Photo of María Jesús Velasco 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.

María Jesús Velasco is from the community of Charagua Pueblo. She is part of the School of Indigenous Journalism and is the host of “Ñande Ñee” radio programs.

She considers that the local media should send warnings to curb contamination, felling and clearing in the forests of the Gran Chaco and its surroundings. She explains that as a result of the pollution and deforestion, the Indigenous peoples are being affected, especially as they are exacerbated by the drought. But above all, she would like the media to know more about what is happening inside the indigenous communities in order to report more accurately. She talks about these issues in this interview.

Word cloud for the terms “Charagua” 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 “Charagua”. Within that cloud, you identified the term “Indigenous” to reflect on. How have you seen this term being represented in the media?

María Jesús Velasco (MJV): Los medios de comunicación hablan mucho [de lo indígena]  pero no muestran todo lo que verdaderamente pasa en sus comunidades, en sus hogares, en su territorio, cuáles son sus verdaderas necesidades dentro de sus comunidades y sus regiones, qué es lo que verdaderamente ellos piden, qué es lo que verdaderamente ellos necesitan. Eso fue lo que me llamó la atención. 

Dentro de las necesidades siempre buscamos ayuda para saber cómo utilizar [esa modernización que quieren traer a nuestros pueblos] a favor de nuestras necesidades, del medioambiente y todo lo que lo que necesitamos dentro de nuestras comunidades.

María Jesús Velasco (MJV): The media talk a lot [about the Indigenous people] but they do not show everything that really happens in their communities, in their homes, in their territory, what their true needs are within their communities and their regions, what is it that they really ask, what is it that they really need. That was what caught my attention.

One of our needs is to know how [that modernization that they want to bring to our towns] will help us, the environment and everything we need within our communities.

RV: What words should a word cloud include for the term you chose?

MJV: Todo lo que está alrededor de la palabra «indígena». Por ejemplo, en las comunidades se podría hablar del tema de salud. Incentivar o concientizar para poder producir las plantas medicinales. Por ejemplo, si vemos el tiempo de la pandemia, mucha gente se curó con las plantas medicinales en las comunidades e incluso en las ciudades.

MJV: Everything that is around the word “Indigenous”. For example, in the communities the topic of health could be discussed, to encourage or raise awareness to grow medicinal plants. For example, during the pandemic, many people were cured with medicinal plants in the villages and even in the cities.

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.

MJV: Una de mis principales palabras ha sido «salud», «tierra», «agua» que representan la vida de todo ser. 

MJV: One of my main words have been “health”, “earth”, “water” that represent the life of all beings.

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

MJV: Si bien cuando se hace una marcha, un cabildo siempre […] hay personas que quieren favorecerse de esto y no toman en cuenta lo que verdaderamente las personas vienen a buscar. Por ejemplo, si la gente necesita medicina, entonces vienen a decir muchas cosas con respecto a salud e incluyen otras cosas que no solamente tienen que ver con salud, sino que vienen a recalcar otros temas como el de la carretera u otras cosas más que usan a su favor.

MJV: Even though when there is a demonstration, a council, there are always […] people who want to benefit from this and do not take into account what the people really want. For example, if people need medicine, then they come to say many things about health but include other issues that do not relate to health, such as the [new] highway, or other things that are mostly for their benefit.

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

MJV: Por ejemplo, cuando dicen que los indígenas no necesitan tecnología que llegue a sus hogares y que no pueden utilizarlo. Ellos sí pueden utilizarlo. Claro, tendríamos que enseñarles para que puedan mejorar su día a día. Yo pienso […]  que ellos sí podrían usar la tecnología a su favor.

MJV: When the media say that Indigenous people do not need technology in their homes and that they cannot use it. But they can use it. Of course, we would have to teach them so that they can improve their daily life. I think […] they could use technology to their advantage.

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

MJV: [Que se hable de prevención] para que actuemos. Me refiero, por ejemplo, si ves la posibilidad de comprarte un automóvil, por qué no comprar cinco bicicletas y no solamente para vos, sino para tus hijos y toda tu familia porque al mismo tiempo que ejercitas todo tu cuerpo estás haciendo un bien al medioambiente. Reciclar, otra cosa muy importante es poder reciclar, usar menos plásticos, siempre llevar una bolsa al mercado.

En mi zona o en mi región, quisiera que [que se envíen mensajes para] que haya menos chaqueos. Por ejemplo, hemos visto que la empresa de caminos ha entrado a nuestra zona y la verdad ya ha desmontado cantidades de montes y creo que las autoridades no dicen nada de eso respecto de eso. No se han puesto a pensar que están haciendo un mal a nuestra tierra y a nuestra zona más que todo.

MJV: [There should be talk about prevention] so that we can act. For example, instead of buying a car, why not buy five bicycles and not only for you, but for your children and your entire family because at the same time that you exercise your whole body, you are doing something good for the environment. Another very important thing is to be able to recycle, use less plastic, always take a bag to the market.

In my area or in my region, I would like [that there is discussion so] that there are fewer clearings. For example, we have seen that the highway company has entered our area and has already cleared whole mountains and I believe that the authorities do not say anything about that. They do not realize that they are doing harm to our land and our area more than anything else.

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

MJV: Que el cambio climático en nuestra región nos está afectando muchísimo porque el agua de los ríos ya no está bajando como antes, está bajando su caudal. En las tierras fértiles donde se producía mayormente el maíz, que es lo tradicional y lo típico de nuestra zona del Chaco, ya no se puede producir. Que el cambio climático nos está afectando a todos. 

MJV: That climate change in our region is affecting us a lot because the water in the rivers is no longer flowing as before, its flow is diminished. In the fertile lands where corn was mostly produced, which is traditional and typical of our Chaco area, it can no longer be grown. Climate change is affecting us all.