I'd never heard of it before, nor of the reed boats of Lake Titicaca. And Evo Morales, the most original politician to come along...I was going to say, in many moons, but, really, ever...OF COURSE would turn peoples' fears into hope with a beautiful ceremony!
But the Guardian--which is generally rotten on the Latin American Left--can't help but take a gratuitous swipe at these resource-dependent countries and vastly Europe-U.S. exploited and impoverished people--to wit:
"The Bolivian government has hailed the solstice as the start of an age in which community and collectivity will prevail over capitalism and individuality. Those themes have long been present in Morales's discourse, especially in the idea of vivir bien, or living well. He has stressed the importance of a harmonious balance between human life and the planet, though some people question its application in Bolivia, where the economy depends heavily on mining, oil and gas industries." --from the OP
It's one of those cheap and easy assertions, often seen in the corpo-fascist press, to stop thought--to make 'news' consumers stupid--and to paint all of us as inherently greedy and selfish and in vicious competition with each other, while transglobal corporations and banksters rob us all. They wouldn't say this--that harmonious balance is inapplicable in Bolivia--if Exxon Mobil and BP were pocketing all the profits from Bolivia's mining, oil and gas (and lithium!).
But Bolivians, in electing Evo Morales, have asserted their right to "vivir bien"--to food on the table, to health care, to educational opportunity, to pensions for the elderly, to decent wages--by controlling their own natural resources and using the profits for the common good. What the Guardian, as corpo-fascist propagandist, really wants us to believe is that this "harmonious balance" between people and profit is impossible in Bolivia and everywhere else. It is also a "Wall Street" Big Lie "talking point" that "harmonious balance" between people and nature is impossible and should not be attempted--because that high goal is an impediment to Exxon Mobil, BP, et al. Evo Morales has often spoken of it, at "climate change" summits and everywhere else, throughout his career. In fact, he is the major voice on "harmonious balance" among world leaders.
This paragraph is a knife in his back--and a warning that well-funded secret dirty rotten tricks agencies of the U.S./U.K. governments, that serve Exxon Mobil, BP, et al, have identified their 'wedge' issue in Bolivia and South America, and are no doubt working overtime to acquire 'assets' within dissident indigenous and environmental groups, to cause maximum trouble to leftist leaders like Morales in Bolivia, Correa in Ecuador and others. I rather think that Morales, and leaders allied to Morales, know this already. It's not likely news to them. But the Guardian reminds them of it here.
I don't know if the article's author is aware that she is delivering a warning and yet another bit of corporate propaganda, but her editors certainly are. They never tire of publishing hit pieces on Latin American leftists.
= new reply since forum marked as read
