DATE

21 12 2019

ISSA Bolivia: Symposium Came to a Halt Due to Civil Unrest

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Manzana International Sculpture Symposium, originally scheduled to take place from November 8 to 14, was canceled due to civil unrest.


Ever since the disputed presidential election on October 20, Bolivia has caught itself in severe political crisis. The results showed victory for the incumbent president at the time, Evo Morales, who is also the first indigenous president in Bolivia. However, Morales faced intense push back question the inconsistency in the vote counts and the possibility of electoral fraud. Under pressure, Morales resigned and sought political asylum in Mexico. 


Jeanine Anez, the interim president took power and violently pushed back against pro-Morales protesters. On November 15 there was at least 9 counts of death among the protesters, increasing the total death count to 23.


Manzana International Sculpture Symposium has been held for five consecutive terms. It’s specialized in wooden sculptures. Ten sculptors from Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Tanzania were originally invited to participated in this year’s event. The event organizer was Juan Bustillos, an associate member of ISSA in Bolivia.