A short story about a meaningful encounter in Bolivia and the background of this.
In Bolivia:
Recently it came back to me... the memory of a marginal but meaningful encounter in Bolivia. On the way back from a few waterfalls near Sucre we do not know exactly where we are going, and on the hilly field we meet three children about ten years old. We were happy to hopefully get some help and ask them super friendly for directions. One girl is shy and doesn't say anything, the boy insults us with hard-to-understand swear words and the other girl asks for money to provide information. The spontaneity and naturalness of the children's behaviour shocked me...
Of course - one sees the poverty in the countries and feels the cruelty. But three innocent little children, who should be playing in the meadows, start to insult and rip off others out of deep conviction?
What is behind the behaviour of the children? Which families are behind it? What convictions do these families have? The luxury of education and the possibility of travel are out of reach for these families. They fight for survival every day and hate the rich and tourists from the bottom of their hearts.
The presidential elections in November 2019 are about the re-election of Evo Morales. He comes from a poor family, is incredibly corrupt and wants to move the country into a dictatorship. He is the hero of the poor and the enemy of the educated. The elections are rigged at the highest possible level and things look good for Evo at first.
Already during the elections the situation between Evo supporters and supporters of other parties is tense. Companies are burned down, students are killed in the streets and the propensity to violence is increasing, especially on the side of Evo supporters. Because of the fear of the population to get into a similar situation as Venezuela, Evo surprisingly loses power. The situation escalates. Evo supporters are roaming the streets killing people out of hatred. They force the owners of companies to make statements for Evo and burn down their businesses. People run for their lives, there is no security, fewer jobs, more starving families and many more deaths!
In our western world:
These are stories and events that are absolutely normal in the outside world, but seem unimaginable and distant in our Western world. We don't know the feeling of being afraid for our own life or of the starving death of our own child...Our biggest fear is not being able to make an Animoji with our mobile phone or not being able to find Barilla sauce on the shelf anymore.
In the news there was a 30-second article about how Evo is granted asylum in Mexico, happy and laughing. About the victory of Bayern Munich or in the best case the new season of Temptation Island is reported for 3 minutes each...
Against the background of the hostile and bitter conditions that prevail in the poorest classes of the Bolivian population, I can understand the reactions of the children and the hatred of the poorest towards the rich and the tourists. The conditions are highly disproportionate and most of them will never have a chance of education or escape from their lives.
Let us just be grateful. Grateful that we are allowed to live here under the best conditions. Grateful that we do not have to worry about our children dying of starvation. And grateful that we can allow ourselves such luxury every day! <3