Bolivia’s Mennonites, Justice and Renewal

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2019

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2009, Mennonite women in a far-flung Bolivian colony reported mass rape. Now leaders of this insular, Christian community with its roots in Europe are campaigning to free the convicted men. More than 100 women and children were attacked in the colony of Manitoba, and their courage in telling their stories secured penalties of 25 years for the rapists. But within Mennonite circles, doubts continue to be aired about the imprisonment of the men. They too protest their innocence, claiming their initial confessions in Manitoba were forced under threat of torture. The culture of abuse in the old colonies – physical and sexual – has often been commented on. And it’s partly this that gave the impetus for the foundation of one of Bolivia’s newest Mennonite communities. Hacienda Verde has been hacked out of virgin forest, and is home to 45 families. These are people who were ex-communicated in their old colony homes, often because they would not live by the harsh rules of conservative Mennonites – rules that govern every facet of life, from the clothes and hairstyles that are allowed, to the rejection of any kind of technology.

Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly

(Photo: Bolivia Mennonite colony, Belice, Girl at school. Photo Credit: @jordibusque)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:05.0	I'm delighted that you've downloaded this podcast from assignment on the BBC World Service.
0:10.0	This doc's about a devout Christian community that you may not have heard of.
0:15.0	I first became aware of Menonites when I saw Jordi Bousquet's beautiful pictures.
0:20.0	They're detailed studies of a very private agricultural community who attempt to maintain life
0:25.2	as it was lived more than a century ago. Jordan is from Barcelona in Spain and he's probably
0:30.1	the only photojournalist in the world who doesn't have a mobile phone.
0:34.3	Mind you on our road trip together he was in good company because in most
0:38.3	Mennonite colonies cell phones are banned. The next half hour isn't always going to be an easy listen, but I really hope
0:45.6	you'll be engaged by what you hear, and if you are, perhaps you'll have a moment to rate us with
0:50.6	your podcast provider. Here we go.
0:53.0	Now we're just coming up to one of these makeshift roundabouts in the community.
1:02.0	There's a bright green banner and on it there is a
1:05.7	Psalm that's written in Low German.
1:08.3	It's Psalm 105 verse one that says God held it's
1:11.9	seen for Sprachking God holds his promise
1:14.1	dank the inherent and febrides in whom thank the Lord and proclaim his name
1:18.4	Zak all of fau-ya what you know enough tell all the nations what he has done.
1:24.0	He'd be forgiven for thinking this addition of assignment on the BBC World Service with
1:28.7	me, Linda Presley, comes from Northern Europe, or hearing Belkala's accent, perhaps from North America.
1:35.7	But this is Bolivia.
1:38.4	And the far east of this landlocked Latin American nation is home to around 100,000 menonites, conservative Christians
	...

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