"This is not a simple administrative issue, but a renewed attempt by the center-right government of Rodrigo Paz to sweep aside the memory of the world's most famous guerrilla fighter, who was assassinated in the Bolivian village of La Higuera in 1967. Since Bolivia's Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) lost power to the new government last year, several attempts have been made to rid the country of Guevara's legacy."
"A young man waiting for the bus says the street name change is fine by him. We've had enough Che Guevara already, he says. He is part of the 17- to 25-year-old demographic in Bolivia that has been pushing for an end to the honoring of the leftist icon who, between 1966 and 1967, tried to create a center of armed revolution in the heart of South America."
"Instead, they propose honoring the 700 soldiers who are still alive from the unit of 2,000 who fought Che and his 44 guerrillas among them 23 Bolivians, 16 Cubans, three Peruvians and two Argentinians. In October of last year, the month of Guevara's death, these soldiers were honored in the country's capital, La Paz, by the Bolivian Nationalist Union."
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia's economic center, has become a focal point in efforts to erase Che Guevara's memory following the center-right government's rise to power. The city council renamed Che Guevara Avenue to Monsenor Nicolas Castellanos Avenue, reflecting broader attempts to eliminate the leftist icon's presence from public spaces. These efforts include decorating Guevara's military executioners and proposing removal of his image and name from public places. Younger Bolivians, particularly those aged 17-25, support these changes, viewing Guevara's legacy as outdated. Instead, the government honors the surviving 700 soldiers from the 2,000-strong unit that fought Guevara's 44 guerrillas during his failed 1966-1967 revolutionary campaign in Bolivia. Public ceremonies celebrating these soldiers have been organized by the Bolivian Nationalist Union.
#che-guevara-legacy-removal #bolivia-political-transition #historical-memory-and-commemoration #generational-attitudes-toward-leftist-icons
Read at english.elpais.com
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