AMERICAN GOVERNMENT RUNS TO THE YAYO

They say on every American dollar bill you can find traces of cocaine.
It is snorted in the men's room at ritzy clubs, by teenage girls
trying to impress, by those just wanting to have a good ol' time. And
it is this North American addiction that has resulted in the United
States-led ban on the coca plant in Bolivia.

Cinema Politica's Friday night premiere screening of The Real Thing: Coca,
Democracy and Rebellion in Bolivia, which was followed by a Q&A with
Canadian filmmakers Jim Sanders and Andre Clement, revealed how the United
States government, instead of cracking down on the users, distributors, or
producers of the drug, has targeted the plant. The problem is that the
livelihoods and culture of the indigenous populations of the Chapare region
depend on it.

Coca has been used for traditional and medicinal purposes since the
Inca empire, when it was known as "green gold." Choosing to eradicate
the coca plant, a strategy which consists of the military pulling each
plant out of the ground by hand, is like deciding to prohibit corn
because it is possible to make an alcoholic beverage from it, explains
one campesino in the film. The argument is that it is not a War on
Drugs, but an extension of the neo-colonial American dream of bringing
"modernity" to their southern neighbours. As Noam Chomsky puts it:
"[These governments] are successfully carrying out their objectives,
but their objectives have nothing to do with drugs."

The coca farmers, fed up with the U.S. influence over Bolivian
politicians and the endless signs that line the roadways advertising
the success of the latest campaign, have mobilized into an active
social unit seeking change through the Movement Towards Socialism
(MAS). But because these communities have rejected the plant's
eradication and the imposition of alternative development programs,
they have been labelled and treated as terrorists

This film is yet another reminder of the disconnect between
policy-makers and the public. The scenes cut back and forth between
shots of Bolivian troops beating peaceful campesino protesters and
U.S. government representatives happily discussing their "aims" and
their "positive" reception by the locals. It is clear that there has
been little attempt made to understand the conflict and those involved.

The documentary looks like it has been made by a writer/director who
likes to bring his camera with him everywhere. The film feels more
like the summer project of a first-time tourist, rather than the
product of in-depth research and personal investment in the people and
their cause. Nonetheless, this type of independent and alternative
filmmaking is essential in raising awareness that these struggles, no
matter how they're portrayed, are occurring.

For more information about the film check out http://www.dataworlddata.com.
Cinema Politica is put on by Concordia; for upcoming screenings visit
http://www.uberculture.org.