Oh, that Evo. He sure knows how to wear bold patterns, bright colors, and lots of golden bling. And why not? He’s got kind of an important occasion to dress up for here:
Yesterday, Bolivian presdent Evo Morales reaffirmed the indigenous identity of his political revolution, in an ancestral ceremony celebrated in the pre-Hispanic ruins of Tiwanaku, one day before being sworn in at the Legislative Assembly to his third term in office, which runs until 2020.
The rituals, full of symbolism, of the indigenous investiture — the third for Morales since he first took power in 2006 — were witnessed by two heads of state, three vice-presidents and other representatives of dozens of countries, as well as leaders of social movements and indigenous peoples.
“Today is a historic day, one of reaffirmation of our identity, of reaffirmation of our democratic and cultural revolution. We are living the times of Pachakuti” — a return to equilibrium, Morales affirmed at the beginning of his speech.
The president centred part of his discourse in explaining the indigenous cosmovision, but also clarified that having rescued this identity in order to construct a Plurinational State does not signify “a romantic return to the past”, but a recuperation of the legacy in order to combine it with a modernity that does not damage the planet.
Morales has governed Bolivia since 2006, starting his second mandate in 2010, and today, begins his third after having won the presidential elections of October 12 of last year, with the support of 61.3% of the vote in all the land.
The speech ended a series of rituals which began early in the day with a “cleansing” to which Morales was subjected in the museum of the archeological centre and before the monumental Bennet monolith, an effigy of the Tiwanaku culture, which stands 7 metres high and weighs 20 tonnes.
The president’s ceremonial costume, created specially for the occasion, cost about $4,000 US.
The Tiwanaku ceremony, in which the musical and folkloric wealth of the land was on display, concluded with a rhythm and dance parade for the invited guests, who also enjoyed Andean cuisine with a menu including quinoa, trout, surubí fish, and coca leaves. The official beginning of Evo Morales’s third term in office takes place today in the Assembly.
Translation mine.
That all reminds me: Since it’s been confirmed that Evo won with more than 60% of the total vote, and Tuto Quiroga promised that he’d eat his watch if that was confirmed…did the dinner guests get to see him make good on that promise, or not?
Tick tock, Tuto.
