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Bolivia Congress Clock Altered to Turn Anti-Clockwise

posted by n1 on Friday June 27 2014, @03:18AM   
from the how-does-it-work-on-a-digital-clock dept.

dryriver writes:

The BBC reports:

The clock on the facade of the building housing the Bolivian congress in La Paz has been reversed. Its hands turn left and the numbers have been inverted to go from one to 12 anti-clockwise.

Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca dubbed it the "clock of the south". He said the change had been made to get Bolivians to treasure their heritage and show them that they could question established norms and think creatively.

"Who says that the clock always has to turn one way? Why do we always have to obey? Why can't we be creative?", he asked at a news conference on Tuesday. "We don't have to complicate matters, we just have to be conscious that we live in the south, not in the north," Mr Choquehuanca added.

• Sense of identity (Score: 1) by Natales on Saturday June 28 2014, @01:28AM

  by Natales (2163) on Saturday June 28 2014, @01:28AM (#61206)

  I lived in Bolivia, not under the current, more radical administration, but I believe I can offer some explanation for what it's worth. Bolivia is really like 3 different countries in one, with different ethnic backgrounds, culture, indigenous tribes and such. It's a country with a very thin, very educated upper class mostly of European descent, and the less educated populus, mostly of indigenous descent. The middle class is virtually nonexistent.

  They've been struggling for quite some time with a sense of their own identity, and for first time, with the ascent of Evo Morales to the presidency, the indigenous people of the highlands have the capability of asserting some of that power. The clock is not really to "question everything". The clock is a way to gain a sense of identity after centuries of cultural domination by the European cultures. In their view, the struggle between the natives of the land and the conquistadors is pretty much alive, and this small gesture is a way to show them the finger.

  I deeply respect those sentiments. But with that being said, we are all entering a fully globalized world, like it or not, and something as basic as the measure of time, along with other consistent measuring systems are absolutely key to create a baseline for global understanding. At least at this stage, Bolivia seems stuck in the "reparation" mentality, trying to revive old arguments of territories legitimately lost in a war over 120 years ago, or trying to find a path between capitalism and communism that satisfies all segments of their society. For their own good, I certainly hope they move to the "get over it" phase sooner rather than later, so at least they can have a clear path to development.