Yungas of the Peaceful Afro-Bolivian Kingdom

Mururata is the capital of this kingdom and Julio Bonifaz Pinedo is the king. No majestic palaces, no chariots, no warriors and courtiers. He lived and lived together with his people, without division of office, rank and degree, caste or anything, even though he ruled over 2,000 inhabitants. It was difficult to recognize him because this king mingled with the other villagers. In fact, anyone can buy a bunch of bananas from King Pinedo without realizing his title. He runs a small grocery store in his brick and cement home. One of the shopkeepers was his wife, Queen Angelica Larrea. They also sell mandarin oranges from their garden, canned food, soft drinks, and a number of cakes and other essentials.

100 kilometers northeast of La Paz, Bolivia, down the sub-tropical Yungas valley, you'll find several quiet villages hidden in the jungle. There, hidden among the tapirs, jaguars and bears who consider the Yungas their home, lies a community that the rest of the world has not recognized for nearly 200 years. They were people from the Afro-Bolivian Kingdom. It is the spiritual capital of thousands of Bolivians of African descent and one of the last surviving empires on the Americas. Most of the roughly 2,000 inhabitants of this hidden and humble kingdom are farmers. They live near their small patch of field. There they grow coca, oranges and coffee.

Afro-Bolivians are descendants of slaves from West Africa who were brought by Spain between the 16th and 19th centuries to work in the mines of Potosi, a city in southwest Bolivia. The mines at Potosi are notorious for taking the lives of about 8 million South Americans and Africans. They are people who have been enslaved for 300 years. Many of them died from overwork, lack of food and extreme cold.

In the early 19th century, they were moved to Yungas which had warm weather. But they still work on the large estates belonging to the Kingdom of Spain. It was in the Yungas that this unofficial "kingdom" was formed in 1820, among a group of Afro-Bolivian slaves. Although not official, after 187 years of existence the kingdom was finally recognized by the Bolivian government in 2007.

Pinedo was the first royal monarch to be officially recognized by the Bolivian government. This happened through the policy of recognizing the existence of the Bolivian ethnic minority group in 2006. And in 2009, Bolivia officially changed their name to The Plurinational State of Bolivia. A new constitution was also approved, recognizing Bolivia's 36 national groups, including Afro-Bolivians. The new move comes after a historic referendum that gave more power to indigenous groups, who have long been marginalized.

The power of an Afro-Bolivian king was similar to that of a traditional tribal chief. Pinedo does not collect taxes or have a police force.
"My title as king is largely symbolic," Pinedo said. "I don't like the rich kings of Europe, but I represent the Afro-Bolivian community and this is a huge responsibility for me."

The queen of this kingdom, Angelica, sat behind Pinedo, on the steps leading to their home. There Angelica used to watch soap operas on the small television perched on top of the display cabinet. This royal family is selfless. Humility makes them highly respected by society. Angelica, added, "If there is a conflict between two Afro-Bolivians, they can come and ask the king for advice."

Angelica then describes Pinedo's legendary genealogy. "His ancestors were kings in Africa. That's where it all started," he said.
According to Pinedo, when his ancestors arrived in Yungas in 1820, one of his relatives, named Uchicho, was bathing in the river. Uchicho's African friends noticed that his body had scars reminiscent of members of the royal family. Uchicho turns out to be a prince from the ancient Congo Kingdom. He got that recognition from the enslaved people of Spain. Pinedo took an old document from his cupboard. "This is my grandfather, Bonifacio, who became king in 1932," he said. The document shows a photo of a man wearing a vest and a handkerchief tied around his neck.

When news of Pinedo's official recognition by the Bolivian state spread, recognition of the country's Afro-Bolivian community spread. "The Bolivian company made a documentary about us and invited our family to travel to Uganda to see what might be the homeland of our ancestors," said Pinedo. But by seeing so many black people who looked like members of his own family in Uganda, he became more aware of his roots.

Look in all directions from Mururata, you will see the smell of laurels, arboreal ferns, and other tropical trees covered the hills. On top of one of those hills lies the royal cemetery, which is sadly in a state of disrepair. Likewise, the old estate belonging to the Spanish empire, which is only a few minutes walk from the newly renovated main village square. The plantation was abandoned. Although some of the relics of the past are slowly crumbling, the future of this Afro-African empire is beginning to take shape.

The wall next to Pinedo's seat in his very modest home is decorated with framed official documents, family photos, and a calendar enshrining his coronation ceremony as king. "Where is your crown now?" . Pinedo went upstairs and came back with his crown tucked away in a cardboard cookie box.

source : BBC Travel

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