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Oscar Olivera Visit
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We were honored to host Bolivian activist Oscar Olivera on February 4th-6th, 2007. Keep reading to find out more about Mr. Olivera's inspiring activism and his visit with us...Unexpected Connections... Alex Douglas, an International Studies major at Macalester with a deep committment to social justice and activism, studied abroad in Bolivia in Fall 2006...little did she know that her host father would be the acclaimed leader of the Bolivian Water Wars! With support from Latin American Studies, International Studies, Environmental Studies, and the Institute for Global Citizenship, Macalester was able to bring Mr. Olivera for a stop Minnesota while he was visiting the United States for another speaking engagement. Mr. Olivera's Work... Oscar Olivera Foronda is a world-renowned Bolivian political activist and globalization critic whose leadership of the water wars movement in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2000, vaulted him into international prominence. In early 2000, a subsidiary of the privately held American construction firm Bechtel Inc. won a contract to privatize the water company of Bolivia's third-largest city, Cochabamba, home to almost one million people. Vast public protests by Olivera led eventually to the cancellation of the contract. Olivera's book on the subject, ¡Cochabamba! Water War in Bolivia (South End Press, 2004), translated into multiple languages, has become a widely read account of successful anti-globalization activism, and is assigned in college and university courses around the world. At present, Olivera is the Executive Secretary of the Federation of Factory Workers of Cochabamba, Bolivia, a co-founder of the open school Primero de Mayo, and spokesman for the Bolivian Coordinadora, a group which by declaration has no fixed leadership. Mr. Olivera's Visit...Mr. Olivera graciously spoke to a full house in Macalester's Alexander G. Hill Ballroom, with translator Eduardo Cardenas from the Resource Center of the Americas. He offered his account of current events in Latin America. Neoliberalism, globalization, democratization, and popular struggles for basic rights and sustenance have fostered a state of flux in Latin America, and Mr. Olivera emphasized the importance of fighting for the well-being of all. His first-hand knowledge of the urgency and energy in the social movements blossoming across the continent made for an inspiring and engaging talk. Before his talk, Mr. Olivera also lunched with several Latin American Studies Majors.
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