Argonautica Polaris

Rural development more than telecommunication services?

However enthusiastic we in the industrialized, information-society feel about the scope for improvement through advanced telecom-techniques, many other matters are of greater importance to the people we are debating. The campesinos of Bolivia, the people of the countryside, has anybody asked them what changes they would like to see take place in a near future? Maybe they would mention better housing, more available micro-loans for women at farmsteads, safe transport for children to the school, better sewage systems in the villages, free health care?
In an attempt to get down to basics I searched many websites yesterday in order to find something about what the Quechua or the Aymara think. I found Quechua-net and Aymaranet, both with some functions translated into english. These links are now on the side-bar of the Argonautica Photo-Blog.

As a side-dish there are also some beautiful Photo-galleries: The Edward S. Curtis Photo-gallery is a classical with almost all photos and essays of E.S Curtis, who in the end of the nineteenth century lived among the north american native people and photographed them and their daily life. All those sepia-toned handsome photo-portraits are there, among many other, telling about culture, handicraft, tools and building-techniques used by the noth american indians. In addition to this there is an Andean Images Gallery with many colourful modern images of the people in the Andes.

I will write more of rural development this week and also try to look up more details about the gas- and water-issues that often are mentioned in recent articles about Evo Morales. In Finland nationalization does maybe not ring as false as it seem to be doing for instance in the USA. The railroad-company is among those companies still run by the state. The philosophy or ideology behind this in Finland has been, as I gather, that certain services should be equal for all, and this is best guaranteed by a national, or state-run company.

The situation in Bolivia is now that gas and water-supplies so far have not been totally in the hands of the Bolivian people. Evo Moreales has promised a change here. These issues seem complex at the first glance. But I will do as before: use some seach-engines to find out more.

The headline-link is to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

posted by "Amira" @ 9:12 AM