Sara Miller Llana (who recently interviewed me for a story on Bolivia’s constitutional referendum) has a story on Afro-Bolivians in today’s Christian Science Monitor.
Afro-Bolivians are largely ignored in the international coverage of the country, and are marginalized in Bolivia as well (although that has been changing since the early 1990s). But the recently approved constitution (by voters, not yet by legislators) gives Afro-Bolivians recognition (and legislative representation) as an ethnic group. They also look to Obama for inspiration.
Thanks for tipping me off to this story. My fieldwork in public health takes often takes me to Tocaña. I know many of the people quoted in the piece.
One interesting aspect of Afro-Bolivian activism is their emphasis on education. There are over a dozen Afro-Bolivians studying at Catholic University's branch campus in Carmen Pampa. given the small percentage of Afro-Bolivians in Bolivia's population, I think their numbers in college are substantial. These students come from both Nor Yungas and Sur Yungas A-B communities.
Something else to note is that the uniqueness of A-B culture provides more opportunities for travel and exposure to the world than for their Aymara neighbors. Some A-B young people have travelled extensively as members of Saya groups. Tourist visits to A-B villages, esp. in the Nor Yungas, are increasing, which also exposes people to new ideas.
@Brooke: Thanks for the comments. And, yes, I should've mentioned the Sayas in my post. Afro-Bolivians have become much more visible (and celebrated?) since the Saya became a popular Bolivian folkloric phenomenon.
I remember discovering Afro-Bolivians after a few months living in Bolivia when I visited Coroico and saw, for the first time, black Cholitas. It was like some kind of cultural paradox. It's a very interesting back story on Coroico's black population.
What is the Afro-Bolivian population of Bolivia?
@Steve: Yes, the Afro-Bolivian population has long gone unnoticed. I'm not sure what the exact numbers are, but I think it's about 1-2% of the total population.