, if they don’t want the Quinua boom to sack Bolivia of its Golden grain.

El Diario (2013). De varios continentes llegaron compradores de Quinua real Boliviana. Retrieved from

http://www.eldiario.net/noticias/2013/2013_05/nt130510/agraria.php?n=99&-de-varios-continentes-llegaron-compradores-de-quinua-real-boliviana

Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (2012). Quinua – grano de Oro, un regalo de los Andes al mundo. La Paz

Guardian Environment Network (25 January 2013). Quinua: good, evil, or just really complicated? Retrieved from

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/25/quinoa-good-evil-complicated

Los tiempos (2 June 2013). Quinua, un cultivo exitoso en el valle. Retrieved from

http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/local/20130602/quinua-un-cultivo-exitoso-en-el-valle_215242_463038.html

The Economist (12 May 2012). The Andes’ new cash crop. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/node/21554570

UN News Centre (20 February 2013). UN kicks off “Year Of Quinua” with focus on world nutrition. Retrieved from

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44184&Cr=quinoa&Cr1=#.UbWlssXmT_t

SOCCER POLITICS

Every Sunday afternoon, this city of millions stands still. The area around the stadium is practically closed down, with people queuing to enter the weekly soccer match. Who is playing? Maybe one of the local teams, the celebrated Aurora, or Wilstermann who just ascended from the second league, against a visiting team from the highlands or the tropics, or the Tigre from La Paz...it really doesn’t matter. Soccer is soccer!

So sometimes I sneek in, take a seat somewhere, and watch the preparations for the game: policemen with dogs, checking the soccer ground, the teams, posing for photos, innumerable amounts of vendors selling 2l bottles of soft drinks, empanadas, and ice cream. A kid offers me a seat with a piece of rubber foam over the concrete, for 10 cents.

Then, I don’t really understand a lot of what is going on during the soccer game. But the end, that is the best part. The audience gets so emotional that the losing team has to leave through an inflatable tunnel. Shame on them! And in any case, whoever wins or loses, there is one culprit: The referee and his assistants. He is always biased and bribed! So people throw whatever serves at him – bottles, food, verbal insults. And the police, as usual, escorts the referee out, covering him with their plastic shields. This is the ritual I am here for:  Whatever you suffered during the week – you can always blow off steam on Sundays, insulting the referee as much as you can!

And the president loves soccer as well. In 2007, he led the complaint against FIFA, who had decided to ban international soccer games at altitudes above 2,500m. A pity for Bolivia, a high altitude country. The stadium in its de facto capital La Paz is situated at about 3,800 m above sea level! So something had to be done, and Evo won (CBC news, June 2007). Hurray!

Soccer plays an important role in the current president’s political strategy. At high-level international meetings, such as the Ibero-American meeting of Spanish-speaking nations last November, Evo never forgets to participate in a soccer game (El Deber, Nov 2012). He is also currently organising a historic friendship game between famous Bolivian and Argentinean soccer players (Terra, Dec. 2012).

But also in domestic politics, the president has discovered the significance of soccer. The programme “Bolivia cambia – Evo cumple” (Bolivia changes – Evo keeps his word) is destined towards projects of public infrastructure all over the country that are constructed under supervision of the presidential office. In 2012, 178 projects were funded through this programme, and 179,580,000 Bolivianos spent (Radio Fides, January 2013). In Euros: 19,500,000. And what was the money spent on?

21,000,000 Bolivianos, about 12 %, went into the construction of sports grounds, three times more than what was spent on health infrastructure (ibid.).

The communities might be happy with this visible present from their president. Driving through the Bolivian countryside, you might find villages without schools, but never without a soccer ground. So the kids are all going to become professional soccer players? Hardly. A project manager at a Bolivian NGO posed a central question: What is the use of soccer grounds if our kids do not have access to an adequate nutrition and health services?

And indeed, it can be observed that many soccer grounds are empty. People in the communities have found another use for them. They use its concrete floor to dry their harvest. A productive side effect of Evo’s soccer politics!

And what is Evo up to while the people struggle for their survival? Correct – he plays soccer! State television on channel 7 is transmitting his third game today.

REFERENCES

CBC News (June 2007). FIFA raises altitude limit.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/06/27/fifa-altitude.html

El Deber (November 2012). Evo hace calentamiento para la cumbre jugando futbol. http://www.eldeber.com.bo/evo-hace-el-calentamiento-para-la-cumbre-jugando-al-futbol/121116100635

Terra (December 2012). Evo Morales anuncia que jugará futbol en la “Bombonera”.

http://noticias.terra.com.ar/politica/evo-morales-anuncia-que-jugara-futbol-en-la-bombonera,77e16d44edcbb310VgnCLD2000000dc6eb0aRCRD.html

Radio Fides (January 2013). Programa Evo Cumple gasta tres veces mas en canchas deportivas que en postas de salud.

http://www.radiofides.com/noticia/economia/Programa_Evo_Cumple_gasta_tres_veces_mas_en_canchas_deportivas_que_en_postas_de_salud