It was Sunday evening, I was sitting in the central square of Santa Cruz in Bolivia, resting from the half marathon which I had run earlier that day. It was Valentine’s Day and of course I was by myself, when I suddenly heard the sound that I like so much, that gets my pulse racing, makes me grab my camera and run towards it, as tired as my legs may have been after running 21 km in the morning. That sound is the sound of political protest.

I caught the beginning of a walk by the NO campaign, the campaign against changing the Bolivian constitution, against allowing President Morales to run for a fourth term in office. Even if you are not too interested in politics, these videos give you a nice glimpse of the area around the cathedral in Santa Cruz.

The crowd grew by the minute. People who had sat in the park playing with their children, eating ice cream or staring at their phones (the big difference between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz: people sitting in a park in Cochabamba eat, people sitting in a park in Santa Cruz stare at their phones) had gotten up to join the parade.

Bystanders were clapping in support. None of the cars which were forced to wait because of the march honked in frustration. Even this child showed his support.

And like any good political protest, it ended with the singing of the national anthem.

(Hier gibt es diesen Bericht auf Deutsch.)