El Gaviero

Weekly La Época spotlights the stories of two indigenous men in Bolivia, both of whom were victims of political violence–one, Ramiro Valle, who was attacked by a Santa Cruz land owner while he was heading to an INRA (National Institute of Agrarian Reform) meeting; the other, Marcial Fabricano, former head of CIBOD (the Indigenous Peoples Confederation of Bolivia), who was attacked by suspected MAS (Movement Toward Socialism, Evo Morales’s party) supporters. La Época notes that only Fabricano’s attack merited much media attention, with headlines that screamed out the alleged MAS connection, while Valles’s attack was largely ignored. Violence on either side of the political fence should be condemned, of course, but attacks against the indigenous population are largely ignored by the Bolivian press, which, being run by the oligarchy, has a vested interest in highlighting MAS turpitude while ignoring the villainy of the economic and landed elite. MAS and Morales–by representing the poor, indigenous, and formerly powerless people of Bolivia–are direct threats to the old guard, which will use its resources (i.e., the media) to color the situation in a light favorable to itself.

(Speaking of INRA: The land of former Bolivian president–and current outlaw wanted for murder–Gonzalo “Goni the Gringo” Sánchez de Lozada will be reverted to Afro-Bolivians and indigenous Aymara in the Chijchipa and Yariza communities of of the Yunga region, on May 23. Four hundred and forty-seven hectares will be distributed to 150 families. That’s approximately 1,100 acres, you gringo.)