From the Basque Country to Bolivia

A brigade from the Basque Country (Euskadi) visited the Women's House as part of their tour of Bolivia, investigating the social struggles of this Latin American country and explaining the independence struggle that takes place in their region, which is located between Spain and France.

Regarding their trip around the country, which lasted almost a month, and the various interviews they had with social and political leaders, Alis Alonso, one of the volunteers, commented:

“It’s a two-way, peer-to-peer effort, not based on the Western paternalism that certain organizations are used to when coming to Latin America. Our goal is to come and learn from the struggle here and try to enrich it by explaining our own struggle; it’s the two-way nature of revolutionary experiences.”

Leire, Navar, Irati and Alis are part of Askapena, a Basque left-wing organization that wants an independent, socialist and internationalist Basque Country based on solidarity between peoples.

The four volunteers attended the event “Seeking efficient results for productivity”, which was organized by Casa de la Mujer with the objective of making strategic alliances to prevent and address the critical situation of gender violence experienced by women in Santa Cruz.

Then they wanted to see the facilities and learn about the projects at Casa de la Mujer (Women's House). They talked with the director, Miriam Suárez, about politics, social structures, feminism, and other topics.

In response to the group's question about what the main challenge for feminism in Latin America was, the director replied:

"The ability to build a common minimum agenda based on respect for otherness and differences, without discrimination of any kind, would enable articulation between feminist groups and other social and political organizations."

Casa de la Mujer wanted to learn a little more about the visitors.

What were their expectations before the trip?

Leire Ros:

Our group chose Bolivia as our destination; others went to Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Greece, and Palestine. We came to gather as much information as possible about the process, from both social organizations and state structures, to meet with people who have been working on it, and to collect as much information as possible.

Expectations were high because we didn't know much. What we've found has been a very enriching process, a country that has grown a lot and continues to fight to maintain the strength it has gained so far.

What did they take away from the experience?

Navar Larrakoetxea:

What we learn from this is that Bolivia has a society that refuses to be oppressed and is organizing itself as a people to demand respect for its Indigenous identity, languages, and diverse cultures. Various organizations are placing great importance on women's empowerment to eradicate all forms of violence—verbal, physical, and psychological. Let's hope they continue to move forward in achieving a more just society with a higher quality of life.

What commonalities and differences have you observed with respect to feminism?

Irati Zúñiga:

What I see as the most common thread is all the oppression that women suffer. Ultimately, in both Bolivia and the Basque Country, patriarchy is the same, and we continue to be oppressed by a system that is organized to keep women under the pressure of the male-dominated system.

I've been struck by the fact that the term "feminism" isn't as widespread here as it is in the Basque Country. We have some things to learn from them regarding ways of organizing, especially from Indigenous cultures and the concept of community. It's related to what we advocate for in feminism, which is putting life at the center. The ideology that comes from Indigenous cultures embraces that. It's admirable, and we can learn a great deal from it.

What is the struggle of the Basque Country that they wanted to highlight on their trip?

Alis Alonso:

The struggle of the Basque working people is for their liberation, the liberation from the chains of capitalism imposed on us by the Spanish and French imperialist states, and the abolition of all types of oppression, which is the long-term objective.

In this sense, internationalist brigades are crucial for fueling diverse struggle processes in different regions, countries, states, and so on, because even if the current situation is different, lessons can be learned from the struggles of other regions and the struggles of those other areas can also be fueled.

Spain, in the end, is a collection of peoples with different cultures and customs. The Spanish state was forged through bloodshed, both in Latin America and on the Iberian Peninsula.