In Bolivia not for profit - part 1

Bolivia is doubtless one of the poorest countries we visited this year (and one of the poorest in the world). But luckily for the country, it attracts a great number of international non-profit initiatives.

One of my favorite ones is ASUR - a project to revive traditional waving techniques. It started in the eighties with a couple of Chilean anthropologists who had a collection of old traditional weavings from around Sucre. When they came to the region, they realized that the weavings were no longer produced in the communities. The couple thought that reviving the art would be beneficial not only from an anthropological point of view but that it could also provide employment in the villages where opportunities for traditionally practiced agriculture were deteriorating. Long story short, the couple created an organization called ASUR, formed relationships with communities around Sucre and helped establishing the art of weaving traditional patterns.

It was hard at first because participants of the project were only able to produce very simple patterns. Young girls in the communities decided to try more elaborate and creative weavings. They sat together with their grandmothers, who still remembered how the weaving used to tell stories of everyday life and represent the system of believes practiced in the community. The combination of grandmothers’ memories and young girls’ skillful fingers led to the revival of an art that was almost completely lost.

Nowadays the weaving have once again become a living tradition. Although similar in style each weaving represents the interpretation of reality from the artist point of view. The traditional patterns are evolving to reflect the life of the community of today.

And interestingly enough, the business of weaving led to a division of labor in the villages. At first, weavers prepared their own wool and dyed it. Now some inhabitants specialize in preparing wool, some others' job is to dye it. The weavers only focus on weaving. In one village there is even a windmill set up to provide energy to facilitate some of the processes.

Marc and I wonder. The project started as the revival of ancient techniques and traditions. But it looks like it is enhancing the production cycle similar to the development of modern methods of production. Plus, the new income in the communities is often used to send children to schools in town thus giving them a better chance for the future. And in the future they will likely stay in towns, not in the villages of their parents.

This is certainly not a bad thing. All people deserve a chance for a better, more comfortable future. We should not hope that they will keep living their traditional (and harsh) lifestyle just because we find it interesting and picturesque.

I simply find it ironic how an attempt to revive the tradition has lead to progress along the same lines as in the western civilization. Of course it will be long, very long, before the lifestyle of indigenous people around Sucre even approaches the quality of life of city dwellers. I hope that the beautiful weavings will somehow find their place in the new reality. Hopefully traditional artisanat will remain in demand and become a profitable occupation…