XABIER AZKARGORTA

XABIER AZKARGORTA

Aug. 20 1994

On August 16th.  Xabier Azkagorta, the Basque doctor who trained the Bolivian national team and got them into the World Cup for the first time in their history, came to the Chapare as a guest of the project.  At the beginning of the year, we had gone to see him at his hotel when the team were in Cochabamba, and he promised then that he would visit the area.  It was not possible before the Cup due to the pressures of work, but he fulfilled his promise and came now.

It was decided that this had to be a holiday for all the Associations taking part in the project and a five-a-side football championship was arranged: every association has its own team and so does the project personnel.  Robert went to Cochabamba to meet him and when they arrived in Chimoré he was greeted by the mayor and other worthies.  The army and UMOPAR were also keen to get a look in but events took place ignoring their presence.  After a rest at MILKA, the dairy plant, they went to Ivirgarzama, the place where the plant is located, where he was also received by the "town" dignitaries.  In the evening there was a dinner at the dairy dining-room which was attended by all.

However, the following day was the BIG DAY.  He kicked off the football championship and then we set off for Villa Unión, one of the more outlying places involved in the project.  There the "cholitas" or Andean women who wear traditional dress were to have a game of five-a-side.  The settlement has two teams.  Much giggling went on as Xabier greeted the members of the team, because the unmarried members could not give him a kiss and went running off giggling behind their hands.  

He coached them for a while and then the game was due to begin, but there was no whistle.  Eventually a whistle was turned out of somewhere and the game began.  Xabier was the referee.  They played barefoot. There was much running and falling and a great deal of fun was had by all. Aidé, the health worker, was affronted and furious because she was replaced by a substitute.  Imagine! She, the promoter of the sport in the first place!  Anyway, later she laughed about it and all was well.

Then there were the inevitable speeches.  The whole affair was apotheosic.  That a man so famous and popular should come and visit them, this was a miracle indeed.  But then, if he could come and see the reality of their lives, why could the government ministers not come and do the same instead of calling them all drug-pedlars and smugglers when they have never seen them or spoken to them?  Much was made of the visit and the TV cameras whirred away all day long recording what everyone had to say.  Azkargorta said he had seen no huge mansions with swimming-pools and people lounging drinking whiskies.  What he had seen were hard-working people trying to make ends meet and educate their children.  

Before we left we visited the house of one of the community leaders.  A series of wooden poles form the structure, which is open on all four sides.  The roof is of corrugated asbestos.  The original house standing nearby is smaller and has a thatched roof.  Between these two stands the kitchen which is closed in with wooden slats and has a thatched roof.  


In the evening in Ivirgarzama he was invited by the town to a civic reception, where he was asked to make a speech.  What he said, simple as it may sound, made a great impact on the people.  Do not defend heroic stands but intelligent ones.  Decide what you are capable of achieving and then go all out to do so, but make no excuses if you fail.  We are all entitled to failures if they are honest ones. And then we must analyze our failures and learn from them.

Proof of the impact he made was forthcoming a few days later when Robert met the President of the Civic Committee.  They had just had a long meeting about the transfer of responsibilities in the field of education.  He said, "We have been putting into practice the advice Dr. Azkargorta gave us and we have been trying to define just how much we can reasonably bite off."

It is amazing how much one person can affect the lives of a multitude of others.  We hope that he will also help to tell the truth about what he saw here.  That would be no mean feat.