It is with the greatest regret that we have to inform you that we are cancelling the Fundraiser BBQ which was due to be held on Sunday 27th August.
This wasn’t an easy decision to make but we haven’t had as many confirmed bookings as in previous years. We hope you can appreciate that FoB, as a charity, has to manage its funds responsibly and without confirmed bookings a party of that size is likely to make huge losses.
Therefore, on behalf of the committee, I would like to apologise for the cancellation and regret any inconvenience this may cause you.
Friends of Bolivia is proud to present a double bill screening of Bolivian filmmaker and poet Diego Torrez Peñaloza at Deptford Cinema on 22nd April at 14:30. Tickets: £6:00
SAKRAMENTO
In this short film the Holy Father ponders questions about faith, love and democracy. (Bolivia 2015, 12 min. Dir. Diego Torres Peñaloza)
THE SAGA OF THE POETS
The film features two female characters, Utopia and Demokracia. Utopia receives the legacy of a mysterious woman (Grim Reaper). Demokracia represents today’s youth facing authoritarianism and a conservative society. (Bolivia 2015, 70 min. Dir. Diego Torres Peñaloza)Both films in Spanish with English subtitles
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Online sales now off. Please buy tickets on the door. Thank you.
(This exhibition is organised by Birkbeck University)
This exhibition portrays the women whose livelihoods involve the traditional rituals, artefacts and medicines that play a central role in culture and health in Bolivia. The indigenous wisdom involved in this work has been sidelined, either as ‘witchcraft’ under colonial powers or as merely ‘folklore’ by positivist, Western approaches to medicine. Nevertheless, in the western highlands of Bolivia the vast majority of people meaningfully engage in these rituals and practice them seriously and devoutly, and Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, has embarked on a decolonisation project which challenges the institutions and value systems which have marginalised indigenous knowledge.
These portraits are accompanied by quotes from the women themselves, discussing how they came to this profession and their role in the community. These women are referred to exotically in tourist guidebooks as ‘witches’ but are known locally as chiflerasand amautas; the former prepares the materials for traditional healing rituals while the latter conducts the ceremony. The items used in these rituals include coca leaves, desiccated llama foetuses, the q’oa herb, alcohol and brightly coloured llama-wool and sugar figurines. These practitioners have long standing relationships with their clients and may be the first ports of call for those seeking assistance and guidance with their physical, emotional and/or spiritual well-being.
This is a collaboration between the photographer David X Green and the geographer Dr Kate Maclean, who has worked in Bolivia since 2006.
Pachamama – Climate change and the Kallawaya people of Bolivia
Pachamama is a documentary which aims to shed light on the human narratives behind climate change by giving an insight into the lives of the Kallawayas, an indigenous population in the Bolivian Andes.
Having a different perspective of the environment, the Kallawayas revere the earth (Pachamama) and treat it with the same level of care as they would treat their loved ones. As such this community provides an inspiring lens through which to consider our planet. This deeply human experience of climate change, often neglected in mainstream climate change narratives is the pillar of this documentary.
The filmmakers behind this project, hope to bring a fresh perspective on this issue, which fundamentally concerns all of us and the future of this planet.
The film lasts approximately 55 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A from the filmmakers.
We will also be selling delicious pukacapas before the screening!
Sábado 22 Octubre 15:00 Iglesia St John’s Waterloo, Crypt Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TY (frente a la estación de Waterloo)
Refrescos y bocadillos incluidos. Entrada gratuita. Cupos limitados. Estudiantes bienvenidos Para reservar sitio enviar correo electrónico a: anglobolivian@gmail.com La historia de un pueblo es fascinante, con una narrativa similar a un cuento o una novela. Diferente a lo que nos enseñaron en el colegio con fechas de batallas y nombres de héroes. Una historia donde el rol protagónico del pueblo quedo silenciado. Esta revisita de nuestra historia en el periodo anterior a la Independencia servirá para:
recordar y valorar nuestra cultura
comprender los motivos de nuestra situación
sentirnos orgullosos de lo que somos y podemos llegar a ser
servirá sobre todo para compartir y difundir lo que sabemos
+ “Burguesia Chola” update by Dr. Kate Maclean following a summer research trip to Bolivia
Friday 21 October 18:30 Joint presentation with the Institute of Latin American Studies Senate House, The Court Room, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU Tickets: Non-members £8, Members £6, Students (with valid ID) £5 Refreshments and nibbles included.
SEND EMAIL FOR BOOKING TO: anglobolivian@gmail.com
We welcome Bolivia’s 2016 Chevening Scholars to the UK and this event offers each of the eight the opportunity to give a short presentation about their background and planned research.
The meet-up will be followed with an update on A-BS’s council member and Leverhulme Fellow Dr Kate Maclean’s research on the Burgesía Chola. Kate spoke to us about her work in February and she has just returned from a research trip to La Paz.
A big part of the A-BS is the connection between individuals in Bolivia and the UK and we feel this event offers members a unique opportunity to engage with young Bolivian scholars at the start of their careers, while catching up with a UK academic with a proven research record.
Friends of Bolivia in collaboration with Deptford Cinema are proud to present the award winning Bolivian Film “El dia que murió el silencio” – The Day Silence Died. A romantic comedy, South American Style with enough magical realism
Handsome entrepreneur Abelardo arrives in the sleepy little town of Villaserena, rigs up speakers throughout the village, and begins broadcasting “Radio Nobleza”. For a small sum of money, the townspeople can now buy the opportunity to express publicly what they couldn’t say before. Villaserena’s closets are quickly emptied of their skeletons, old quarrels are revived and secrets are no longer. Abelardo soon discovers Celeste, a beautiful young woman virtually imprisoned behind the walls of her father’s house, and romance ensues. In Spanish with English subtitles.
