Can you tell me when a roadblock or strike will end?
In Bolivia protests are very common (and there is also a problem to a lesser degree in Peru) and take place in various forms and it often is impossible to predict when this might occur. Sometimes there is advance notice sometimes there is none whatsoever and it can cause chaos - which is actually often one of the aims. So the answer to this question is usually no, we do not know when protests/roadblocks will end - they usually end when the problem is resolved and that can vary greatly from 1 day to many months. Protests usually take one of the following forms:
1. Strikes - This is the most common question from travellers: "We heard there was a strike and it has affected...", when in fact strikes are very rare in Bolivia and usually do not affect tourists at all. A strike is when an organised group of people refuse to work in order to force the employers make a certain change. Whilst it does happen (for example section of the police and the armed forces have done this some years) most protests in Bolivia are not actually a strike at all.
2. Protests, marches - These are very common and in many times of the year, especially in La Paz, are a daily occurrence. It is often impossible to keep up with when they will happen (although some are pre-annouced when involving larger organisations like the transport unions) and even what most of them are for. Most residents of La Paz simply accept this as a way of life now (although don't like the fact) and just get on with things as best they can and work their way around them. These usually involve marches of varying sizes through the main streets of the city, setting off loud fireworks, waving banners and chanting slogans. It causes traffic chaos but very rarely is there any kind of threat to citizens or tourists.
3. Roadblocks - There are of course a form of protest but are less about getting a message across like a march but purely about causing problems in order for the protesting group to get their own way. They can range from small local communities that will simply go to the nearest main road that will cause the most inconvenience to be blocked and they will places larges rocks, vehicles etc. on the road to obstruct all traffic and make demands to the authorities and refuse to move until they get their demands met. These can go on for as little as a day, many weeks or even months - the longer it goes on the more likely the authorities will concede something to the protesting group. It can be hard for many tourists to understand how these protests can be allowed and we are often asked why the government / police don't just move them but it is more complicated than that. The police are under resourced, not well trained to deal with these situations and also often not willing as they can become the scapegoats if things go wrong. Also the president himself was involved in many of these kinds of protest before he came to power so he is unlikely to act too strongly against this form of activism. Additionally protests are often created or backed by opposition politicians in order to try to gain political points and having police breakup protests can often provide good publicity for them to use against their opponents, especially if someone gets hurt. So our advice is to come with a flexible mind and itinerary - it is the only way because protesting is a way of life here and it doesn't look like changing any time soon!
2. Protests, marches - These are very common and in many times of the year, especially in La Paz, are a daily occurrence. It is often impossible to keep up with when they will happen (although some are pre-annouced when involving larger organisations like the transport unions) and even what most of them are for. Most residents of La Paz simply accept this as a way of life now (although don't like the fact) and just get on with things as best they can and work their way around them. These usually involve marches of varying sizes through the main streets of the city, setting off loud fireworks, waving banners and chanting slogans. It causes traffic chaos but very rarely is there any kind of threat to citizens or tourists.
3. Roadblocks - There are of course a form of protest but are less about getting a message across like a march but purely about causing problems in order for the protesting group to get their own way. They can range from small local communities that will simply go to the nearest main road that will cause the most inconvenience to be blocked and they will places larges rocks, vehicles etc. on the road to obstruct all traffic and make demands to the authorities and refuse to move until they get their demands met. These can go on for as little as a day, many weeks or even months - the longer it goes on the more likely the authorities will concede something to the protesting group. It can be hard for many tourists to understand how these protests can be allowed and we are often asked why the government / police don't just move them but it is more complicated than that. The police are under resourced, not well trained to deal with these situations and also often not willing as they can become the scapegoats if things go wrong. Also the president himself was involved in many of these kinds of protest before he came to power so he is unlikely to act too strongly against this form of activism. Additionally protests are often created or backed by opposition politicians in order to try to gain political points and having police breakup protests can often provide good publicity for them to use against their opponents, especially if someone gets hurt. So our advice is to come with a flexible mind and itinerary - it is the only way because protesting is a way of life here and it doesn't look like changing any time soon!