Oruromain

Description:

Oruro, situated at an altitude of 3700 metres above sea level in the mountains in the west of Bolivia, was an important pre-Columbian ceremonial site. It was refounded by the Spanish in 1606 and continued to be a sacred site for the Uru people, some of whom would travel from far afield to perform the rituals, especially for the big Ito festival. The Spanish banned these ceremonies in the seventeenth century, but they continued under the guise of the Christian liturgy: the Andean gods were concealed behind Christian icons and the Andean divinities became the saints. The Ito festival was transformed into a Christian ritual, celebrated on Candlemas (2 February). The traditional "lama lama" or "diablada" dance became the main dance in the Oruro Carnival. The Carnival now takes place once a year, before Lent. It lasts ten days and gives rise to a whole panoply of popular arts expressed in masks, textiles and embroidery. The main event in the carnival is the procession "entrada", which combines Christian elements and borrowings from the medieval mystery plays. During the ceremony, the dancers cover the four kilometers which form the route of the procession and they continue to do so for a full twenty hours without interruption. More than 28 000 dancers and 10 000 musicians take part in the procession.

Risk of disappearance:

The decline of traditional mining and agriculture is threatening the Oruro population, as is the desertification of the Andean high plateau, which is leading to massive emigration. Urbanization has led to acculturation, as well as a growing generation gap. There is also uncontrolled financial exploitation of the cultural heritage.

Action plan:

A law protecting the national heritage and a new intellectual property code containing measures related to traditional and popular cultures are envisaged. The action plan proposes to open a museum of the carnival, to develop teaching and researches on the subject of the carnival, and to encourage heritage management. It is also planned to organize craft fairs of the masks and costumes, and to grant long-term credit, which will act as a boost to the craft industry. In order to restore Andean customs, the winter solstice festival will be revived. Every three years, the festival of folk dance and a university-based festival will take place, which will help to involve young people in the process. Finally, there are plans to hold a "carnival of carnivals” every three years, which will bring together examples from the different carnivals in their respective network of towns.