Armed with a digital camera, cell phone camera, a notebook and plenty of desire to provide a timely and inside view of a Bolivian historical event, Mario Duran and his colleagues, Cesar Duran and Willmar Pimentel set off at 6 a.m. in the city of El Alto on Friday, July 20. Later that morning, a department-wide rally was scheduled to take place and there was hope that close to one million peole would join the cause. The massive concentration was set to voice their displeasure with a proposal to move the capital from La Paz to Sucre. Duran announced this experiment on his blog Palabras Libres [ES] El dia de mañana en La Paz, especificamente en El Alto se llevara a cabo el cabildo del millon en defensa de la sede de gobierno, es asi que con algunos amigos (publicare la lista de los mismos mas tarde)practicaremos periodismo 2.0 a traves del portal sobre la Asamblea Constituyente y Autonomias de Bolivia, donde subiremos a la red texto, audio y si se puede, video, con entrevistas a quienes participen de este evento, desde gente de a pie hasta autoridades, habilitaremos una PC en un cafe internet (se llama Akapana y esta ubicado en la Av. Raul Salmon frente a la PTJ en El Alto) para subir contenidos a la web cada 15-30 minutos. Tomorrow in La Paz, specifially in El Alto, the million-person rally in defense of location of the capital will take place. With some friends, we are going to practice journalism 2.0 and work through the site Constituent Assembly and Autonomies of Bolivia, where we will upload text, audio, and if possible, video, along with interviews of those that will participate in this event We will talk to everyone from those in the streets to the authorities. We will use a PC in a local internet cafe (called Akapana and is located in the Raul Salmon Avenue near the Police Department in El Alto) and will upload content to the net every 15-30 minutes. Left – Pimentel and Right – Duran This experiment drew the attention of the local press and many were curious to see how this would go. Recibi una llamada de un reportero boliviano que preguntaba la velocidad de conexion de el internet Akapana, queria uno con 1024 kbps… para enviar reportajes a un medio de prensa extranjero…Me pregunto si perteneciamos a Bolpress, se sorprendio cuando le respondi via celular que solo eramos un grupo de amigos… I received a phone call from a Bolivian reporter that asked me about the speed of the internet conection of the cafe at Akapana. He wanted one with a speed of 1024 kbps… in order to send reports to the foreign press. He asked me if we worked for Bolpress (a Bolivian news agency) and was very surprised when I told him that we were just a group of friends… During the event, Duran wrote his own reflections and observations on the day. La Ceja de El Alto, escenario de rebeldía, dolor y alegría popular en Octubre de 2003 esta vez se viste de rojo, amarillo y verde, a una sola vez la inmensa marea humana grita: “la sede no se mueve”, pero los corazones vibran cuando se escuchan discursos de que “hay que preservar la unidad de la patria”. Un sentimiento de bolivianidad une a los participantes de este cabildo The Edge of El Alto, the stage of rebellion, pain, and popular joy in October 2003, is now dressed in red, yellow, and green. In unison the human wave yells, “the capital will not be moved,” but it is moving to hear the speeches talking about “preserving national unity.” It is a feeling of “Bolivianity” that unites participants in this rally. Photo by Duran However, there were difficulties with the internet cafe and it was not feasible to return every 15-30 minutes and due to the slow connecton speeds. So, Duran called on his friend Hugo Miranda, who was located several hundred kilometers away in the city or Oruro. Sending the photos from his cell phone to Miranda's email acount allowed the photos to be uploaded soon after. In summary, Duran said, in an interview with Global Voices, “it is possible to practice a new type of journalism and it doesn't matter where you are in the world. This is important so that people learn how to show the reality in which they live.” Another observer on that day was Nadine Levin, a foreign undergraduate student from the University of Chicago. She was received with mixed reactions from those attending the march and wrote on her blog Adventures in Bolivia. Being one of only two white people walking through the streets of a completely indigenous community, I sensed an interesting mixture of curiosity and also hostility. People all around me were looking at me with such scrutiny that it was impossible not to feel subconscious. Some people would shyly smile, while others would snidely call us “gringas” under their breath.