Bolivia - Articles - Zimbio

Buho Blanco Art Gallery. Juan Bustillos Bolivian Sculptor. Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Tue, 23 Jul 2008 15:04:29 GMT

posted by BoliviaBella
The Buho Blanco in the private art gallery of Bolivian sculptor Juan Bustillos in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. There is also a Buho Blanco Gallery in the Jesuit Mission town of San Javier.

South American World Cup Qualification - 5th Round

Sun, 16 Jun 2008 10:23:00 GMT

posted by u09th2

So whilst the major European soccer power (minus England, I guess) slug it out for the European championship this summer, South American nations took another step in their long and arduous qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. Up until now, after 4 games, the story had been of Paraguay leading the way with 10 points, and I guess of Brazil still not having started to fire on all cylinders, with only 2 wins from 4 games.

Well yesterday’s 5th round of qualifying matches emphasised those points with Paraguay stunning the Brazilians with a 2-0 victory in Asuncion. With plenty of games still to go and the first 4 teams guaranteed qualification there is no need to push the Brazilian panic button quite yet, but still…

Otherwise it’s a case of ‘as you were’ with all 3 of the ties ending in draws and Bolivia predictably losing to their age-old enemies Chile in La Paz – so much for the advantage of altitude. And also of note is Venezuela's progress. They're normally the team cemented to the bottom, given how Baseball probably overrides football as their national sport.

Bolivia vs. Chile 0-2
Argentina vs. Ecuador 1-1
Peru vs. Colombia 1-1
Uruguay vs. Venezuela 1-1
Paraguay vs. Brazil 2-0

_______________________The table now looks a bit like this:1. Paraguay 13 pts2. Argentina 10 pts3. Colombia 9 pts4. Brazil 8 pts5. Venzuela 7 pts6. Chile 7 pts7. Uruguay 5 pts8. Ecuador 4 pts9. Peru 3 pts10. Bolivia 1 pt________________Below are a few youtube video highligths of the differetn games. The quailty isn't great but the audio commentary is as outrageously South American as one could hope for. Enjoy...Paraguay vs. Brazil: 2-0

Argentina vs. Ecuador: 1-1

Bolivia vs. Chile: 0-2

Peru vs. Colombia: 1-1

Uruguay vs. Venezuela: 1-1

The next round of games take place later this week with the obvious highlight being the battle of the titans- Brazil vs Argentina. Paraguay should also be looking to consolidate thier lead at the top of the table with a relatively easy game against the Bolivians. But I'll make sure to let you all know how they got on.

South American World Cup Qualification - 6th Round

Thu, 20 Jun 2008 12:52:00 GMT

posted by u09th2
Whilst Brazil's former coach was getting knocked out of Euro 2008 with Portugal, his former side weren't making much progress back in South America. Brazil played out a dreary 0-0 draw against arch-rivals Argentina in the so-called clásico. A result that now leaves them in 5th place in the South American qualification table for the 2010 World Cup. Of course the Brazilian press were quick to pile the criticism on Brazil's coach Dunga

The Brazilian media were in no doubt as to who was responsible for the Canarinha's unsatisfactory showing. The harshest criticism came from Lance!, which ran with a cover featuring Dunga's head inside a noose and topped by the headline "Hung". "Brazil draw with Argentina as the fans vent their fury on coach - Zico now the popular choice," fumed the sports daily.O'Globo also registered its displeasure on its website. "Dunga gets the donkey treatment as off-key Brazil draw 0-0 with Argentina," ran the merciless headline. Publishing a photo of Ronaldinho in the stands at the Estadio Mineirao, the website added that the Barcelona man and Kaka were sorely missed, stating that "without them the future looks bleak". With Brazil's other stars having another off day, O'Globo also remarked on the warm applause Lionel Messi received when he was substituted.Running with a front page photo of a closely marked Adriano trapping the ball on his chest, Jornal do Brasil opted for a short but no less powerful headline: "270 minutes without a goal". The online version of the paper was just as critical: "Even with the Mineirao right behind them, Brazil were incapable of beating Argentina. To cap it all, the fans chanted 'Dunga out' as he made his way off the pitch. All in all, a sad goodbye for a coach who had stakedeverything on this game."Joining in the chorus of disapproval was Folha de Sao Paulo. "What a miserable clásico", it complained before highlighting the fans' displeasure: "The crowd whistled the team and demanded Dunga's sacking." (source: fifa.com)

Otherwise results of note included group leaders Paraguay losing 4-2 to Bolivia. Bottom spot in the group now belongs to Peru after being 6-0 thumping by Uruguay. And Chile have now displaced Brazil from the important 4th place spot - the top 4 teams qualify for the World Cup -with an exciting 3-2 away win to Venezuela.

Results:

Brazil vs Argentina: 0-0
Venezuela vs Chile: 2-3
Ecuador vs Colombia: 0-0
Uruguay vs Peru: 6-0
Bolivia vs Paraguay 4-2

Table:

Paraguay.....13 pts
Argentina....11 pts
Colombia.....10 pts
Chile.............10 pts
Brazil.............9 pts
Uruguay........8 pts
Venezuela.....7 pts
Ecuador.........5 pts
Bolivia............4 pts
Peru...............3 pts

Here is a good youtube video with all the highligts from this weeks' games. Disfrutenlo!

Juan Bustillos. Bolivian Sculptor. Buho Blanco. Manzana Uno. Santa Cruz Bolivia

Fri, 19 Jul 2008 03:14:35 GMT

posted by BoliviaBella
Juan Bustillos is a Bolivian sculptor, owner of the Buho Blanco Art Galleries in Santa Cruz and San Javier, Bolivia, and co-founder of the Manzana Uno Art Gallery in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Bolivia on the Brink - Part II

Mon, 6 May 2008 06:22:41 GMT

posted by SocProf

Via Liberation, the rich Bolivian region of Santa Cruz has declared its autonomy after a successful - but illegal - referendum. The “yes” obtained around 82% of the votes with 30 to 40% abstention. This autonomy gives the region expanded powers in political and economic matters, at the expense of the central government. In particular, the new status gives Santa Cruz increased power over administration of land policy and the sale of natural resources, especially natural gas. For the government, this is a ploy by the local oligarchy and wealthy landowners to enrich themselves and protect their exclusive interests. However this issue is resolved institutionally, Santa Cruz started a chain reaction: 3 out of 9 regions have now planned to hold their own autonomy referenda.

According to Le Monde, things started with constitutional disputes between the central government and the opposition right-winged prefects of 6 of the 9 provinces.

Un référendum sur l’autonomie à Santa Cruz divise les Boliviens
LE MONDE | 03.05.08

But as nationalist leader Andres Soliz Rada states, both parties are liquidating the national state: the right-wingers by getting regional autonomy because they do not like governmental policies, and the central government by giving way to extreme multiculturalism with three flags and 36 languages.

But at the heart of this is land policy: the government-sponsored constitutional reform would limit the size of latifundia to 5,000 to 10,000 hectares whereas Santa Cruz lands largely belongs to 40 families. The largest plantations might be redistributed to peasants, something, of course, unacceptable to the local landowning oligarchy (via Le Nouvel Observateur). This result of the referendum is a blow to the government since Santa Cruz generates 30% of the GDP of Bolivia. The bottom line is economic, as stated in the Independent,

“The new constitution is at the source of the regional discontent with the central government. Its strong pro-indigenous and socialist content and the controversial way in which it was approved – inside an army barracks – have made it a rallying point for opposition forces across the country. (…) The reason for the opposition is economic more than anything else, although racist smears have tainted the arguments of both camps. In recent years Santa Cruz has grown from an outback region into Bolivia’s economic powerhouse, responsible for a third of the national GDP. The region boasts 40 per cent of the country’s arable land and one fifth of its gas reserves.

The Morales government is pushing for more control over those resources, claiming the benefits should go to the country’s poor as a whole. The Santa Cruz government says it deserves a larger slice of the profits from fossil fuels.”

And the Bolivian ethnic divisions are very clear: the “white” elite in Santa Cruz was very much in favor and the instigator of the referendum whereas the indigenous populations opposed it. And it can get pretty ugly (via the Guardian):

“The vote also expressed hostility to the government’s championing of indigenous communities which scrabble for survival in the highlands, a very different Bolivia to Santa Cruz and the relatively prosperous eastern lowlands. (…) “My family is voting for autonomy because the Indians want to dominate us,” said Olga Tordolla, a woman in a largely indigenous quarter of Santa Cruz city known as Plan Tres Mil. “They are racist, they hate white people.”"

Ah yes, the Americas’ beleaguered white people, always oppressed, always hated. But in this case, this is truly the revolt of the white elite against an elected president whose policies are too redistributive for their taste. There is reason for the rich ranchers and right-wing militias to be worried after the “pink tide” that is sweeping South America (via another Guardian article).

“Ecuador and Paraguay elected radical outsiders as Presidents, Venezuela continued espousing socialist revolution, and Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay retained left-wing governments.”

The big question now is whether this vote is going to be the first step in stopping Evo Morales’s policies. The answer is not clear. After all, his government just nationalized four oil companies.

La Bolivie nationalise quatre entreprises pétrolières
LEMONDE.FR | 01.05.08

This includes three oil companies with foreign capital. The government also has plans to nationalize telecommunications companies.

There is now a stand-off as to which policies will prevail: the quasi-apartheid system that favors white ranchers and right-wing militias, or the socialist mixed with indigenous identity politics of Evo Morales.

To be continued.

Photo Source: Leo La Valle/EPA, in the Guardian.

Authored by SocProf. Hosted by Edublogs.