This is the book I have started reading (Trans: The Revolution of Evo Morales: From Coca to the [Presidential] Palace). It was a gift from a friend I met in Honduras last December. If you didn't know, I read a lot and right now I am into reading anthing I can find to help get a better picture of the context we are going to find ourselves in in just a few more weeks. Bolivia is an incredibly diverse country- geographically, culturally, ethnically, economically, and politically. But right now I consider it a special privilage to be there because we get to observe while the old order of things is changing so much there now, which is a lot of what the book is about. The president, Evo Morales, is an indigenous man, former coca farmer and llama herder, and his vice president once led a small guerilla band that defended rural indigenous interests. Evo's election was the first time in Bolivian history for an indigenous person to win the presidency, and even more astonishing is that it was the first time in history for a president to win the election by an outright majority (53.7%). What is so incredible about this is that the various indigenous groups in the country represent over 65% of the population. One would think that they could elect whoever they want, but Bolivia has always been plagued by coup de etats and the oppression of the rich minority. Now the oppressors have pushed so far that the oppressed have banded together and organized. The power of the country is shifting, but it will not be an easy road. Ann and I get to be there in the middle of these changes. For me that is extremely exciting since I am going to be focusing my studies on issues of indigenous rights. This is a country where they are finally starting to turn the corner.
Of course, Evo's approach of changing the world and bringing justice by taking power at the top is yet to be successfully attempted anywhere, and I have doubts about if that is the way we as Christians are supposed to work in the Kingdom. Not that I have anything against Christians in power, but personally I have a strong aversion to trying to do the Kingdom's work by taking the seat of power. At least that never seemed to me to be an approach that Jesus or the early church ever used. God is strongest in our weakness and we are going to seek out those places of weakness. For me it seems like Bolivia is a country where we can have an opportunity to be a part of something where the weak are gaining their strength. I don't know how we will weave our own thread into this tapestry or what mark we may leave on it, be there is a lot of potential.