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Bolivia is one of the least-developed countries in the Western hemisphere and the poorest in South America. The Quechua and Aymara indigenous peoples of the Andean highlands survive primarily through subsistence farming on small plots of land generally of poor soil quality. They have little or no access to healthcare and education — especially higher education. THE AYMARA For nearly 500 years, the living conditions of indigenous peoples, who constitute the majority of the population, have been deplorable. Forced to work in dangerous mines or as indentured servants on large estates, they were denied access to education, economic opportunity or political participation. The majority of UAC-CP’s students are of Aymara Indian origin; however, the College serves people from a variety of cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups including Quechua, Chama, Leco and Guacanagua Indians as well as Afro-Bolivians and Mestizos. The Aymara (pictured below right) are descendents of the Tiwanaku Empire in the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia and Peru (400-1500 AD). Through resistance and strong communities, the Aymara people have survived colonization both by the Quechua-speaking Inca (1438-1532 AD) and the Spanish (1532-1824). There are currently approximately 1.2 million speakers of Aymara in Bolivia alone. Like many indigenous cultures, the Aymara maintain a strong sense of community and connectedness to the earth. The Unidad Académica Campesina’s core philosophy is rooted in the Aymaran concept of Ayni: the idea of mutual responsibility, sharing and protecting resources, and working for the common good. Though still facing widespread poverty and racism, the indigenous peoples of Bolivia — over 60% of the population — have gained a stronger presence in national politics in the last two decades. For many indigenous Bolivians, the recently-elected Aymara Indian President Evo Morales (below center) embodies the hope and pride of the multiethnic Andes, as represented by the multicolored “wipala” flag (below left).
THE NEED FOR EDUCATION At the core of UAC-CP's mission is the principle that education is the foundation of growth, and the need for sustainable growth is great in the rural Andean highlands, where 94% of people live on less than two dollars a day. A 2004 World Bank study showed the following statistics for Bolivia:
THE NEED FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT As in much of the Third World, Bolivia has undergone a massive process of urbanization in the past thirty years that has drained human and material resources from the countryside. The rapidly expanding urban slums, which contribute to crime and instability, attest to the need for greater opportunity in rural areas. What is needed, first and foremost, are skilled and knowledgeable leaders who are from rural communities and understand the needs and aspirations of rural people.
LINKS CIA World Fact Book – Bolivia: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bl.html LANIC – Bolivia: http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/sa/bolivia/ Google Alerts: www.google.com/alerts Andean Information Network: www.ain-bolivia.org The Democracy Center: www.democracyctr.org Resource Center of the Americas: www.americas.org Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) – Andes Program: “Authenticity Still Exists” – Bolivia tourism: www.turismobolivia.bo
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The impoverished city-slum of El Alto, on the outskirts of La Paz, grew from just under 100,000 people in 1976 to over 400,000 in 1992 (Instituto Nacional Estadística, 1992). Now numbering nearly 800,000, with 81% identifying as Aymara Indians, residents of El Alto live in destitute conditions beset with social unrest. It is one of the most vivid illustrations of the severe lack of options faced by rural indigenous people. Home | Carmen Pampa Fund | About the College | Academic Partnerships | News | Photo Album | Publications | |
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