Photo of Rober Degni Abapori Pablo taken by Jessica Peñaloza Cladera for Rising Voices.

A group 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 (more about the workshop is available to read here). What follows is an interview with one of the participants in this workshop.

Rober Degni Abapori Pablo is from the Eiti community located in the great Gran Kaipependi Karovaicho-Kereimba Iyambae, in southern Bolivia. He is one of the few young people who speaks the Guaraní language and is currently studying Agriculture at the “Tarema Ikua” Higher Technological Institute.

For him, it is relevant that public opinion is aware of the terms “native Indigenous people” and for good reason: the community of the Kereimba Iyaambae — also known as Charagua, located in the Chaco region— is one of the three Indigenous Indigenous Peasant Autonomous Governments of Bolivia (alongside the regions of Uru Chipaya and Salinas de Garci Mendoza.) This is why he is interested in providing accurate information about his area. This was one of the main reasons why he actively participated in the Roipea Taperai workshop, which took place in the town of Charagua. In this interview, Rober speaks about some aspects that he observes in the Bolivian media.

Word cloud for the terms “Chaco” and “communities” generated by Media Cloud.

Rising Voices (RV): During the workshop the participants chose a word cloud and identified specific terms. You chose the cloud that results from the search for “Chaco” and “communities”. Within that cloud, you identified the terms “original Indigenous people” to reflect on. How have you seen that these terms are represented in the media? What has caught your attention the most from the word cloud?

Rober Degni Abapori Pablo (RDAP): Lo primero que me llamó la atención  [fueron las palabras] sobre nuestro “pueblo indígena originario”, porque nosotros ahora, en mi zona, ya somos autónomos. Muchas veces se escucha en las redes sociales que han comentado sobre la autonomía de los Kereimba Iyambae como nuevo Gobierno Autónomo e Indígena. En otras ocasiones en redes sociales [o en canales de televisión en Bolivia como] en Unitel o en ATB — se ha llevado una consulta previa sobre el Estatuto — y sobre eso se ha informado. 

Rober Degni Abapori Pablo (RDAP): The first thing that caught my attention [were the words] “native Indigenous village”, because my area is already autonomous. Many times on social networks people have commented on the autonomy of the Kereimba Iyambae as the new Autonomous and Indigenous Government. On other occasions on social networks [or on television channels in Bolivia such as] Unitel or ATB, a prior consultation on the Statute has been carried out, and that has been reported on.

RV: What words should a word cloud include for the term “Cultures”, that you chose?

RDAP: Debería tener una palabra que represente las costumbres y el idioma nativo. Ahora nosotros como jóvenes o niños ya no hablamos nuestros idiomas. Ya no es como antes, como nuestros abuelitos. Ellos hablaban mucho su idioma como el guaraní. Hasta ahora, nuestros papás siguen hablando, pero los jóvenes ya no utilizan su idioma nativo, ya no saben de su cultura, ya no saben sobre su forma de hablar o cómo se pronuncia “buen día” o “buenas tardes” en guaraní, [no saben]  saludar a los mayores, ya no tienen respeto. También, los jóvenes no participan de las organizaciones. Años antes nuestros ancestros sí tenían el respeto hacia sus autoridades. Cuando venían o cuando iban a otro departamento u otras organizaciones, cuando estaba llegando su capitán [los jóvenes] iban y los recibían. Pero ahora, en la actualidad, ya no es así porque los jóvenes no tienen ese valor, o tal vez se ha perdido la costumbre del guaraní.

RDAP: There should be a word cloud that represents the customs and the native language. Currently we as young people or children no longer speak our languages. This is unlike our grandparents who spoke their language Guaraní a lot. Our parents continue to speak our native language, but young people no longer use it, they no longer know about their culture, about their way of speaking or how to pronounce “good morning” or “good afternoon” in Guaraní, [they don't know] how to greet the elders, they no longer have respect. Also, young people do not participate in organizations. Our ancestors did have respect for their authorities. When they arrived or when they went to another department or other organizations, when their leader arrived, [the youth] would go and receive them. But currently it is no longer like that because young people do not have that value, or perhaps the Guaraní custom has been lost.

RV: During the workshop, the group created a word cloud with terms that they believe represent them. Explain what words you highlighted in your cloud and why.

RDAP: Lo que más he destacado [son palabras] que tienen relación con las organizaciones […]. Hemos tenido mucha más experiencia con la organización. Para mí, ir y participar de la organización [implica] tener un buen conocimiento y participar en una reunión es una experiencia más. Conocer sobre todo lo que se está llevando a cabo en las comunidades, qué problemas hay y cómo nos va a afectar. Ahora hemos sido afectados por una empresa petrolera que ha entrado en sísmica en nuestra comunidad y [deberíamos preguntarnos] eso en qué va a afectar a nuestras comunidades, pero nosotros como jóvenes no nos interesamos, no participamos en las organizaciones y eso me llamó la atención […].

RDAP: What I have highlighted [are words] that are related to organizations […]. We have had much more experience with organization. For me, going and participating in the organization [implies] having good knowledge, and participating in a meeting is one more experience, learning about everything that is being carried out in the communities, what problems there are, and how they will affect us. We have been impacted by an oil company that has forcefully entered our community and [we should ask ourselves] how this is going to affect our communities, but we as young people are not interested, we do not participate in the organizations and that caught my attention […].

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

RDAP: Muchas veces no se habla sobre mi región, sobre mi cultura, sobre nuestros idiomas nativos. Muchas veces no se está viendo en redes sociales sobre el idioma guaraní, sobre su cultura y todo eso […].

RDAP: Many times people don't talk about my region, about my culture, about our native languages. Many times the Guaraní language, everything related to the Guaraní culture, is not represented on social networks […].

RV: What examples of harmful or incorrect information about the problems in your region have you seen in the media, including on social networks?

RDAP: Incorrecto es que [los medios digan que] los guaraníes son esto (estereotipos) o estas son sus costumbres, pero nosotros como guaraníes estamos ahí [en nuestro territorio], pero no nos movemos, no tenemos esa movilización, no tenemos un medio de comunicación en nuestras zonas para revalorizar nuestro idioma, para mostrarnos a los pueblos, a nuestro país o a todo el mundo.

RDAP: It is not okay that [the media say that] the Guaraní are like this, or are like that, according to stereotypes, and that we, the Guaraní, are [in our territory], but we do not mobilize ourselves, we do not have a means of communication in our areas to revalue our language, to show ourselves to the peoples, to our country or to the whole world.

RV: And what do you want the people of the Gran Chaco to know about climate change in your region?

RDAP: Ahora mucho nos ha asustado las sequías. Ha afectado a toda la comunidad y a todas las familias porque han tenido pérdidas de cultivos como el de maíz o de hortalizas. A veces se siembra un poco, pero eso no abastece. Hay también escasez de agua y pérdida de animales. Ahora estábamos pidiendo ayuda a Gobernaciones, [porque] los guaraníes buscan la forma de salir de las sequías, porque [si bien] la sequía les afecta mucho, cómo llevar hacia adelante a sus familias, buscan cómo alimentarse del bosque, de los animales, todo eso.

RDAP: The droughts have greatly frightened us. It has affected the entire community and all the families because they have suffered crop losses such as corn or vegetables. Sometimes a little is sown, but that is not sufficient. There is also a shortage of water and loss of animals. We were asking the Governors for help, [because] the Guaraní are looking for a way out of the drought, because [although] the drought are affecting them a lot, how they support their families, and they are looking for ways to feed themselves from the forest, from their livestock.

RV: What do you want the people of Bolivia and the world to know about climate change in your region?

RDAP: Mostrarles las vivencias y cómo salimos adelante de las sequías, como viven los guaraníes y como sus familias salen adelante. Hacerlos conocer en todo el mundo. Mostrar cómo es un guaraní cuando está destrozado, cuando está en un pozo y cómo sale adelante, para mí este es un ejemplo […].

RDAP: Show them our experiences and how we cope with drought, how the Guaraní live and how their families move forward. Make them known around the world. Showing how a Guaraní is when he is in a dire situation, and how he gets ahead, for me this is an example of what they should know […].