Let Me Speak! Testimony of Domitila, a Woman of the Bolivian Mines

1. Bolivian Miners Endure Extreme Exploitation and Harsh Conditions

Barely 35 years is the average life of a mining worker.

Life is short and brutal. Miners work in incredibly dangerous and unhealthy conditions deep underground, facing lack of air, toxic gases, dust causing silicosis, and frequent accidents from dynamite use. Their average life expectancy is tragically short due to these occupational hazards.

Housing is scarce and temporary. Company-provided housing is small, lacks basic amenities like private bathrooms or running water, and is only available after years of service. Upon illness, death, or removal from the company, widows and families are evicted, left with nowhere to go despite the worker's lifetime of labor.

Wages are meager. Miners are paid a pittance, often less than a dollar a day, forcing wives and children to work just to survive. Deductions for social security, company stores, and other fees leave families with barely any cash, sometimes even owing the company money.

2. National Wealth Benefits Foreign Capitalists and Corrupt Elites, Not the People

Someone said that "Bolivia is immensely rich, but its inhabitants are just beggars."

Resources flow outward. Bolivia is rich in minerals like tin, silver, and gold, but this wealth is primarily extracted by transnational companies and corrupt national elites. Profits are invested abroad, leaving the majority of Bolivians in poverty.

Exploitation is systemic. Leaders explained how the vast majority of mining profits go to foreign capitalists, with only a small fraction remaining in Bolivia. This fraction is then siphoned off by the government for military, ministerial salaries, and foreign investments, leaving minimal funds for workers' wages or national development.

Nationalization failed the people. While mines were nationalized from "tin barons," the former owners were compensated, and new elites emerged who continued the exploitative practices. Machinery remained old, and the benefits of nationalization did not reach the workers or contribute significantly to national progress.

3. Worker Organization and Solidarity Are Essential Weapons Against Oppression

I think that the Union, the Federation, the Bolivian Central Obrera are our representations, they are our voice, and for this reason we must take care of them like the apple of our eyes.

Unions are the people's voice. The working class has a strong tradition of independent unionism, refusing government control. Unions, federations (like FSTMB), and the national COB (Bolivian Workers Central) unite different sectors to fight for common goals and provide mutual support during repression.

Solidarity protects leaders and members. Past mistakes taught the importance of supporting leaders, who faced deportation, torture, and death. Solidarity with imprisoned leaders and their families became crucial, demonstrating that the people would not abandon those who fought for them.

Unity is the greatest strength. Despite government attempts to divide workers through repression, co-optation (yellow unions, base coordinators), and propaganda, the unity of the working class, including women and youth, remains their most powerful weapon, enabling strikes and protests.

4. Women's Liberation is Intertwined with Class Struggle, Not Separate from Men

We consider that our liberation consists first of all in achieving that our country is freed forever from the yoke of imperialism and that a worker like us is in power and that the laws, education, everything is controlled by him.

Liberation requires systemic change. For working-class women, true liberation is not just about gender equality within the existing system, but about the fundamental transformation of society through socialism. Fighting alongside men against imperialism and exploitation is the primary goal.

Machismo and feminism are divisive tools. The author views both machismo and certain forms of feminism (like those focused on individual sexual freedom or fighting men) as tools of imperialism used to divide the working class. The essential struggle is a collective one for the liberation of the entire people.

Women's participation is crucial for the revolution. Women's role extends beyond the home; their political education and participation are vital for forging future citizens with revolutionary consciousness. The Housewives Committee proved women could be strong allies in the class struggle.

5. Popular Wisdom and Experience are the True Foundation for Revolution

Everything I know and am I owe to the people.

Life is the best teacher. Formal education often fails to teach the true reality of exploitation and poverty. The author learned more about the country's economic situation and the need for change from a simple leader's explanation and her own lived experience than from university economists.

The people possess inherent intelligence. Despite lacking formal education, ordinary people, including miners and peasants, demonstrate great intelligence, wisdom, and sagacity in analyzing their situation and finding ways to resist oppression and organize themselves.

Intellectuals must connect with the people. Educated individuals who want to support the people's cause must learn to communicate in an understandable language, sharing their knowledge in a way that is accessible and relevant to the lived experiences of workers and peasants, rather than using abstract theories.

6. Government Repression, Including Massacres, Strengthens the People's Resolve

And instead of serving as something that insults and frightens the people, it has served to strengthen them more and more.

Violence fuels resistance. Brutal massacres (1942, 1949, 1965, 1967, 1974) and repression by the military and government agents, while causing immense suffering and death, have historically failed to break the spirit of the Bolivian people, particularly the miners.

Massacres reveal the enemy's nature. Events like the San Juan massacre exposed the government's willingness to kill its own citizens, including women and children, to suppress dissent and protect its power and the interests of foreign capital.

Suffering deepens commitment. Personal experiences of violence, loss, and imprisonment, like the author's, did not lead to submission but rather solidified her political consciousness and commitment to the struggle, demonstrating how repression can backfire on the oppressors.

7. Imprisonment and Personal Suffering Forge Political Consciousness

If they die, senora, live then to avenge the death of their children.

Jail is a crucible. The author's harrowing experiences in prison, including torture, the loss of her child, and psychological manipulation, were moments of intense suffering but also profound political awakening. They stripped away illusions and forced a deeper understanding of the enemy and her own commitment.

Solidarity sustains hope. Even in isolation, small acts of solidarity from fellow prisoners or sympathetic individuals provided crucial moral support, reinforcing the sense that the struggle was collective and worth enduring personal pain for.

Suffering clarifies purpose. Facing death and the potential loss of her children forced the author to prioritize her role as a leader and her commitment to the people's cause over personal safety or maternal instincts alone, transforming her suffering into revolutionary resolve.

8. The Military Serves the Oppressors, Not the People

We know that the army we have is made up of crafty people, trained from the Pentagon, with bourgeois ideas, with ideas of domination.

The army is a tool of repression. Despite claims of patriotism or serving the nation, the military in Bolivia has historically acted as the armed wing of the ruling class and foreign interests, brutally repressing workers and peasants to maintain the status quo.

Conscripts are also victims. Ordinary soldiers, often poor conscripts from the countryside, are indoctrinated and forced to act against their own people. Some resist and are killed, while others, like the "manchegos," show compassion, highlighting the internal contradictions within the military.

Trusting the military is naive. Leaders who believe they can change the army's fundamental nature or rely on military figures for popular support are mistaken. The army's training and structure are designed to protect the existing power structure, not to serve the people's interests.

9. The Housewives Committee Emerged from Necessity and Became a Vital Force

The organization grew and is now very important, not only for the women themselves, but for the entire working class.

Necessity spurred organization. Faced with economic hardship, arrested husbands, and lack of support, a group of miners' wives organized the Housewives Committee in 1961 to fight for their families' survival and their husbands' freedom.

Women proved their strength. Despite initial ridicule and opposition from some men and other women's groups, the Committee demonstrated remarkable courage and effectiveness through hunger strikes, protests, and defending union property, earning respect and a place alongside the unions.

The Committee addresses women's specific burdens. Recognizing that women's unpaid domestic labor and lack of independent income make them doubly exploited, the Committee fought for better store quotas, access to healthcare and education for children, and even organized work initiatives like the palliris.

10. True Leaders Emerge from the People and Remain Accountable to Them

I think that a leader should have the utmost respect for the people.

Leaders are chosen, not self-appointed. The working class learned through experience the importance of carefully selecting leaders based on honesty and commitment, not just speaking ability. Leaders must be accountable to the rank-and-file.

Solidarity with leaders is paramount. Supporting leaders when they are persecuted, imprisoned, or deported is a duty of the people. This solidarity strengthens the leader's resolve and reinforces the bond between the leader and the masses.

Betrayal is unforgivable. Leaders who sell out to the government or prioritize personal gain over the people's cause lose the trust of the working class. The author refused lucrative offers from the government, understanding that compromising her principles would betray the people's trust and undermine the struggle.

11. International Solidarity is Crucial, But Liberation Must Come from Within

Each town needs the solidarity of others, because our fight is very big.

Global struggle requires mutual support. The fight against imperialism and exploitation is international. Solidarity from other peoples, particularly those who have achieved socialism, provides inspiration and practical support, making the struggle feel less isolated.

Experiences should be adapted, not copied. Learning from the experiences of other revolutions is valuable, but each country must analyze its own reality and develop its own path to liberation, rather than blindly copying foreign models.

Exiles have a role to play. Bolivian revolutionaries living abroad should not forget their people but continue to educate themselves, maintain solidarity, and prepare to return to fight alongside those who remain in the country, sharing their knowledge and experience.

12. Bourgeois Comforts and Divisions Undermine the Struggle for All

How painful it is to see that our comrades are throwing their lungs out in the mines only to give wealth abroad!

Personal comfort is a trap. The author rejected opportunities for personal comfort and security offered by the government, viewing them as attempts to co-opt her and separate her from the suffering of her people. True happiness comes from collective well-being, not individual privilege.

Divisions weaken the movement. The fragmentation of political parties, even on the left, and internal conflicts within the working class (like mistreatment of peasants or lack of solidarity among women) are detrimental to the revolutionary cause and exploited by the enemy.

False promises distract from real issues. Government tactics like distributing televisions or offering small bonuses are designed to distract the people from the fundamental issues of exploitation and lack of power, creating false needs and discontent rather than addressing root causes.

Last updated: June 9, 2025