Bolivian President Evo Morales made a call to celebrate the Indigenous cultures of Bolivia, as he attended the music and dance festival of the Pinkillada, an Indigenous group located near the region of Potosi.
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The group’s music and dance, part of a number of rituals in gratitude to Pachamama (“Mother Earth”) were declared as the Intangible Heritage and Culture of the Plurinational State in 2016.
“Under our management, with our Democratic and Cultural Revolution, we are recognizing our culture with laws so that other countries do not appropriate it,” Morales said, Prensa Latina reported.
"Our Pinkillada, as well as other original dances and music ... are musical interpretations of revolt, of uprising, for the liberation of our peoples. Before Kollasuyo Marka, now Bolivia is worthy and sovereign with impressive cultural wealth."
Morales also pressed the importance of music and dance in the struggles of his ancestors against European colonial domination.
“...They tried to take away our resources, our music and even tried to eliminate the Indigenous movement,” he recalled.
Addressing the crowd in a speech in the municipality of Arampampa, Morales also highlighted the importance of spreading Bolivian traditions worldwide.
“We have an unimaginable cultural wealth and we would like it to be recognized all over the world,” he said.
A number of sites and traditions in the country have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Included among these are the Carnival of Oruro, the Fair of the Alasita, the cities of Sucre and Potosi, as well as the spiritual and political center of the Tiwanaku culture.