Video Cocaine wars - Bolivia

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Description:
April 1996
For centuries the coco leaf was a blessing from the Gods. It alleviated the hunger of the Bolivian poor. Today it is a source of narcotic evil for the West.

Bolivia's government, reliant on US aid and vulnerable to US dictates, has been forced to uphold a war against coco producers. The 'Leopards' - anti-narcotic paramilitaries - patrol the tropical jungles of Chapere and destroy small cocaine factories. Local farmers, like Berto, are put under pressure to rip up their coco plants and rePlace them with alternative crops. But now Berto can't sell his new produce and is more impoverished than ever. Human rights organisations report violent abuses committed by the 'Leopards' against men and women. US Ambassador coolly contests such reports and admits that Bolivia would be 'hurt' if it objected to US initiatives. Evo Morales leads the Chapere people in a protest rally. In their muddy villages, the tired faces don't understand why their government is trying to destroy their livelihood.

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