Cocalero

I sometimes watch documentaries that make me reevaluate my political views because I want a perspective that will help me understand the other side of the table. I should also mention that these documentaries are Latin-American based.

Cocalero is a leftist (sometimes anti-American) propaganda film following the presidential campaign of Evo Morales. I thought it was fascinating for a couple of reasons:

• Evo Morales is of a native indigenous population that is representative of the suppressed, repressed, and underrepresented majority of Bolivia.  

• The grassroots movements that culminated in his election were amazing, especially considering lack of financial resources and their work amongst a politically apathetic and undereducated voting base. There is actually a scene in the movie documenting a meeting during which the primary objective was teaching illiterate people how to vote. When they practiced voting, the results were surprising. Many of the votes were void because they had voted twice or for other reasons. 

• Some of the misperceptions about the United States were ridiculous, but I could see where they were coming from. 

• The issues that mattered to most people revolved around one issue - coca farming. The use of coca is another issue that is interesting in and of itself considering cultural and international drug trafficking implications.