The Bolivian Government decided to end the operations of these companies in the country effective December 21st, 2012.
Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said that the rule later this year will end the operations of the U.S. giant soft drink and junk food “is in line with the
Mayan calendar and will be part of celebrations for the end of capitalism and the beginning of a culture of life; “the end of selfishness and division.””December 21 must be the end of Coca Cola and the beginning of mocochinche. The planets are aligned after 26 thousand years; it is the end of capitalism and the beginning of communitarianism”, the official said in a document endorsed by President
Evo Morales , according to Telesur.The reason for expelling Bolivia’s Coca-Cola is that it contains substances harmful to health and that could lead to heart attacks, cancer and stroke.On the fast-food chain McDonald’s, Bolivia was the first country in the world where the giant failed in trying to settle in and adapt to the culture’s local food . After 14 years of operations without success, the company went bankrupt and withdrew the eight subsidiaries in Bolivia, while its executives were shocked by the failure.
In the report, “Why McDonald’s went Broke in Bolivia”, conducted with the help of chefs, sociologists and historians, the company recognizes the defeat of the U.S. company to the traditionalism of the country’s food and mentality of its people.
With respect to Coca-Cola, Bolivia is the second Latin American country to be without the influence of these soda drinks, after Cuba.
I find it very interesting that a third-world country such as Bolivia is a leader in this effort to fight the giants. First they demonstrate with the “pot and pan brigade” and now this. Bravo!
Bolivians are some of the hardest working people I know of, particularly the Chollas, the indigenous people who still live a very basic lifestyle, free of the trappings of a materialistic world.
To see them shouldering sacks of corn, potatoes, rugs and other wares as tall as they themselves, to sell at the outdoor markets in La Paz could easily bring on a backache in a North American tourist. Many of the native people are able to keep things in perspective and centre their lives around the elements that matter. They may not have much, but they’re still happy. That is quite evident when one interacts with them.
When you travel to countries such as these, you see that they have always had their own food and drinks, and are understandably reluctant to allow unhealthy products like soda to infiltrate their society and cut into their profits.
Mate de coca tea, made from the leaf of the coca plant, can relieve headaches associated with acclimating to the the high elevations of the mile-high city of La Paz. It worked well for me.
In Peru they have Inca Cola, a pink soda that tastes like bubblegum, and chicha, an ancient beverage made from fermented grain, and Cusqueña beer, among others.
Much of the joy of traveling for me is the experience; getting away from all that is familiar and sampling the lifestyles of distant cultures. McDonalds would simply NOT be on my itinerary. (not that I ever visit them anyway)North Americans too often think they have the best of everything. That outlook can change when you travel in countries where they maintain their traditional culture and aren’t corrupted by the machine that runs the USA. It’s refreshingly different and helps us to realize what a life of excess we truly lead.It serves to illustrate that we don’t needall that we have to enjoy life. We just THINK we do, and this is mostly a result of the marketing dumped on us every day; the hypnotic state that arises from television, radio and print advertising, and the barrage of hi-tech, interactive ads on the Internet.Countries such as Bolivia may be considered “underdeveloped”, but in truth, they are far beyond us where it counts. They think for themselves. As a result they’re happy and healthy, rather than miserable and sick like the majority of Americans. A shift is desperately needed.
http://www.2o12thebigpicture.wordpress.com link to original article
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