Otra Vez Marcelo

I received alot of emails after my last blog commenting on how sad I seemed, actually it wasnt meant to sound sad, it was a reflection on how life was going for me. In actual fact I am quite happy at the moment. Heres a photo of myself and Jen drinking beer after a walk in the rain, I dont look too depressed do I!!

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. So I am going to create a couple of blogs to fill you in.

One thing I have quickly realised is that I dont know enough about Bolivian history. I went to see a play about Marcelo Santa Cruz Quiroga, a politician, writer and socialist, who was killed by one of the military dictators during the repression of opponants.

This incredible play was performed and writen by Teatro de los Andes and examined the relationship between Marcelo and is wife Christina as well as his political discourse. Marcelo fought for the nationalisation of gas and he fought for change in the political system which would enable greater participation of the masses. (sound familiar??) He was forced into exile by a number of military dictatorships but eventually returned to Bolivia to continue the fight. He was murdered by Garcia Meza. Christina, an incredible woman, supported Marcelo through his various struggles and it was her who brought his killer to justice, by fighting for 10 years and eventually having Garcia Meza found guilty of murder.

There is a message in this play for contemporary Bolivia. The issues are still the same as they were 20 years ago, there must be nationalisation of gas and there must be an assemblea constityente to increase real participation in the political process. Goni must be extridited to stand trial for the murder of 60 people in 2003. Bolivia cannot move on until these things happen, in my opinion.

You can not have peace without justice.

In another event: 2 friends of mine were walking across the bridge near my house. A car pulled up. A man got out with a gun. One of my friends ran, and the other screamed. Then the man got back into the car and drove off. They took nothing and my friends are safe. This incident is a symptom of what is happening in Bolivia. With the increase in poverty, the instability of the government and the lack of progress on improving social conditions, violence on the streets is increasing. Although Cochabamba is the safest city I have ever lived in or travelled through, unless social conditions improve, safety is threatened.

The moral of this story however is DO NOT RUN WHEN THERE IS A GUN!!