Longing for the Sea

Today is the 127th anniversary of Bolivia's defeat in the 1880's War of the Pacific, when the country lost its coastline. Last night Caitlin and I were watching "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," but just before the best part, when Newman and Redford head down here to rob Bolivian banks and silver mines, we were forced to hit pause and head outside, lured by the sound of marching bands in the street. Cadre upon cadre of smartly dressed soldiers were marching down the hill in front of our apartment building in lockstep formation, waving flags, playing tubas and trombones, banging on huge drums. There were literally a dozen bands at least, each representing every conceivable wing of the Bolivian armed forces, including the Navy (yes, despite its landlocked status Bolivia still maintains a Navy... they practice on Lake Titicaca, no doubt preparing for the day when Chile renounces its claim to the northern coast and gives it back). Other than the sailors, who each carried a mini-ship lantern in the colors of the Bolivian flag, the weirdest thing I saw was the marching band composed of riot cops in full battle gear, with black bulletproof vests, helmets, plastic shields, tear gas cannisters, knee pads, etc.

Every band played the same song, which had something to do with Antofagasta, the lost coastal city that it seems all Bolivians long to reclaim from Chile. The "enclaustramiento" - Bolivia's landlocked status - apparently weighs heavy on the national psyche. Seems kind of like people blame a lot of the country's problems on the lack of a port... who knows, maybe it's true. With 127 years of economic development making use of the ocean for imports and exports, maybe Bolivia would be a dramatically different country today.

I found the patriotism and militarism and nostalgia and pomp and circumstance all a bit much. In a country with so many problems and so much poverty, all those shiny new tubas and Kaiser Wilhelm helmets and sabres seemed a tad excessive. Couldn't the government's money be put to better use building schools or health clinics or something?

Then again, who am I to talk? Over 50% of my tax dollars are paying for an idiotic war in Iraq and God-only-knows what other ridiculously expensive and useless bombs, planes, missile defense systems, etc. It's not like the U.S. doesn't have it's own crumbling infrastructure and poverty problems... Militant nationalism: what a waste of resources!

Ah, and as if last night's excitement weren't enough, another marching band started up again outside my bedroom window this morning at 7:45 sharp! More parades and singing and flag waving all day today... Antofagasta!