Social issues
The City of the Rings
28 Oct, 2015 | Lila Andrea Monasterios Esteves
Building the Future of Santa Cruz de la SierraThe city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in eastern Bolivia, is home to well over 1 million people, and is widely known as the economic center of the countr...
Long Road to the Interior
28 Oct, 2015 | J.Q.Cooley
My Journey with a Taxista through La Paz‘The secret to driving in Bolivia,’ Edgar says, streetlights illuminating his smile, ‘is thinking ahead.’ At that moment, his eyes catch sight of a family of to...
Sounds of Paper
28 Oct, 2015 | Hazel Browne
Local luthier making recycled instruments‘I don’t like the felling of trees,’ Adrián Villanueva says, as he shows me a selection of his creations: charangos made from recycled paper. Traditionally fas...
Our Brand Is Bolivia
28 Oct, 2015 | Anna Grace
Branding the Plurinational StateThere's no doubt about it: we live in a brand-oriented world. Think fizzy drinks, sports shoes or mobile phones and it’s certain a particular brand, logo or catchphrase...
The 5 types of gringos
05 Oct, 2015 | Olivia Hylton-Pennant
Since the 18th century, the term ‘gringo’ has been used to refer to foreigners in Spanish-speaking countries. Although gringos come from all walks of life, there are five archetypal gringos that are e...
A New Era for the Afro-Bolivian?
05 Oct, 2015 | Olivia Hylton-Pennant
For centuries, the presence of black people in Bolivia went unnoticed and unappreciated. Now they are making their voices heard, but will anything ever change?I arrive at Malegria, a club in La Paz’s...
Sticks and stones can break my bones and words...may also hurt me
05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland
‘What is self-esteem?’ asks Beymar Soto, a staff member from the Alcaldia of La Paz to a roomful of schoolchildren. I am at La Escuela Corazón de Jesús de Fé y Alegría, a primary school in La Paz part...
La Reina
05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland
Growing Old with Grace (and Dignity, Respect, Support and Freedoms)What does it mean to “be old”? For “La Reina” of the Maria Esther Quevedo Care Home, otherwise known as Alicia Abigal Flores Burgoa,...
Breastfeeding in (La) Paz
05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland
The vegan restaurant Red Monkey, in La Paz’s San Miguel neighbourhood, has started offering mothers a free cup of tea as they breastfeed in the restaurant. The offer is meant to celebrate Internationa...
Eco-Labels
05 Oct, 2015 | Rafael Bertoli-Mitchell
Sowing the seeds of Bolivian fair tradeAmid smells of dust and car engines, the scent of chocolate is unmistakable. Here in the sprawling mess of El Alto stands El Ceibo, a chocolate factory that...
Foundlings
05 Oct, 2015 | Rafael Bertoli-Mitchell
Abandonment and Adoption in BoliviaAlfredo is nine years old. He enjoys spending time with his friends, playing outside with his toys and wants to teach sport when he’s older. Three years ago, he was...
Cambas and Collas
05 Oct, 2015 | Anna Bellettato
La Paz and Santa Cruz, the two largest cities in Bolivia, could not be more diverse – both in terms of geography and culture. Paceños are also known as collas. They are those who shaped the traditiona...
Cambas and Collas
05 Oct, 2015 | Anna Bellettato
La Paz and Santa Cruz, the two largest cities in Bolivia, could not be more diverse – both in terms of geography and culture. Paceños are also known as collas. They are those who shaped the traditiona...
Town and Country
05 Oct, 2015 | Celia Dyson
Rural Migrants in Urban Bolivia Adjacent to La Paz sits the sprawling urban mass of El Alto, a city whose existence centres on the movement of Bolivians from urban to rural areas. Since the National R...
THE SPACE BETWEEN
26 Aug, 2015 | Hannah Mills
Concrete poetry and the power of the visual in verseBolivian blogger, journalist and poet Paola Senseve uses space to make her readers question the nature of poetry. Using a form called ‘concrete poet...