Bolivia - People and Society
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Selling ice-cream and yoghurt in the market-place |
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About two-thirds of Bolivians come from the Quechua or Aymara ethnic
groups. Most of the rest are mestizos – of mixed Spanish
and indigenous descent. People of European descent account for about
10 per cent of the population. Ninety-five per cent of the population
is Roman Catholic, although traditional beliefs have been incorporated
into Christianity in many places.
Spanish is the colonial language, but 70 per cent of Bolivians
also speak Aymara, Quechua, and other dialects. Outside the big
cities, many people don’t speak Spanish at all.
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. Its already weak
economy suffered a blow with the collapse of tin prices in 1985.
Huge numbers of unemployed miners moved to the cities in search
of work. People who had lost their jobs had to find other ways of
earning a living. Many people turned to growing coca, which, besides
having traditional uses, is the raw material for cocaine. The cocaine
trade brought violence and lawlessness with it. One of the biggest
tasks faced by the Bolivian government is to find ways to invest
in developing alternative means, other than coca-growing, for people
to earn a living.
Arts and crafts
Ancient Quechua and Aymara crafts of feather-art, weaving, and
wood-carving have survived the centuries unchanged, and still play
an important part in festivals and ceremonies.
Music
Bolivian music is famous for its soaring, graceful sound. It is
played on instruments such as the queña (pan-pipes) and
the charango (a guitar made from an armadillo shell), vividly
evoking the landscape of this high, mountainous country.
Photos: Sean Sprague/Oxfam
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