IN STEREO

Is it OK to tell the truth, or [better to] lie a little? No authority will allow me to speak badly of them, but I will tell the truth: no authority comes with sound ideas of being able to do something for Potosí. What authority comes with that idea? Ideas are there. The point is to achieve them, to say that we are [actually] going to do this. Promises, promises – nothing more. What has changed? Nothing! The government comes in, the government that promises many things, and in the end it does nothing. [There have been] many beautiful promises [made] to Potosí. Do you know our famous Karachipampa? That is a big monster that will never work. It is a white elephant. It will never work. But every government says that it will make it work. Our airport, for hundreds of years they’ve said, “We are going to build a nice airport.” But it never arrives for Potosí. Nor will it, because we have no land.

Promises, words, a “new nation” – but how do we live? They told us they would give us a cement factory. And we have material; there is raw material. [But] the competition does not let us do that, and who is the competition? The very rich. Unfortunately, it’s like that. We don’t even have a factory for matches in Potosí. The brewery manufactures drunks! Rightfully, Potosí should be well-off, with so much mineral they removed from here. As is commonly said, there could have been a bridge [of silver] from Potosí to Spain. But the very bad luck is that all the governments – like the current one – all take and take. Potosí is still the support of Bolivia. We are not repaid in Potosí; we do not have anything to support ourselves in case the mining closes. Everyone comes to steal. Do you know when they will listen to you? Never. You know that they will always dominate us. [So] we say, “Potosí Federal.” – Don Freddy