Social issues

The City of the Rings

28 Oct, 2015 | Lila Andrea Monasterios Esteves

Building  the Future of Santa Cruz de la SierraThe city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in eastern Bolivia, is home to well over 1 million people, and is widely known as the economic center of the countr...

Long Road to the Interior

28 Oct, 2015 | J.Q.Cooley

My Journey with a Taxista through La Paz‘The secret to driving in Bolivia,’ Edgar says, streetlights illuminating his smile, ‘is thinking ahead.’ At that moment, his eyes catch sight of a family of to...

Sounds of Paper

28 Oct, 2015 | Hazel Browne

Local luthier making recycled instruments‘I don’t like the felling of trees,’ Adrián Villanueva says, as he shows me a selection of his creations: charangos made from recycled paper. Traditionally fas...

Our Brand Is Bolivia

28 Oct, 2015 | Anna Grace

Branding the Plurinational StateThere's no doubt about it: we live in a brand-oriented world. Think fizzy drinks, sports shoes or mobile phones and it’s certain a particular brand, logo or catchphrase...

The 5 types of gringos

05 Oct, 2015 | Olivia Hylton-Pennant

Since the 18th century, the term ‘gringo’ has been used to refer to foreigners in Spanish-speaking countries. Although gringos come from all walks of life, there are five archetypal gringos that are e...

A New Era for the Afro-Bolivian?

05 Oct, 2015 | Olivia Hylton-Pennant

For centuries, the presence of black people in Bolivia went unnoticed and unappreciated. Now they are making their voices heard, but will anything ever change?I arrive at Malegria, a club in La Paz’s...

Sticks and stones can break my bones and words...may also hurt me

05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland

‘What is self-esteem?’ asks Beymar Soto, a staff member from the Alcaldia of La Paz to a roomful of schoolchildren. I am at La Escuela Corazón de Jesús de Fé y Alegría, a primary school in La Paz part...

La Reina

05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland

Growing Old with Grace (and Dignity, Respect, Support and Freedoms)What does it mean to “be old”? For “La Reina” of the Maria Esther Quevedo Care Home, otherwise known as Alicia Abigal Flores Burgoa,...

Breastfeeding in (La) Paz

05 Oct, 2015 | Megan Sunderland

The vegan restaurant Red Monkey, in La Paz’s San Miguel neighbourhood, has started offering mothers a free cup of tea as they breastfeed in the restaurant. The offer is meant to celebrate Internationa...

Eco-Labels

05 Oct, 2015 | Rafael Bertoli-Mitchell

Sowing the seeds of Bolivian fair tradeAmid smells of dust and car engines, the scent of chocolate is unmistakable. Here in the sprawling mess of El Alto stands El Ceibo, a chocolate factory that...

Foundlings

05 Oct, 2015 | Rafael Bertoli-Mitchell

Abandonment and Adoption in BoliviaAlfredo is nine years old. He enjoys spending time with his friends, playing outside with his toys and wants to teach sport when he’s older. Three years ago, he was...

Cambas and Collas

05 Oct, 2015 | Anna Bellettato

La Paz and Santa Cruz, the two largest cities in Bolivia, could not be more diverse – both in terms of geography and culture. Paceños are also known as collas. They are those who shaped the traditiona...

Cambas and Collas

05 Oct, 2015 | Anna Bellettato

La Paz and Santa Cruz, the two largest cities in Bolivia, could not be more diverse – both in terms of geography and culture. Paceños are also known as collas. They are those who shaped the traditiona...

Town and Country

05 Oct, 2015 | Celia Dyson

Rural Migrants in Urban Bolivia Adjacent to La Paz sits the sprawling urban mass of El Alto, a city whose existence centres on the movement of Bolivians from urban to rural areas. Since the National R...

THE SPACE BETWEEN

26 Aug, 2015 | Hannah Mills

Concrete poetry and the power of the visual in verseBolivian blogger, journalist and poet Paola Senseve uses space to make her readers question the nature of poetry. Using a form called ‘concrete poet...