ARTICLES OF Xenia Elsaesser

Creatures of the Chacana

01 Jul, 2012 | Xenia Elsaesser

The Chakana is the inca cross, symbolizing different levels of life through which the shaman transgresses in trance. He goes first to the underworld, embodied in the snake, and learns ‘I live. don’t l...

Quién va a sembrar la tierra?

27 Aug, 2010 | 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 danc...

Protecting the Sex Workers' Profession: A Tragic Reality

14 Aug, 2012 | Xenia Elsaesser

'I am also a part of this society’ We are doing important social work . . . It is because of us that there are less cases of rape.’ So speaks Lily Cortez, president of OTN, the sex workers union...

Project Durazno

22 Sep, 2011 | Xenia Elsaesser

Independent cinema has a hard time of it in the richest of countries, and in Bolivia it is no easier.Filmmakers must campaign for funds to finance their projects and expect little profit: here the dif...

Claudia Balderrama: Bolivia’s race walker

14 Aug, 2012 | Xenia Elsaesser

'We need women who are fighters, who are more enterprising. They must not be submissive' 'The only thing I can be is Claudia Balderrama. Nothing else. That is it.’ Claudia Balderrama speaks softl...