Bolivia’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic has been very different to other countries, and it made worldwide headlines when a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 was denied access to several Bolivian health centres for fear of contamination. People blocked access and argued that the hospitals in their neighbourhoods were not adequately equipped to deal with the disease. Whether or not they were making a valid point, these protests revealed a lack of empathy and civic duty that doesn’t reflect well on Bolivia and shows that the country is not ready for a major health crisis.
Bolivian doctors have been raising concerns over the preparedness of hospitals and asking for more and better equipment to treat patients as the country’s health system is not able to deal with an epidemic of large proportions. In fact, Bolivia – and in particular the east of the country around Santa Cruz – is already coping with its largest dengue epidemic, with at least 47,754 reported cases and 12 confirmed deaths. And there is also the matter of cultural traditions that would have to change (if not permanently, at least temporarily) such as sharing the same cup of beer at a party, kissing on the cheek and shaking hands to greet people, or licking your fingers to count money.
Because of the current pandemic, Bolivia has cancelled international flights, closed its borders to foreigners and imposed measures to limit social contact. The government has decreed that:
The work day, schools, universities will be stop it until April 15th;
Shops, markets, supermarkets will close at 12pm;
Urban public transportation are not available;
Interstate and interprovincial travel will be suspended.
These measures may seem extreme to people who make their living day by day, but they are still not strict enough for others who argue that a total lockdown is the only way to prevent the virus from spreading. Some Bolivian cities, such as Oruro and Sucre, are already under quarantine; undoubtedly, everything should be done to avoid an outbreak in Bolivia. However, the necessities of everyday life, and survival, for a large portion of Bolivians raises some very valid concerns on how best to protect the livelihoods of many. Self-quarantining is a luxury for some; being able to stock up for 14 days is not something that everyone can afford. The threat of an invisible disease is hard to fathom for people who may not have social-media accounts and/or a smartphone.
Saving lives should be the priority, and next month the world will have changed. Bolivia will have to face a new type of crisis and maybe (probably) the measures listed above will have already been updated by the time of publication. As we face the unknown and have time to reflect in our quarantine or self-isolation, we should keep in mind that everyone’s reality is different and that we could all use more empathy and a change of perspective once in a while.
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The programme looks to cultivate pride in its students for their heritage and the culture they come from. Photos: Courtesy of Manq’a / George Fearnley
Manq’a trains and helps find employment for a new generation of young Bolivian chefs and Entrepreneurs
Manq’a is a project to generate opportunities for underprivileged young people through the medium of gastronomy whilst supporting small, local producers in the sprawling city of El Alto, Bolivia. Over a period of five and a half months, students are given 800 hours of training in cooking techniques, hospitality and entrepreneurship, among other skills. Upon graduating, they receive a certificate granted by the Bolivian Ministry of Education. The only cost for those who enroll on the course is for their aprons (which they get to keep at the end).
The first school was opened on the 4th of July, 2014, in El Alto, the city that sits on the lip of the altiplano above La Paz. ICCO Cooperation (a global NGO) and ‘Melting Pot Bolivia’ (founded by Claus Meyers of NOMA and Gustu fame) started the project in 2013 in Bolivia. Initially Manq’a was set up to help underprivileged young people living in El Alto find work and teach them how to eat a more nutritious diet. This was a response to the high levels of obesity, malnutrition, violence and unemployment present in the youth of Latin America. In 2014, it was estimated that 27 percent of women in Bolivia of child bearing age were considered so anemic (likely as a result of a poor diet) there was a significant risk of passing on an iron deficiency to their unborn children. Part of the founders’ proposal was that everything cooked and eaten in Manq’a schools had to be Bolivian and healthy, and it had to be sourced from small, local producers. There were initially three schools in the city of El Alto, but after some financial backing the number grew to 10.
While it was starting up, it became evident Manq’a had potential beyond its initial purpose. ‘We noticed lots of the students attending classes at the schools were coming from families who owned small businesses or who were interested in starting a new business for themselves,’ says Wara Gonzalez, project coordinator at Manq’a. Young entrepreneurs enrolled at Manq'a are trained under a different scheme to those in the gastronomy school that includes youth entrepreneurship classes, help and advice in creating business plans and acquiring seed money, assistance in the implementation of businesses and mentoring. On top of this, funding was secured to give young people a hand starting their new business or give them the opportunity to expand an existing business.
""Students are encouraged to take a fresh approach to the food they prepare.""
This also led Manq'a to the concept of inserción laboral (labour insertion), in which the organisation consults with local companies to help identify areas where workers of a particular skill set are in high demand, helping Manq'a graduates find employment. After identifying areas where there are vacancies, Manq'a proposes basic training in that particular field and the student completes a two-to-three-month internship with a relevant company. Finally, the students are given jobs at that company where they interned, or another in the same field. Once employed, Manq'a's role is to ensure favourable working conditions for alumni. This alliance means 'businesses become participants and co-responsible for the development of the young people they employ,' explains Gonzalez.
Students are encouraged to take a fresh approach to the food they prepare. 'Before, the attitude was always to use traditional products and stick to the recipe,’ says Gabriel Vargas Quenta, the head chef at Manq'a's Sopocachi restaurant. ‘Here at Manq'a, we give students the confidence to play with recipes and the way food is presented on the plate.’ However, while a new take on things is encouraged, tradition is also valued. Manq'a urges people to share their knowledge from working in a small family business or cooking traditions passed down through the generations. 'For example, I remember asking one of the students, ""Why are you toasting this?"" and they responded, “Because in the countryside, when we toast this with some pine or eucalyptus, it ends up having more flavour,”’ says Quenta. Many of the students coming to the schools already have an abundance of knowledge and experience, and they are encouraged to demonstrate this in the schools.
It is in this vein too that the programme looks to cultivate pride in its students for their heritage and the culture they come from. Manq'a is the Aymara word for food. It was chosen to reflect the backgrounds of a majority of the young people who enroll on the course. Often when students arrive, they don't value their ancestral roots. Gonzalez recalls a conversation with a former Manq'a pupil: ‘He told me he used to take his girlfriend out for burgers, because that was considered cool. Now, he takes her out for very traditional foods like pesque de quinoa, for example.’ Through studying at Manq'a, students strengthen their connection with their heritage so it becomes a source of pride. The course lasts five months at Manq'a so that it isn’t too much of a financial burden on students who have to take time off work to attend. 'In that period of time, it is really the process of empowerment that is the focus,' explains Gonzalez.
The philosophy adopted by Manq'a is one that is being adopted more and more around La Paz. Cafes, cafeterias and restaurants are serving Bolivian food made from Bolivian products. If you go into a cafe now it is likely that the coffee you drink has come from somewhere in Los Yungas, the more tropical region a couple of hours drive north of La Paz. This gastronomic revolution is getting well-deserved attention, with the BBC recently describing La Paz as the 'next food hotspot'. Something that Manq'a claims it has directly inspired and is now being adopted by other businesses is its collaboration with other companies. It has now established what it calls ‘Friends Network of Manq’a’, consisting of more than 80 companies who agree with the ethos of Manq'a and want to support it by providing opportunities for the young people who have graduated. ‘There is no competition, since the companies involved are working towards a common goal,’ says Quenta. ‘Manq’a looks to help people who would otherwise have a very slim chance of entering the world of gastronomy.’
The success of this model has led to two schools being opened in Colombia to help young people who have been displaced by that country’s long armed conflict. Additionally, the Bolivian Ministry of Education has requested that Manq'a help transfer its business model to the alternative-education centres, because it works without requiring lots of investment to get going. ‘The schools are very simple,’ explains Gonzalez. ‘They have very simple, basic equipment. The young people of Manq’a learn how much they can achieve with just the basics. They learn they don’t need a huge amount of money to create and cook.’
""The programme looks to cultivate pride in its students for their heritage and the culture they come from.""
To date, 3,600 people have been trained at Manq’a, with 58 percent currently employed, and 156 alliances with external companies have been forged. Over 150 local producers are provided an income by working with Manq'a, and 52,000 lunches have been served through the schools and the restaurant. It seems Manq’a and everything it stands for is having a tremendous impact in Bolivia, and there is no reason to think this won't continue into the future.
Photos : Changtse Quintanilla
Late Bolivia - The tour agency around Bolivia took us into a hole new different experience
Fumarole in Sol de Mañana. Sol de Mañana is a geothermal area in Sur Lípez Province located at 5,000 metres in altitude.
Vizcacha. The vizcacha is a rodent native to South America which, despite looking a lot like a rabbit, is not that closely related to it. It is usually found near rock formations.
Desert in the Sur Lípez Province and mountain range on the border Bolivia/Chile.
Starry night.
Mirror effect. The mirror effect only takes place during the rainy season (between December and April) when some parts of the salt flats get covered in water.
El Alto’s Cultural Hub of Art and Literature
Images: ""Poserismo"" by Iván Cáceres - Courtesy of: Carlos Villagómez, Max Siñani, Vlady Fernández
Antonio Paredes Candia, or affectionately known as Tío Antonio (Uncle Antonio), was a Bolivian writer who dedicated his life to the study of Bolivian culture and folklore. He was born on 10 July 1924 and passed away on 12 December 2004. Paredes is principally known for contributing to Bolivian literature, writing 113 books throughout his life. He wrote books drawing on costumbrista and anthropological themes, depicting popular Bolivian storytelling traditions and local customs. Paredes is one of the most widely read Bolivian writers, but was also known for his love of art and his prestigious art collection. Nowadays, all of the pieces from his collection are on display at the Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia. Inaugurated in the year 2002, the museum is situated in Ciudad Satélite, a neighbourhood of El Alto with stunning views of La Paz and which serves as the border between the two cities. It also happens to be one of the highest art galleries in the world, at 4,080 metres above sea level. Alongside the Museo Jiwasanki, the Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia is one of the most important cultural spaces of El Alto, boasting a collection of over 500 pieces of contemporary art.
But the Museo de Arte Antonio Paredes Candia is not exclusively dedicated to exhibiting artwork. As a writer, Paredes also had an impressive collection of original works of literature, which have also been donated to the museum. According to Anabel Vaca’s article ‘Paredes Candia cumpliría 95 y su museo apunta a crecer en El Alto’, published in Página Siete, the museum is home to 14,915 books. Hundreds of newspapers which belonged to the writer have also been archived and preserved in the museum’s library. In addition to the literary and visual culture on display, many of the writer’s personal possessions, gifts from people he met on his travels and archaeological artefacts can also be found at the Museo de Arte.
""Poserismo"" by Iván Cáceres
On a personal level, Sur Calith, the museum’s coordinator, recalls how Paredes was a charming man who continuously told anecdotes. ‘Walking the streets with him meant hearing all about Bolivian history,’ she says. He is remembered as a kind, humorous man, who had an immense affection for children and animals; he was entirely devoted to his pet dog and longtime companion Isolda. He remained unmarried for all of his life, but he adopted the son of his childhood friend. For this reason, he would frequently devote himself to writing children’s literature. His love for children is also reflected in one of his most celebrated works, written in 2001, Ellos no tenian zapatos (They Didn’t Have Shoes). The book is a social critique and satire in favour of disadvantaged Bolivian children that sheds light on child abuse, the social dynamics in Andean cities and popular local customs.
Antonio Paredes Candia is considered to be an icon in Bolivian culture. He is a source of pride for El Alto, a Bolivian city that has often been overshadowed by La Paz for its academic and artistic value. Calith believes that Paredes’s life and works should be an inspiration for all Bolivians. He was driven and tirelessly worked throughout his life in order to achieve his dream of opening his own cultural museum. He single-handedly earned his glory, never receiving any sponsorships, paid publicity or grants. Sixteen years after his death, the museum is still in Bolivia’s cultural spotlight for its unique collection and popularity. This may be, in part, due to the mythical belief that Paredes’s ghost wanders the museum halls at night, protecting his personal collection of art and literature. After all, Paredes was buried in the Museo de Arte’s back courtyard.
""Poserismo"" by Iván Cáceres
