A Guaraní professor analyzes the perception of Indigenous peoples in Bolivian media

A total of 11 young people from various Indigenous and Afro-Bolivian communities in the Gran Chaco region in Bolivia participated in the workshop entitled “Roipea Taperai” (“Opening Paths,” in the Guaraní language). The workshop focused on the terms used in Bolivian media when reporting on climate change or Indigenous peoples in the region (you can read more about the workshop here ^[1]). What follows is an interview with one of the participants in this workshop.

Benjamín Cuéllar Fernández is a primary school teacher in the bilingual Spanish-Guaraní community of Charagua ^[2] in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He currently participates in and supports the School of Indigenous Journalism on issues related to communication for the Captaincy [an Indigenous administrative unit] community assemblies.

As part of the workshop, Cuéllar Fernández analyzed a word cloud resulting from a year-long investigation of content referring to the term “Indigenous” in some Bolivian media. He is critical of the content published in the Bolivian media and proposes rethinking how Indigenous people are represented. He advocates for information to make visible the identity of his people, and for the Guaraní language to be revalued. In this interview, he discusses his views on these issues.

Rising Voices (RV): During the workshop, the participants chose a word cloud and identified specific terms. In your case, you chose the word cloud related to “Charagua” and “disasters” and you wanted to reflect on the term “Indigenous.” How have you seen that term represented in the media?

Benjamín Cuéllar (BC): Podríamos decir que en estos tiempos han habido cambios en cuanto a la perspectiva que se tiene al referirse a los indígenas. Antes lo indígena parecía ser un sinónimo de gente de escasos recursos, gente que carecía de los servicios básicos, pero ahora podemos visibilizar que los pueblos indígenas están organizados, tienen un territorio, tienen una política, tienen una ideología que a nivel nacional se está visibilizando con más fuerza. También tenemos hermanos indígenas que están ocupando cargos importantes en lo político o en lo administrativo de su zona. 

Benjamín Cuéllar (BC): We could say that there have been changes in terms of the perspective on the Indigenous people. Until recently, the term “Indigenous” seemed to be a synonym for people with limited resources, people who lacked basic services; but now we can emphasize that Indigenous peoples are organized, have a territory, policy, and an ideology that is becoming visible at the national level more prominently. We also have Indigenous representatives in important political or administrative positions in their area.

RV: What should a word cloud include for the term “Indigenous”?

BC: Tal vez [usar palabras] más específicas. En vez de decir pueblos indígenas podríamos decir pueblos guarayos o guaraníes, pueblos quechua o mencionarlos por su nombre. 

BC: Maybe [use words] that are more specific. Instead of saying “Indigenous peoples,” we could say “Guarayo” or “Guaraní peoples,” “Quechua peoples,” or mention them by name.

RV: What other words do you think could make up the word cloud for the term “Indigenous”?

BC: También [la palabra] organización, pues también es parte de su territorio, y bien sabemos que los pueblos indígenas son conservacionistas de su fauna, de su flora y del medio ambiente. Me hubiera gustado también que aparezcan [los términos] cultura,  folklore, idioma y  algunas palabras en lenguas originarias. 

BC: Also [the word] “organization,” since it is also part of their territory, and we well know that Indigenous peoples are conservationists of their fauna, flora and the environment. I would also have liked [the terms] “culture,” “folklore,” “language,” and some words in native languages to be included.

RV: During the workshop, the participants created an imaginary word cloud ^[1] with terms that they consider representative of them. Could you explain what words you highlighted in your cloud and why?

BC: Por ejemplo, el idioma de los pueblos indígenas. Vemos que cada vez más los idiomas originarios están en gran riesgo. Cada vez los niños hablan pocos idiomas o las personas mayores están dejando de enseñarles a sus hijos y me parece muy importante trabajar en un plan de revitalización de las lenguas originarias en cada pueblo. 

BC: An example of a representative term is the language of Indigenous peoples. We see that more and more native languages are at great risk. Children speak fewer languages or the elders stop teaching their children and I think it is very important to work on a plan to revitalize the original languages in each town.

RV: What topic is not discussed in the media in your area?

BC: Mayormente, podríamos decir que está claro que se habla sobre los derechos de la mujer, pero por lo visto no se están cumpliendo las normas. Por ejemplo, en las comunidades yo veo –y también me inquieta– que aún hablamos de pobreza, pero en las comunidades vemos que todavía hay elementos que hacen que eso siga siendo así como, por ejemplo, el embarazo de niñas a tempranas edades, que está penado por Ley, pero las autoridades comunales no hacen cumplir las leyes. Hay niñas que se embarazan de 13 o 14 años y quedan así [en la pobreza]. 

BC:  Even if women's rights are discussed in media, the rules are not being followed. For example – and something that also worries me – is that we still talk about poverty, but its causes still exist in communities. For example, the pregnancy of girls at an early age is punishable by law, but the communal authorities do not enforce the laws. There are girls who get pregnant when they are 13 or 14 years old and this causes them to remain [in poverty].

RV: What would you like the people of the Gran Chaco to know about climate change in your area?

BC: Me encantaría que [se muestre] que el Chaco es un lugar rico en fauna y flora. En cuanto a la sequía, creo que está faltando una iniciativa de reforestación o incentivar a la reforestación como también el cuidado de los ríos, de las riberas, la tala de árboles y todo eso. 

BC: I would like [them to know] that the Chaco is a place rich in fauna and flora. As for the drought, I think there is a lack of an initiative to encourage reforestation as well as the care of the rivers, and the riverbanks.

RV: What would you like the people of Bolivia and the world to know about climate change in your area?

BC: Que aún en mi zona se cuenta con una gran superficie de área de bosque que están en perfecta condición de conservación y que la ideología de los guaraníes es vivir de la agricultura, pero una agricultura que abastece sólo para consumo familiar y no tanto para comercialización. Creo que esa moderación de consumo y aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales nos ayuda a controlar y equilibrar el ecosistema de nuestra zona.

BC: That even in my area there is a large forest that is perfectly conserved and that the Guaraní people know how to live off agriculture, but an agriculture that supplies only for family consumption and not so much for commercialization. I believe that this moderation in consumption and use of natural resources helps us control and balance the ecosystem of our area.