A year and a half ago, three young Bolivian entrepreneurs launched Popular, a restaurant in the centre of La Paz, betting on Bolivian food and local products. Their gamble paid off, as it is now one of the highest-rated restaurants in the city and – pun intended – probably the most popular. In 2015, a young Bolivian coffee amateur opened the first branch of Typica, a cozy coffee shop in Zona Sur decorated with vintage Bolivian furniture that offers food and coffee roasted on site. It has since expanded to four new locations, one in La Paz’s Sopocachi neighbourhood and others in Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Oruro – and it keeps on expanding. These success stories are only a few of the examples demonstrating the possibilities and opportunities that Bolivians can aspire to.
Bolivia is a place where anyone with vision, motivation and a small amount of capital can make it happen: a pizzeria, an art gallery, a magazine, a fashion brand or a career as an influencer. New enterprises appear every week, most of them started by young Bolivians who see an opportunity to make a living by filling a gap in the market, transforming the country little by little into something new.
The recent boom is also accompanied by a reappropriation of Bolivian culture and goods. The country is developing its own artisan industry, and one can find Bolivian whiskies, coffee, clothes, even cider. Entrepreneurs have a profound desire to show the world – and each other – what Bolivians are capable of. This may be part of a global trend to consume and produce locally sourced goods, but for Bolivians, it means something more, as this trend has only recently become possible here. For a long time, the consumption of foreign goods was a sign of luxury and success. But now there is a real pride and interest in buying Bolivian products and supporting local talent.
And there is a lot of talent in Bolivia. Alongside the rise of small businesses, the country is gaining international recognition for far more than only its stark and beautiful salt flats or controversial president. In the last decade, Bolivians have risen to the top of world racquetball competition, and all expectations are set on the upcoming Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. This year, Bolivia has its sights set on winning the gold, which would be its first since the competition’s creation in 1967. This would be a huge achievement for the country.
The successes we see today didn’t just happen instantly, though. Behind all these stories are years of paperwork, preparation, failed attempts and a lot of patience and perseverance. José Antonio Callisaya Rada, owner of the Cruzze Bar & Pizzeria, tells us how his previous attempts weren’t so successful. But now, it looks like his pizzeria is here to stay.
Maybe the current economic stability has been propitious for entrepreneurs, or maybe this generation has learned how to do it right. In any case, what’s to come is certainly exciting. A new experience is around every corner, from the new food-truck court in Sopocachi, to an intriguing art gallery on Avenida Ecuador, to the taste of new Bolivian wines. It feels like everything is achievable, and it probably is.
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Photos: Emily Kilner
The thriving radio stations and their hosts in Bolivia’s indigenous communities
A typical Monday morning at Radio Wilka Pacha:
5am–6am: Local Aymara music, ‘definitely nothing international.’
6am–7am: Summary show from the Radios de los Pueblos Originarios.
7am–8am: Summary show from the Red de Patria Nueva, whose mission is stated as ‘transmitting messages which contribute to democratic communication and participation for every Bolivian.’
8am–3pm: News, information and entertainment programmes from these two stations.
3pm–7pm: The Ahora el niño show. Children from the local schools come to the station to sing or present poetry.
7pm–9pm: News in both Spanish and Aymara.
9pm–10.30pm: Shoutouts and local music, followed by ‘happy topics.’
This is the reality of the one-man radio-station situation on the Isla del Sol, located in the Ayllu Challa community in the north of the island on Lake Titicaca. There are no Top-40 countdowns or celebrity guests. Instead, the airwaves are filled with local music, news in the local indigenous language and programmes to encourage the role of an ‘active citizen.’ The music changes throughout the day to suit the island’s routine. In the morning there is slower music to accompany daily agricultural tasks, and the playlist becomes more lively as business commences and the day’s pace quickens.
Humble yet full of pride for his station, and fittingly wearing his periodismo radiofónico digital cap, Radio Wilka Pacha’s jack-of-all-trades Esteban Quelima describes the days when he simply ‘didn’t know a thing about speaking on the radio.’ The citizens of the island could only listen to Peruvian stations prior to December 2012, until technicians from the Bolivian Ministry of Communication helped to install a 200-watt radio transmitter in the heart of the northern part of the island. ‘We would like other people to listen, our brothers in Chile and Peru, but our reach isn’t so big,’ explained Quelima. A college graduate with degrees in archeology, journalism and agriculture, he now runs the radio station that connects the island’s residents through music, news and features in their native language.
Running a one-man show brings a number of challenges, Quelima said. He ‘has to be a journalist, investigator, manager, everything,’ as well as deal with frequent electricity and funding shortages. However, his overall aim ‘to strengthen the Aymara language, as the media is one of the only means to teach it,’ clearly overrides the struggles faced and makes each day necessary ‘to educate and strengthen our cultural identity.’
This passionate motivation was evident during our interview. Quelima believes that the Aymara language is disappearing, as well as a culture which ‘once dominated astrology, maths, farming, geography, architecture and more.’ And so it’s his and the radio station’s role to reinforce it daily.
Radio is, above all, a means of communication which transcends visual and literary barriers, and on a community level it can reflect a reality that is not represented in Bolivia’s mainstream media. In 2011, Ley 164 recognised the importance of community radio stations, and the government began to help to equip them in indigenous communities. These so-called Radios de Pueblos Originarios are now an integral part of daily rural living and truly reflect the Estado Plurinacional, sharing a common philosophy of defending indigenous roots and culture through education and community engagement.
CEPRA (Centre for Radio Production of Bolivia) has contributed largely to this goal. It’s an NGO that develops education and communication in the media industry. Juan Ordoñez, CEPRA’s director, reinforced the indispensable role of these community stations and CEPRA’s initiative for ‘generating an active citizen.’ Quelima spoke fondly of CEPRA, calling it a ‘very good institution’ and showing off the small voice recorder the organisation provided him to conduct interviews.
As of 2018, CEPRA has trained 155 people in basic radio-presenting techniques, show creation and news reporting. These lessons, either taught online or by DVD, are presented with specific themes, such as environmental issues or gender equality, to give extra context and ‘combine the local with the global, as the radio must be an actor in local development,’ according to Ordoñez. Those who complete the eight-month course are certified by the Escuela de Gestión Pública Plurinacional.
CEPRA’s work is enhanced by talented tutors such as Jenrry Huanca, whose aptitude for Aymara, Quechua and Spanish allows him to connect easily with the participants. His philosophy – that each station ‘has to think about the listeners’, thereby engaging with the local native language – has resonated with his students, who display their commitment by contacting him in the middle of the night at times to make sure that their programmes have uploaded successfully despite technical issues. This desire to complete the course demonstrates its appeal and value, which not only benefits the individual participant, but also the participant’s entire community through broadening the scope and nature of the information that is circulated.
Bolivia’s community radios are thriving, and with the support of the government and organisations like CEPRA, the passion displayed by Quelima will continue to flourish in communities all over the country. Perhaps Radio Wilka Pacha will develop into a two-person station by next year. Not only does the growth and development of these stations provide new opportunities for citizens to play an active role in the local community, it also allows local and relevant content in native languages to reach the ears that matter most whilst reinforcing the foundations of Bolivia’s indigenous cultures.
Listen to Radio Wilka Pacha and other radios de pueblos originarios at www.rpo.bo
Photo Story by Pablo Arteaga
These four very different families are dedicated to the production of alpaca and llama knitted baby and children's clothing for the Bolivian company Nanay. They are part of a network of 600 native local knitters who are heads of family and provide the main income to their homes. 90% of the knitters are women. With the support of Nanay, they have become entrepreneurs and established their own small enterprise.
Workshop 1: The Tapia Family, El Alto
Inés Tapia runs her business with the help of her family. In their workshop, every family member is tasked with specific work. Inés’s father and son work the machines. Other family members work across the room: While Inés irons the clothing, her two daughters and two sisters make the clothes by hand. The Tapia family, like many others, are one of the economic pillars of Bolivia. As well as generating resources, they preserve Bolivian customs and traditions through textile manufacturing.
Workshop 2: Rosalía Ajnota, El Alto
Rosalía Ajnota started working as a seamstress when she was just 15 years old. She learned to weave both on a machine and by hand using knitting-needle techniques. After 23 years she opened up her own shop, where she now makes every type of clothing. Married with two children, she’s based in El Alto, and she employs two workers to help her manufacture garments. The winter is the busiest time for her business, due to the lower temperatures. Rosalía also works for other companies, such as Nanay, which produces high-quality items made of alpaca wool.
Workshop 3: Ana Luisa Valencia, El Alto
Ana Luisa, 43, with her mother Juana, 78, and her friend Margarita, manufacture clothes in El Alto, at more than 4,000m above sea level. Luisa’s been at this job for over a decade, having learned the trade alongside her mother and other seamstresses who passed on their knowledge from generation to generation. Six years ago, Luisa and her mother opened their own shop in their house; now they work with Margarita to make over 1,900 items per year. Luisa’s mother, who has been doing this work for more than 40 years, said that the techniques they use haven’t changed with time, and the qualities that matter most are patience and perseverance.
Workshop 4: Sabina and Adela, La Paz
Sabina learned weaving from a group of women artisans who had already spent a lifetime working in the textile industry. That’s where she met Adela, who became her business partner, and together they opened their own workshop in Sabina’s house. Over the years, Sabina perfected her technique and taught Adela everything she knew about textiles. They’ve been working together now for almost five years in their workshop, a tiny room stuffed with two knitting machines and from where they carry out all their work.
