"El 11 de Enero": One Year Later

Readers:

Last Friday, January 11, marked the one-year anniversary of a day here in Cochabamba that few who lived through it will ever forget. Following days of growing tensions between rival political factions – which included the burning of the local Governor's office and ongoing blockades, protests, and counter protests – Cochabamba exploded into an afternoon of Bolivian on Bolivian violence that left three men dead and many others seriously wounded.

To mark that anniversary, once again Cochabambinos returned to the streets in two factions, not to throw rocks, wield machetes or fire pistols, but to remember those events in different ways. Aldo Orellana and Elliot Williams of The Democracy Center spent the day in the streets, interviewing people from varying perspectives, to put together this report.

Jim Shultz


"EL 11 DE ENERO": ONE YEAR LATER

January 11th, 2008 passed peacefully in Cochabamba – in stark contrast to the year prior. Last Friday a variety of organizations took to the streets to remember the tragedy of January 11th, 2007. With three deaths and were dozens wounded, the physical and emotional impacts of the fratricidal violence remain clear today. Rallies, marches, and religious services held throughout the area. Two of the biggest events were held in nearly the same space, but hours apart. Below is a description of the two along with some of the opinions expressed by the participants.

The first march and rally was lead by youth groups and organizations from throughout the area. A couple hundred people walked with signs proposing unity and denouncing violence and racism. The march lead through downtown to the Chakana, a memorial erected July 11th, 2007 in honor of those killed six months earlier. Despite its inclusive message, this monument has been destroyed twice since and was fortified anew to mark the year anniversary.

Once at the Chakana, there were a few moments of tension. The memorial is in a space adjacent to where the Civic Committee’s event would be held hours later. With some people already waiting for the second rally, a line of police separated the two groups. Shortly however, the focus turned to speeches, an offering to the pachamama (mother earth), and some traditional music.

The Cochabamba Civic Committee organized second and larger of the two events. An immense stage complete with lights and a booming sound system looked out upon hundreds of people, nearly all of them waving a Bolivian or Cochabamban flag (if not both). The stage was adorned with a banner stating: “Never Again January 11th.” The large crowd was met with a number of speakers from the Civic Committee, ending with the Prefect Manfred Reyes Villa. Speakers called for unity and democracy in Cochabamba and Bolivia. Despite the occasional drizzle and cool evening, the mood was lively. People from all over the department attended the event.

Despite rumors that the new Chakana monument would be destroyed, it remains intact. This is a positive signal for end of the violence in Cochabamba. Respecting the Chacakna shows a respect for diversity, free expression, difference and finally democracy.


Words from Those at the Gathering of Social Movements

Young person from the tropics of Cochabamba

As young people from the tropics of Cochabamba we have felt this racism that exists here in Cochabamba, and they showed us very clearly January 11th. With their pistols, bats, they yelled: “Indians of shit leave here from our Cochabamba.”
It’s for this that we, the youth have met here voluntarily, not like the civic committee that has been called to meet at 6pm to for the officials of the prefect and their lackeys.

Social and community worker

We know that…we are passing an historic moment, we should not permit discrimination, racism or fascism. We have to assure this process of change, we have to assure…a new country because tomorrow the courts will be ours, tomorrow we have to leave a country full of glory with social justice. I also call to unite all the youth organizations because like this we will be able to be one single force, to give one single blow to be able to defeat fascism and racism.

Youth from a social movement

Over there are those that have killed our people, over that are those that say they defend democracy, over there are those that have impoverished our country…We as youth should be here present to defend our indigenous groups. Never more will we allow the fascist right to discriminate and exploit our people.

We have organized, against all the dirtiness of this system that taught the youth of the right to go to the streets to abuse campesinos, to abuse workers.

It is for this that we youth are left in the defense of our fathers, we have come out to never again permit a hand to be raised against a campesino or a worker…they are the ones that work the land, they are the ones that sacrifice for the country. In this sense, we want to pay homage to those fallen after more than 500 years of exploitation…to all the martyrs of the people.

A young woman

We are not from MAS, we are part of the social organizations that have come from January 11th to struggle for the vindication of the people. When Manfred Reyes Villa joined the media luna, the oligarchies, the wealthy people that have maintained the neoliberal power during so many years…they failed to recognize the vote that said ‘no’ to the autonomies, and he invited violence.

We believe also that it is an outrage to believe that the original peoples, that the people of the countryside do not have the standing of citizens when attacked as the invaders of the city. This land has been inhabited for thousands of years before the invasion of the colonizers by Quechuas, Aymaras, Guaranis and various groups.

This day, January 11th, was the beginning of a fight because the racism has not been forgotten; this is a problem that has carried over from colonialism. Racism now shows up in violent acts, manipulated by media and influencing people to forget their ancestors, to forget about the origins, believing that the only model is that of the West.

We say therefore to the right that we are not going to forget this day, that in memory of Luciano Colque, of Juan Tica Colque we have raised this Chakana and the struggle has not finished.

An older man wounded by a bullet January 11th

I received the impact of the bullet before they broke the police barricade. They are the ones that have shot us and later that kicked us, until they could end our lives. Also I want to tell say to the means of communication to not lie.

They have demonstrated…they are violent. Before they said they were pacifists, days before they had marched with white flags saying that they defended democracy, but they have violated democracy, they have abused the laws. Well I tell all the youth and all the people of Cochabamba, we defend our natural resources, that this is our aim for everyone.

Wife of someone who had been shot January 11th

My husband was shot in this plaza January 11th. He did not come to fight with anyone. They shot him and with sticks they smashed his head and his stomach. My husband remains traumatized, and even now is afraid to walk by here. I do not know why they hit him, why the police did not stop it, why they did not stop so much. We should be united I do not know why it is like this. This trauma has remained with us.


Interviews with People at the Civic Committee Rally

[All were asked why they were there and what they hoped would come of this day.]

45-year-old man

The events that took place January 11th, 2007 are being remembered – when the armed groups of cocaleros promoted by the government of Mr. Evo Morales came to Cochabamba to subdue the institutions and to take out the Prefect that was elected. So they wanted to interfere with the institutions and democracy. Because of this we are remembering all these events when they came, invaded, destroyed the city, did not allow the citizens to walk free, and aggressively they interfered with all the rights of the citizens. They did not allow them to work, they insulted them, including spitting in peoples’ faces. So the people that day organized and said enough, enough of those who come and treat us in this way in our land.

So the citizens organized to walk…we organized and decided to take them out of the city. So that they would go to their land.

There had never been this kind of confrontations in the history of Bolivia between the country and the city, but from the beginning of Mr. Evo Morales’s government, a very racist and discriminatory government, they began organizing these types of groups, groups that clashed, that had always done this.

And there was a death. A young man of the city, a 17-year-old boy that was killed cruelly, they tortured him, cut him with machetes and hung him. So this is being remembered also one year after his death. For us a martyr, martyr for democracy, for the rights of people.

A 14 and 15 year old boy

We are here to support the country, the homeland and all that.

I am here to support democracy and to hear that through this we will be better, that everyone has the right to give their opinion that Bolivia is not only based in one area of the country, Bolivia is everyone.

A 52 year old woman

Remembering that last year on this date, there was a confrontation between all people from Cochabamba here, from both parties. The cocaleros with the people from here. And in this confrontation there were three deaths, two cocaleros and one young man from here, Cochabamba, Cristian Urresti. So for this, this [event] is being held, to remember this.

They are asking for democracy, that Cochabamba be free, that the country be free. Not to say that if you want to do something and that if we say the opposite we won’t let you do what you want. So this is what is wanted, for people to be free and for there to be democracy.

A 38 year old woman

To support Cochabamba, and the Prefect, to support liberty and democracy in Bolivia.
That it is remembered now as a day of unity, to erase a bit of what happened last year when there were three killed, the confrontations between Bolivians was a very sad thing.

A 49 year old man

We want the unity of the country, we want democracy, we want a future for Bolivia, we do not want any kind of fighting.

36-year-old man

We are here, because we are within a government, of a son of bitch of a dictator...Evo Morales made a mistake, he thought that we were different tribes like in Rawanda, Hutus and Tutsis, he was wrong this is a country.
If Evo Morales does not respect democracy, with a balance of how he does things, if one side grows [over the other], well this is not a country. Bolivia is not like this and will not accept it…Here in Bolivia, are you going to guard democracy or not? So Evo Morales, Garcia Linera, sons of bitches. This is a democratic country, and they do not want to do this fine, we will raise arms. And here in Cochabamba, as q’ochalas (people from Cochabamba) we are ready. The cocaleros will not enter Cochabamba, we wait for them, they don’t enter here.

Interviews and writing by Aldo Orellana and Elliot Williams