Evo Morales

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on October 18th, 2011

They are marching on.

More than 1,500 indigenous Bolivians in the final days of a remarkable 500km march across the country.

Final destination: The seat of the national government - La Paz.

Their message to Bolivian President Evo Morales: Stop the building of a controversial highway that would cut through their indigenous land.

A good overview of the Bolivian road project by Carwil Bjork-James can be found here. 

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The marchers are less than 40km from La Paz [Photo: Gabriel Elizondo] 
 
They are more than 60 days into this march.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on February 25th, 2011
Photo from AFP

Both geographically and culturally Latin America is a world away from Libya.  However, examining the record shows how Libya’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in recent years has quietly built political and economic alliances with Latin America that are mutually beneficial. Those new alliances might now be working to Gaddafi’s advantage, earning him support by some of president's of the region, and forcing others to think twice before openly criticising him this past week.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Americas on October 13th, 2010
The first miner was pulled out of the gold and copper mine on Wednesday

Al Jazeera follows the last stage of the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile as they get hoisted to the surface one by one through a narrow rescue shaft which took months to drill.

The men have been trapped 600 metres underground after the upper galleries of the San Jose mine in the country's north collapsed on August 5.

01:25 GMT: Pinera says Chile is "not the same" as it was 70 days ago, when the mine collapsed. He praises Chileans across the "length and width" of the country. Behind him, the wheel that has helped raise the "Phoenix" capsule over the past 24 hours, an image that has become symbolic of the rescue, spins as the rescue workers are winched up to the surface.

By Teresa Bo in Americas on December 5th, 2009
Photo by AFP

Since he took office, Evo Morales has enshrined indigenous values, nationalized the oil and gas sector and vowed to help millions out of poverty. But those criticising him say he could be following what they call dictatorial ways.

He reformed the constitution to promote indigenous rights, but also to permit his possible re-election. He has removed the head of the judiciary and challenged every single Bolivian institution that has dared oppose him.

But still, on Sunday, millions of Bolivians will continue to vote for him.

The reason? Many of his followers respect him for challenging the same institutions that have been unfair to the indigenous majority, the laws that have discriminated against them and the justice that in the past imprisoned them for demanding equal rights.

By Teresa Bo in Americas on December 3rd, 2009
Photo from AFP

Bolivia has changed since the first time I came here before Evo Morales was elected President. Even though class divisions continue to exist ...now it is easier to spot those who were once considered to be  "low class" traveling business class, involved in politics or even in areas of the city that were off limits to people like them.

Around 60 per cent of Bolivians identify themselves with an indian ethnic group. Ayamaras, like President Evo Morales, Qechuas and others....used to be seen as second class citizens. And they were....Even though until today they are the poorest in the country.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on November 28th, 2009
Photo by AFP
It was billed as a summit of presidents of Amazon countries. But most of the presidents didn’t bother to show up, making the ‘summit of presidents’ in Manaus one with few actual presidents in attendance.
 
About half of the mysterious place called "the Amazon" is in Brazil. The other half is divided between 8 other countries - Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
 
So Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, organised Thursday's one-day summit of Amazon countries as a chance for them to come together a forge a common agenda ahead of the all important Copenhagen climate change summit starting on December 7 - which is being billed as the biggest climate change meeting in generations.

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