From poverty to power - Oxfam-Québec

2 POWER AND POLITICS I HAVE RIGHTS, THEREFORE I AMwithout higher education, the justice minister had previously been aleader of the home workers’ union, and the water minister was previouslythe leader of urban organisations in El Alto and worked as a carpenter.Other ministers came from unions and NGOs. The election marked asea-change in the fortunes of Bolivia’s indigenous peoples, including theChiquitanos.Three further factors help to explain why change happened in Bolivia.First, the discovery of large reserves of natural gas contributed to ageneral perception that the country was on the threshold of a historicopportunity. Second, the historical memory of the country’s indigenouspeoples allowed them to draw strength from deep traditions of identityand resistance. Third, vibrant social institutions such as trade unions,neighbourhood associations, and indigenous organisations were able tocatalyse popular unrest.Political strategy was also essential. Aware of Bolivia’s history ofmilitary coups followed by violent repression, Chiquitano leaders soughtto emphasise the country’s equally strong tradition of negotiation. Theirmain intent was to pressure the national government to fulfil its role asthe duty-bearer of rights, and they insisted on legal procedures despite thetricks of adversaries and delays of judges. The challenges now are toimplement the indigenous rights framed in the new constitution, tomanage indigenous territory sustainably, and to prepare a new generationof men and women leaders.CASE STUDYSources: E. Caceres (2007) ‘Territories and citizenship, the revolution of theChiquitanos’, background paper for Oxfam International; Diakonia, La Paz (2006)‘Género, etnicidad y participación política’, García Linera. For a shortchronology of the Original Community Territory legal process up to 2001,see Artículo Primero, vol. V, no. 19, 2001.33