peace for now

So the cocalero roadblock protests were postponed at the last second, at least until the negotiations with the government about the new military base are over.
Here´s an article from La Prensa the postponement.
http://www.laprensa.com.bo/hoy/politica/politica02.htm

I briefly helped Willi´s dad work construction today on the university´s coffee plant, and he was telling me the next time he marches with the coca farmers from Carmen Pampa, we can go with them to march and get some footage. He says it´ll be perfectly safe if we´re with him and the others- we won´t be chased out for our American origins like outsiders would be. I had mentioned our interest to him last week while we were sitting around a fire on the soccer field chewing coca. The local Yatiri was busy splashing alcohol into the fire and mumbling in Aymara. Yatiris are shamens who are paid to perform all sorts of services, from healing to fortune-telling to providing spiritual protection from evil mountain spirits. This night, the Yatiri was enlisted to bless the Carmen Pampa soccer team in their big game against nearby Caranavi. All of the players gathered at the manager´s house at about six and the Yatiri blessed them all one by one by tying string around their waists and both feet, then breaking it off and breaking it into tiny lengths while touching their heads with it and telling off the evil spirits of injuries and loss in Aymara. (He wouldn´t let us film this part, but of course Willi took our smaller camera and got some hidden camera shots)
Once everyone had been blessed, we went up to the field and had a fire, in addition to burning various plants and incense and splashing more alcohol about to complete the ritual.
Before paying the Yatiri, we sat in a wide circle and chewed coca for an hour or so.
Willi´s dad came up for this part and we got to discuss some coca politics and what else the Yatiri was good for. Willi had told stories of his being haunted by shadows that the Yatiri solved for him, and when Willi´s first son Luis was alive, Willi and Fabi took him to the Yatiri a number of times. He predicted Luis´s death due to his illnesses, and attempted to transfer his destiny to a rabbit in an elaborate ceremony.
Apparently the ceremony failed, Luis died at age three last october.
The soccer ceremony was ineffective as well...the team tied 1-1 the next day.