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#Bolivia#video May 1 is a Labor Day. The holiday is celebrated in Russia and many other countries, such as Bolivia, where even children have to work. So they’re torn between helping their parents and school. See their stories in the video, and the entire documentary film Undermined: Bolivia’s child workers. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

#video#Bolivia Bolivia has unusual battles – women dressed in heavy, multi-layered skirts fight each other. They’re known as Cholitas, and they pride themselves on looking their best in the ring. Outside the ring, they’re regular women: wives, mothers, business owners and even schoolgirls. But fighting is another social empowerment of indigenous women. Watch our the video to learn why women take part in such fights. Watch more Bolivian Cholita fighting in the full film The Good, the Bad and the Loco. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

#video#Bolivia Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. It covers 11,000 square kilometres. Locals call it ‘God’s Mirror’. When salt was in great demand, it was essential. But now the situation has changed. In the late 1980s, vast lithium reserves were found at the salt flat, some of the biggest in the world. Lithium sometimes referred to as ‘21st-century oil,’ is an essential raw material needed to manufacture batteries. But unfortunately, lithium extraction pollutes the atmosphere and seriously disrupts the ecosystem. Still, saleros continue their work even risking their health because salt has become their whole life — they earn their living extracting it, making art pieces of it and even building salt houses. You can watch the full documentary on @documentaryplanet Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

#photo#Bolivia This is the Chambi family from Bolivia. Eric, his wife and children, work as saleros or salt gatherers. Eric rides his old pickup truck to get salt blocks. He’s been collecting them for three years to build a small hotel. After a few thousand salt blocks, Eric finally opened his business in December 2019. Instead of a new start of not having to chop salt from the earth’s crust under the scorching sun, the Covid pandemic struck. Not a single tourist has stayed at Eric’s hotel since March 2020. Eric keeps coming to the salt flats to bring more salt blocks in his truck. Sometimes, his family keeps him company. RT Documentary’s Pavel Baydikov and Artyom Vorobey are in Bolivia, shooting a new documentary about saleros. Stay tuned for the premiere and subscribe to our channel not to miss anything. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

#photo#Bolivia These are two guises of Estanislao Laime from Bolivia. Don Laime is a farmer who owns dozens of llamas. He is also a shaman, known as a Yatiri. Locals come to Estanislao for advice on making money or getting healthy. But as a Yatiri, Estanislao has more responsibilities, including bringing the rain. Water is of great value in this arid region, home to the world largest salt flat. Everyone at the Salar de Uyuni looks forward to the rainy season at the end of December and lasts till March. Yatiris ask local spirits to bring the rain. The ceremony that Estanislao performed worked - the rain started in the Salar de Uyuni the day after the RT Documentary crew filmed the Yatiri. Don’t miss the documentary when it’s out; follow us and share if you liked this post. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Where salt is a way of life #photo#Bolivia Nico is 40, and for 30 of them, he’s been a salero or salt gatherer. Nico’s father and grandfather were saleros too. But the profession of salero is likely to disappear with Nico. It is becoming less popular in Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. Nico has a big family of five brothers and two sisters, and he’s one of the few who keep coming to the salt flats, gathering the raw mineral left behind by prehistoric lakes and selling it. But Nico is not just a salero; he’s also an artist. Nico makes sculptures with salt - flamingos, llamas and off-road vehicles. An RT Documentary’s crew spent ten days with the Bolivian saleros to make a documentary about the people who gather salt 3,500 metres above sea level. It’s coming soon! Subscribe to our channel, and don’t miss our new videos! Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Bolivia’s child workers #video#Bolivia Nadia is a little girl from the suburbs of La Paz. She dreams of becoming a lawyer, but she hardly has time to do her homework. After classes, Nadia has to start her shift at a market. She helps her mum sell eggs and noodles. In Bolivia, children as young as ten are allowed to work under the controversial Children’s Code. As a result, child vendors and child cleaners are a common sight. They’d love to study more to pursue their dream careers in medicine, academia or finance, but they must support their families now. Ten-year-olds can work for themselves or their families, those older than 12 can work for others. Critics argued the law effectively legalised child labour. However, kids went out on the streets to protest their right to work when the government planned to raise the minimum working age to 14. Check out this heartbreaking film featuring legal child workers, as well as underage miners who have to operate outside the law. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Hasta siempre, Comandante #video#Bolivia ‘His bearded face resembled Jesus Christ’s!’ A woman from Vallegrande, Bolivia recalls the day she saw Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s body put on display in a laundry house. The Argentine-born revolutionary died a year after he began to create his guerrilla army in Bolivia. In 1966, Che Guevara travelled to Bolivia incognito to incite a revolution. Despite early successes, he and his guerrilla force found themselves on the run from US-backed Bolivian troops. Che Guevara was wounded, caught, and eventually executed. He was buried in an unmarked grave. His remains were dug up 30 years later and brought to Cuba, where he was buried with military honours on October 17. Check out our documentary about the Comandante’s last days in Bolivia. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Why Russian Old Believers settled in Bolivia #video#Bolivia These Russians have preserved the traditions, clothing and even their Old Russian language… as far away as Bolivia! They are Russian 'Old Believers', whose dissident ancestors were imprisoned and persecuted since the 17th century. Old Believers split from the Russian Orthodox Church following reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon. The changes included the number of fingers used to make the sign of the cross and the spelling of Jesus’ name. Old Believers went into exile and found refuge in the Siberian taiga, Latin American villages and even Alaska. Now, scattered around the world, members of the community have kept their ancient rites, and elements of traditional clothing and lifestyle. For example, they never marry outside their community. To find out more about the Russian Old Believers in Bolivia, check out this video - https://youtu.be/pFW6DJN62fA Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary

Bolivian Wonder Women #video#Bolivia Bright skirts, braided hair, and bowler hats are typical for a Bolivian 'cholita'. She may look cute, but she can beat you up. Cholitas can be seen in wrestling rings, where they throw each other over their shoulders in choreographed but bruising fights. Indigenous Quechua and Aymara women are called 'cholitas' in Bolivia. Though society has long discriminated against them, cholitas have been reinventing their image in the 21st century. And wrestling in the ring is one way to do it. Follow: https://t.me/rtdocumentary