Bolivia: Screening of “Cocalero” in the Chapare · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Much of the world's interest in Bolivia has to do with the first indigenous president, Evo Morales.  He got his start as a union leader with the coca growers in the Chapare region of Bolivia.  A recent documentary called “Cocalero” followed Morales during his victorious campaign of 2005.  The film's director, Alejandro Landes, took the film to the heart of Morales’ old stomping ground to screen the film for the cocaleros, and Luis Rodriguez of Diseccionando a la Musa Perdida [ES] was along for the ride.  He chronicles the journey from Cochabamba to the tropics of that department and observes the farmers as they watch familiar scenes unfold, where he writes, “during the film, amidst the silence one could be heard saying proudly, “look, there I am!”, followed by heavy laughter.”