Movements: spectacular and revolutionary... small and slow

As the post-production of this film enters its second year, we in the creative team grapple with patience. With funds, we would finish within a couple of months... As it is, as we inch forward steadily, we are forced to aim our art beyond the urgency of the topical, beyond the current political battles. This forced transcendence, I think, can be good for art, despite its difficulty. So many artworks leave you thinking, "dang, wish the author would've spent a little more time thinking this all the way through". I am struck by how much attention is paid to revolutionary fervor, and how little to the long, complex aftermath.

The spectacular moments of 2000 and 2003, when Bolivia was a battleground, have given way to the past 7 years of working out how to construct a new model, with all its internal contradictions and slow-burning conflicts with occasional flare-ups. The current marches around the TIPNIS road-building issue display this dynamic perfectly. Indigenous groups and other opposition to the government plan are currently marching from the indigenous lands towards the capitol, protesting a proposed road that would run through indigenous lands and natural preserves. Now, this conflict is just the spectacular moment of visible flame that has erupted after years of friction between developmentalism and “pachamamismo”/indigenismo.

Obviously revolutionary fervor is fascinating with all its supercharged emotion… however, at stake is whether or not we deepen our understanding of the issues by examining history, and a continuing post-uprising reality that belies or at least tempers the promises of revolution. The Water Wars in Cochabamba, unfortunately, far from solved Cochabamba’s water problems (see this Wikipedia article for the more info on the conflict, and the current water problems). The Arab Spring was so exciting when Egypt’s people rose up. And now? How many outside the region know what’s going on? Have the Egyptian people founded a new society? Check out this radio story on Egypt now:

As I work on this film, constantly reflecting and deepening understanding of (r)evolutionary processes with so many other creative minds, working with words, images and sounds, I am constantly impressed by how slow and small real change is... and how misleading the spectacle can be. Working to preserve creative and critical memory of social history, pushing towards a more just future, is grueling. And unpopular. But it appears to me to be the only way to truly progress. Otherwise the spectacle of revolution overwhelms, burns and tramples the true, deep movements that permit baby steps (and occasional leaps) forward on solid ground.

I think filming is revolution, and postproduction/distribution nation-(re)building. Spectacular Movements, the documentary, is a project embedded in much larger projects, from Teatro Trono's plays and performances, to the struggle to bring justice to the perpetrators of historical atrocities, to understanding the roots of revolutionary crises, to delving into the formation of a creative-critical mestizo-urban-indigenous identity. These are not fast and furious, even if they are exciting. Guided by the humble model set by these deeper, slower movements, we continue the journey.  Thanks for coming along.

Yesterday Bolivia's Supreme Court reached a verdict on the Black October case. The ex-military leaders that formed part of Gonzalo "Goni" Sanchez de Lozada's government were convicted for their role in the massacre in October 2003. This is a major landmark in the social and judicial process of dealing with the revolts and massacres of 2003.  The young actors in our documentary bring the events that this trial dealt with to life, and through their play, their public discourse, and their street performance-protests they have formed part of the pressure on the government for there to be justice in this case. It has taken almost 8 years for us to reach this point.

This achievement is partial, and is part of a much larger movement. In terms of 2003, much remains to be done: most notably, the extradition of Goni and his ministers from the US and Peru. And above all, in Bolivia, Latin America and the world, other historic crimes must be brought to justice. For example, and most pressing throughout Latin America, the crimes of the dictatorships of the 60s-80s must be exposed and brought to trial. Only through ending impunity and reviving/applying collective memory can we avoid such atrocities in the future.


See our Spanish Blog for more information and articles.

 

Bolivia: Former officials convicted over massacre

by: Amnesty International

Bolivia’s Supreme Court has convicted seven former officials for their role in the “Black October” massacre during protests in 2003.
31 August 2011

The conviction of seven high-ranking former officials in Bolivia for their role in dozens of deaths during anti-government protests in 2003 is an important step for justice, Amnesty International said today.

Bolivia’s Supreme Court in Sucre yesterday sentenced five former senior military officers and two former ministers for their part in the events known as “Black October,” which left 67 people dead and more than 400 injured during protests in El Alto, near La Paz, in late 2003.

The clashes included soldiers opening fire on unarmed crowds during demonstrations sparked by opposition to a proposed pipeline to export natural gas through neighbouring Chile.

”These convictions are an important victory for the families of those killed and injured who have waited nearly eight years to see justice delivered after the tragic events known as  ‘Black October’,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Programme Director at Amnesty International.

The five military officers have received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years, while the two former ministers were sentenced to three years.

Former President Gonzálo Sánchez de Lozada and former ministers Carlos Sánchez Berzaín and Jorge Berindoague fled to the USA soon after the “Black October” violence and are facing extradition. Several other former ministers and military officers fled the country when the charges were made public in November 2008.

Serious obstacles hindered the case, including the failure of the military to hand over relevant information and a lack of sufficient resources to allow many witnesses and victims to attend court in Sucre, a long way from El Alto.

“We hope that this ruling sets a positive precedent for the pursuit of lasting and impartial justice in other human rights cases in Bolivia,” said Guadalupe Marengo.

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http://www.canadaviews.ca/2011/08/31/bolivia-former-officials-convicted-over-massacre/
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UN rights chief commends Bolivia sentence for 2003 massacre

02/09/2011 © 2011 AFP

The UN's rights chief on Friday welcomed a decision by Bolivia's top court to sentence two former ministers and five senior military officers to prison for their role in a deadly 2003 crackdown.

"I commend the Bolivian Supreme Court for its decision, which is an important step in the fight against impunity," Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in statement.

"I also urge the government to take all necessary steps to ensure victims and their relatives receive suitable reparations and redress," she said.

On Tuesday two former ministers and five ex-military officers were each given prison terms of between three and 15 years for their role in a brutal crackdown that left some 65 people dead and injured 500 during a 2003 protest.

Retired General Roberto Claros Flores, former head of the Bolivian armed forces and Juan Veliz, former commander of the army, received the harshest punishment, with each sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Two other generals received prison sentences of 10 and 11 years, while a former navy admiral was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

And Bolivia's former Labor minister, Adalberto Kuajara, as well as its sustainable development minister, Erick Reyes Villa received sentences of three years each from Bolivia's high court.

The sentences ended years of legal wrangling following the brutal government crackdown during the regime of liberal president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, now in exile in the United States.

The protests were against president Sanchez de Lozada's plan to sell natural gas to foreign countries through Chile, with which Bolivia has a century-old border dispute.

"I welcome this signal by yet another Latin American country that impunity for past human rights violations will no longer be tolerated," Pillay added.

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http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/swiss-news/un-rights-chief-commends-bolivia-sentence-for-2003-massacre_172993.html

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