The Bolivian Express is Bolivia’s major English speaking publication. Spicy as llajwa and hotter than Chile, it is now online and near you. As a magazine still in its infancy, we would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit more about ourselves: that we are a collaboration between Bolivian graduates and students from all over the world; that we distribute on the ground, in the skies and online; that we cover culture, society, travel, and so much more. But don’t listen to us, Bolivia’s calling: seize your condors and take off, this month’s edition is just a click away.
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Articles from the latest edition
- Paceño Style by
Olivia Alter
and
Katie Lark
Forget bowler hats, long skirts, shawls and plaits - there’s more to Bolivian fashion than the cholita uniform. We headed to the city centre, around San Francisco, to see what other styles we could find. From schoolgirls to professionals, Cruceños and extranjeros, La Paz is buzzing with diversity. Here’s a small sample of what we found......
- We'll Have A Gay Old Time by
Andrew Cummings
‘Chicken’, noun: as well as referring to the animal, the word can colloquially mean ‘cowardly’, alluding to a certain deficiency in one’s virility. But Evo Morales seems to believe that the link between poultry and ponciness is stronger than that, as he made evident at a climate change conference in April of this year. Watch out, Evo warned chicken-eaters everywhere: thanks to ‘feminine’ hormones in everyone’s favourite fowl, you’re soon to turn gay and bald (‘in the shit’ in more ways than one. Ahem)...
- One Last August Rite by
Niall Maccrann
I couldn’t help myself. Bolivia’s festive fever swept me up and carried me off to where I wasn’t supposed to be, to Copacabana’s celebrations. As I was assigned to report on everything that wasn’t August, this festival was left without coverage. So I went undercover to share one last rite of August with you. ...
- Ploughing In The Sea: The Legacy of Bolivar - 6 de Agosto by
Alistair Smout
In the Zona Sopocachi of La Paz, things are peculiarly quiet. The normally chaotic traffic is calm, and pedestrians cross the road with relative ease. Shops are shuttered up, cafes are draped in red, yellow and green, and the rusty smell of a barbeque drifts over a garden wall. The famously hectic city is having a break. It is 6th August, and a national holiday, for, one hundred and eighty-five years ago today, and after a sixteen year war, Simón Bolívar declared Bolivia’s independence....
- Quién va a sembrar la tierra? by
Xenia Elsaesser
Who will sow the land? The Jalqas sow the land. When I decided to join the Jalqas I did not realise the gravity of what I was undertaking. Enticed by merrily leaping couples, it seemed like a fun dance to take part in. Certainly it is a community dance, and the compact sense of unity that drew me in, the vision of 40 people swaying as one block, proved most satisfying and rea...
- Bolivia's Real Death Road by
Emma Hall
On entering the Cementerio General of La Paz, the presence of Catholic and generally European traditions related to death struck me straight away. Cholitas had unearthed black variants of their traditional attire for a funeral, and as we entered a sign commanded us to be respectfully silent. Yet as we ventured past the whitewashed church into the cemetery proper and listened more closely to our two shoe shiner guides, the individuality of the Bolivian approach to death became ever more apparent. ...
Work with us
Love the sound of travelling to Bolivia? As an international collaboration, Bolivian Express is always looking for contributors to our publication. Whether you're leaving sixth-form, gap-yearing around, a languages student planning your year abroad, or simply looking to get away for a few months, this could be just the thing for you. Those with more experience will be in line for editorial positions, but we also reserve places for the uninitiated and keen to learn.
Article Submissions
If you have salient opinions about Bolivia, but prefer to compose them from the comfortable armchair, we also consider online article submissions. Follow this link to submit your article for publication with us.