For centuries they were shadow people, a defeated underclass banished to the margins of society and forced to work, and obey, in silence.
But a largely peaceful revolution has empowered Bolivia’s indigenous majority this year and transformed the country into a 21st-century standard-bearer for South America’s native populations.
Under the banner of Bolivian President Evo Morales, the country’s first indigenous president, Aymara, Quechua and other groups have seized political control and uncorked a renaissance in arts, music and traditional institutions.
Exploiting victory in a constitutional referendum earlier this year, which “refounded” Bolivia and gave sweeping rights to indigenous groups, the “little Indians,” as they were once known, have placed their language and customs at the heart of the new state and reinvented elements of their culture through modern forms such as hip-hop and rap.
“We are recovering our history and identity; we are reclaiming our heroes,” said Eugenio Rojas, mayor of Achacachi, an Aymara stronghold in the highlands above La Paz.
The municipality has erected a giant statue of Tupac Katari, an 18th-century rebel who was captured, tortured and executed by the Spanish in 1781.
“Katari is a symbol of resistance,” Rojas said.
Behind the mayor’s desk hung a wiphala, a brightly colored emblem representing indigenous people that was officially established earlier this year as the dual flag of Bolivia, along with the traditional, colonial-era red, yellow and green one. Meanwhile, civil servants are busy learning Aymara and Quechua, the two main indigenous languages. State media reinforce the message that the Spanish tongue’s dominance is over. “Indigenous communities are having more space on TV and that is a reflection of the country’s reality,” said Leila Cortez, head of the state TV network.
Young musicians and hip-hop artists in El Alto, Bolivia’s de facto indigenous capital, have blended ancient Andean folk styles with politically charged rap lyrics espousing “liberation.”
Abraham Bojorquez, leader of a group called Ukamau y Ke, said there was no contradiction in his US-style baggy jeans and baseball cap.
“Hip-hop is a revolutionary genre, so why not adapt it to what we want to say?” he said.
The reinvention extends to highland cholitas — women who wear bowler hats, flouncy skirts and pigtails, and once were either peasants or servants.
Amalia Morales Rondo made history by becoming the first cholita to attend law school and become a judge.
“People now know that indigenous women are not only useful for carrying potatoes in their ponchos, but are also capable of occupying important jobs,” she said.
KINGPIN: Marset allegedly laundered the proceeds of his drug enterprise by purchasing and sponsoring professional soccer teams and even put himself in the starting lineups Notorious Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset, who eluded police for years, was handed over to US authorities after his arrest on Friday in Bolivia. Marset, a Uruguayan national who was on the US most-wanted list, was passed to agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration at Santa Cruz airport in Bolivia, then put on a US airplane, Bolivian state television showed. “The arrest and deportation were carried out pursuant to a court order issued by the US justice system,” Bolivian Minister of Government Marco Antonio Oviedo told reporters. The alleged kingpin was arrested in an upscale neighborhood of Santa
ACTIONABLE ADVICE: The majority of chatbots tested provided guidance on weapons, tactics and target selections, with Perplexity and Meta AI deemed to be the least safe From school shootings to synagogue bombings, leading artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots helped researchers plot violent attacks, according to a study published on Wednesday that highlighted the technology’s potential for real-world harm. Researchers from the nonprofit watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate and CNN posed as 13-year-old boys in the US and Ireland to test 10 chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Deepseek and Meta AI. Eight of the chatbots assisted the make-believe attackers in more than half the responses, providing advice on “locations to target” and “weapons to use” in an attack, the study said. The chatbots had become a “powerful accelerant for
SCANDAL: Other images discovered earlier show Andrew bent over a female and lying across the laps of a number of women, while Mandelson is pictured in his underpants A photograph of former British prince Andrew and veteran politician Peter Mandelson sitting in bathrobes alongside late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unearthed on Friday in previously published documents. The image is believed to be the first known photograph of the two men with Epstein. They are currently engulfed in scandal in the UK over their ties to their mutual friend. The undated photograph, first reported by ITV News, shows King Charles III’s disgraced brother and former British ambassador to the US sitting barefoot outside on a wooden deck. They appear to have mugs with a US flag on them
FAKE NEWS? ‘When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong,’ a civic group said The top US broadcast regulator on Saturday threatened media outlets over negative coverage of the Middle East war, after US President Donald Trump slammed critical headlines from the “Fake News Media.” The US president since his first term has derided mainstream media as “fake news” and has sued major outlets over what he sees as unfair coverage. Brendan Carr, head of the US Federal Communications Commission — which oversees the nation’s radio, television and Internet media — said broadcasters risked losing their licenses over news coverage. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will
RSS