Preserving Bolivia's Ancient Culture
In the Bolivian Andes, the village malku and mama t' halla see to peoples' needs and check in on every aspect of their lives, from ensuring that their potatoes are protected from frost to offering marital and childrearing advice.
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| A CONAMAQ-facilitated workshop to train ayllu leaders in the highlands provinces of Bolivia. |
At 13,000 feet above sea level there are no trees, only groves of rocks and spiny vegetation that cling stubbornly to the mountain surface to avoid the whipping winds. The villagers have adapted over thousands of years, constructing their homes with adobe and mud, and cultivating hardy strains of potatoes and livestock to feed their families and bring in some desperately needed cash.
The malku and mama t'halla are leaders of their ayllu, an ancient form of community organization that predates the Incan empire. Ayllus are villages brought together by ties of kinship and governed by community members who take turns leading committees, supervising agriculture, livestock, housing construction, water distribution, and other community needs.
Indigenous peoples comprise over 76 percent of the Bolivian population, and enjoy strong popular support in the rural highlands and tropical lowlands However, ayllus are not formally recognized by the Bolivian government. As a result, indigenous peoples are not granted the same rights as mainstream Bolivians. Native peoples occupy the lowest paying positions in society and are consistently threatened by economic, social and legal discrimination. Ethnic discrimination in Bolivia and neighboring countries translates into a lack of basic services: bad roads, inadequate health care and poor education.
In 1997, Oxfam America supported an initiative to bring hundreds of ayllus together under one umbrella organization, CONAMAQ, which works through the ayllu structure to empower communities to organize themselves as a single political body and develop a voice to articulate and defend their rights.
CONAMAQ supports efforts by rural highland communities to manage their natural resources in order to ensure greater local control of farmlands and fresh water sources. They offer training workshops for community members about issues such as indigenous rights and community organization. They promote the participation of indigenous authorities in affairs of national importance, as well as teaching and practicing lobbying strategies in order to promote the reform of certain laws and government programs. CONAMAQ has become a central player in the growing national movement critical of the unfair rules of the international trading system (exemplified in the Free Trade Area of the Americas). In the face of multiple local, national and regional struggles, they have taken strides to increase the participation of women in their organization and are reaching out to connect with other civil society groups within Bolivia and throughout the Americas.
The movement to resurrect the ayllus in the Bolivian highlands maintains an ancient culture, empowers rural communities and seeks to reverse the discrimination that has impeded local development. In the Bolivian Andes, the ayllu culture stands out as one of the most effective structures for people to defend their rights, and strengthen their communities.