Bolivian Judith Apaza (@judith_apaza) wrote this important thread “So that we can understand one another a bit, from the point of view of El Alto.” The document was written in the context of the Alteño march into La Paz “in defense of the wiphala.” It first appeared on Twitter, starting with the tweet below. My translation follows…

Para que entendamos un poco, desde la mirada de #ElAlto.
La gente #Alteña y de las provincias convocadas por la CSUTCB, están movilizadas porque sienten que el proceso de inclusión y respeto a los campesinos indígenas y campesinos originarios se encuentra en peligro.
(Abro hilo)

— Judith (@judith_apaza) November 12, 2019

So that we can understand one another a bit, from the point of view of El Alto. The people of El Alto and the provinces convened by the CSUTCB peasant confederation, are mobilizing today because they feel that the process of inclusion and respect for indigenous and native campesinos is currently in danger.

This is seen in part to be exacerbated by:

• Acts of aggression upon a patriotic symbol, the Wiphala, which is a symbol of indigenous peoples.
• Acts of discrimination and racism that were carried out during the so-called “defense of democracy”
• Minimization of [our] protest on social media by means of mockery and disrespect

There are ways that we can help to solve this tense situation:

• Support the prosecution, under the law, of those who broke the law and burned the wiphala
• Be more tolerant of those who think differently. This respect will bring us to genuine democracy.

Among us all, we need to guarantee:

• That respect for indigenous peoples and native peasants is promoted, as well as their participation in building Bolivia
• That spaces of dialogue are generated to seek out joint solution that don’t respond to personal interests.
• The violence that we are currently living through is condemnable from anyone’s point of view. Let’s collaborate to avoid passing on message of hate and differentiate between the struggle of indigenous peoples and the vandalism that some are taking advantage of in order to do crime and destroy.

Finally, it’s necessary that the society as a whole be aware that dialogue is the only solution to heal the social fracture that we are living through, and to guarantee that what has been built in these years, as the Bolivian people, will not be lost.

I want to signal that this thread, with some modifications, was the result of a collective conversation within El Alto, and that it is hoped that it can help mutual understanding of that which has been broken apart in recent days.

Judith Apaza
November 12, 2019