While reading old newspapers I noticed news cycles today are much shorter, many topics change rapidly, but that some issues are true constants. The headline of “El Diario” on July 1st, 1995 is covering the exact same topic as the July 6th, 2016 version. While in 1995 the newspaper proclaimed that Bolivia cumplió con erradicación, a brief glance at the 2016 headline proves this was merely a premature statement. Today the newspaper lamented that Más de 11 mil toneladas de coca van al narcotráfico, proving that the issue of coca growth and attempts to control the illegal market seem to be an issue that springs eternal for the country.
Same can be said for the enduring legacy of losing sea access to Chile during the War of the Pacific. This national trauma has now spanned decades without relenting in social discourse. The ‘95 version prominently showcases an opinion piece that staunchly argues for the creation of a Ministerio del Mar in order to “dar permanente vigencia a nuestro reclamo marítimo.” Similar rhetoric is prominent to this day; 2016 newspapers regularly analyze the economic cost of losing the coast and yearns to see it returned. In April of 2013 Bolivia filed its case against its neighbor in front of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with the aim of recovering the land lost to Chile. Bolivia has announced it is expanding the area desired to include the Silala water system. This new facet of the issue is also prominently featured in present day newspapers with two articles from June 6th focusing on the Silala.
Another area that has experienced little change over the past twenty one years is paceña traffic. The ‘95 edition includes an opinion piece called El mal uso de bocinas concerning the stress that traffic in the city causes for its inhabitants. The article argues that in developed countries daily life is accompanied by high amounts of stress. The benefit of “third-world countries” (difference in terminology due to age, today that term is not deemed politically correct anymore and would not appear in a professional newspaper today) should be “una vida tranquila.” The article goes on to argues that the aggressiveness and disorder of traffic in big bolivian cities eliminates any chance of that reprieve. It specifically complains about how when minibuses stop to let people on and off, the drivers behind them start honking immediately. Having suffered through La Paz traffic firsthand I can personally account for the fact that sadly nothing has changed over the years.
Both of your observations are fascinating, and could be great research topics on their own. A historical look at the way coca policy was covered in the media might inform us about the issue in a way that simply looking at government policy might not. Similarly, a look at paceño attitudes towards traffic may tell us a lot about what the idea of a "modern city" means to people over time, or in different contexts.
ReplyDelete