Tragedy in Bolivia

Benjamin Dangle (Upsidedownworld.org) passes along very sad news:

El Alto-based hip-hop artist Abraham Bojorquez died early in the morning on Wednesday, May 20 in El Alto, Bolivia. He was killed when a bus hit him as he walking home.

Abraham, 26 years old, was a member of the popular hip-hop group Ukamau y Ké, and in recent years had become increasingly well known within Bolivia and internationally. His music blended ancient Andean folk styles and new hip-hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. Through his music, he demanded justice for those killed in the 2003 Gas War, spread political consciousness, spoke of the reality of life in El Alto, and criticized the lying corporate media. He also was a radio host at the cultural center Wayna Tambo in El Alto, and regularly traveled around Bolivia to prisons, rural and mining communities to offer classes on hip-hop to young rappers.

Abraham Bojorquez was one of the shining lights of a new spirit in Latin American indigenous culture, someone going beyond youthful rebellion and an impotent response to injustice to help guide his people, the Aymara, into the larger world in a way that allowed his (their) culture to reach into the world outside the Andes… with a maturity far beyond his chronological years to recognize the good and the bad of it.