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<h1><b>Coca Colla: Its the Real Thing</b></h1><font size=3>By
<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/nikolaskozloff">Nikolas
Kozloff</a><br>
<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/coca-colla-its-the-real-thing-by-nikolas-kozloff" eudora="autourl">
http://www.zcommunications.org/coca-colla-its-the-real-thing-by-nikolas-kozloff<br>
<br>
</a>Wednesday, March 31, 2010<br><br>
<b>Move over Coca-Cola: here comes Bolivia.<br><br>
</b>The Andean nations indigenous people have long resented the U.S.
beverage company for usurping the name of their sacred coca leaf.
Now, they are aiming to take back their heritage. Recently, the
government of Evo Morales announced that it would support a plan to
produce a coca-based soft drink which would rival its fizzy American
counterpart. <br><br>
Its still unclear whether the new drink will be promoted by a private
company, a state enterprise, or some type of joint venture between the
two. The new beverage will be called Coca Colla, in reference to
age old history: in Bolivia, Quechua, Aymara and other indigenous peoples
descended from the Incas are known as collas.<br><br>
In a move that will undoubtedly exasperate Coke, Bolivian officials say
Coca Colla will feature a black swoosh and red label similar to the
classic Coca-Cola insignia. Coca Colla reportedly has a black
color, just like normal Coke, and could be sold on the market as early as
April. <br><br>
Coca Cola robbed from us the name of our coca leaf and moreover has
cornered the market all over the world, says Julio Salazar, Secretary
General of the Bolivian Coca Growers Federation and Senator from Evo
Morales Movement Towards Socialism Party (known by its Spanish acronym
MAS). It is high time that the true owners of this natural resource
benefit by industrializing our coca, he added. <br><br>
Bolivians would like to overturn the negative stigma attached to coca
leaf. Morales, an Aymara Indian, says that coca in its natural
state does not harm human health, and that scientific research has
demonstrated the plant to be "healthy." When drug smugglers
change coca into cocaine, Morales adds, they change the plant's chemical
composition. <br><br>
While the Bolivian president condemns such practices, he also touts the
commercial uses of coca leaf. Bolivia's new constitution, drafted
by the ruling MAS party, recognizes coca as Bolivias "cultural
heritage, a natural and renewable resource of biodiversity in Bolivia and
a factor of social cohesion" and adds that coca leaf is not a
narcotic in its natural state.<br><br>
Coca leaf, which was domesticated over 4,000 years ago, is usually chewed
with a bitter wood-ash paste to bring out the stimulant properties which
are mild and similar to caffeine or nicotine. In its pure form,
coca serves to ward off hunger and counteracts the effects of high
altitude. Many poor peasants earn their livelihoods from
cultivation of the leaf, and coca has been used for millennia in cooking,
folk remedies and religious ceremonies. <br><br>
Indeed, for Andean Indians coca leaf is closely tied to the spiritual
world. Offerings to <i>Pachamama</i>, the Mother Earth, begin in August
to scare away malevolent spirits of the dry season and to encourage a
good harvest. Offerings consist of llama foetuses, sweets of various
colors, coca leaf and other herbs. The <i>yatiri</i>, or indigenous
priest, burns the offerings in a bonfire while muttering prayers to the
<i>achachilas</i>, Gods that inhabit the mountains. <br>
<br>
<b>The Restorative Powers of Coca Wine<br><br>
</b>Though Coca Collas launch may have taken Cokes CEOs by surprise, its
certainly not the first time that coca leaf has been incorporated in
commercial drinks. When I was in La Paz researching my recent
book
</font>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-South-America-Rise-Left/dp/0230617549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267639667&sr=1-1">
<font size=3 color="#0000FF"><i>Revolution! South America and the Rise of
the New Left</a></i></font><font size=3> (Palgrave-Macmillan), I stopped
by the citys coca museum where I learned about Mariani, a coca
wine. Launched in Europe in 1863, the wine was launched by
Corsican chemist and entrepreneur Angelo Mariani. The businessman
spawned imitators such as John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta entrepreneur
who launched his own coca wine. Later, the American created a syrup
which served as the prototype for Coke. <br><br>
After gathering information about the Inca and its love of coca, Mariani
took up horticulture and began to grow the sacred Andean leaf in his
backyard. Ingeniously, he sent samples of his new wine to famous
people world wide in search of endorsements. <br><br>
Marianis outreach paid off: the businessman received glowing testimonials
from the likes of Emile Zola, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill Cody and even
U.S. President William McKinley, Queen Victoria and three Popes. In
1885, when Ulysses Grant was in his final death throes and suffering from
throat cancer, he drank coca wine. Reportedly, the treatment helped
soothe his pain. <br><br>
Vin Mariani is the restorer par excellence, crowed <i>Le Figaro</i>
newspaper in 1877. It is the king of remedies against anemia. It is
a tonic which increases the secretion of gastric juices, produces
appetite. Vin Mariani has the rare advantage of stimulating both the
muscular and cerebral activities.<br><br>
Just how much of a kick did Mariani deliver? asks Mark Prendergast,
author of <i>For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of
the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It</i>.
Fortunately, he says we can hazard a good guess, since a chemist studying
various wine cocas reported in 1886 that Vin Mariani contained 0.12 grain
cocaine per fluid ounce. The dosage on the wines label called for a
claret-glass full before or after every meal (half a glass for
children). Assuming the wineglass to hold six fluid ounces, three
daily glasses would amount to a full bottle of 18 ounces, or 2.16 grains
of cocaine per day, enough to make someone feel very good indeed.
<br><br>
<b>From Coca Liquors to Pasta<br><br>
</b>Taking up Marianis lead, Andean nations have apparently carried out
their market research and are now doing their utmost to commercialize
other types of alcoholic coca beverages. Take for example the
Peruvian brewery Cervecera Peruana, which plans to export a coca beer to
countries such as China and South Africa. The beer is called Apu, a
magic word signifying God, power and richness in the Quechua indigenous
language. <br><br>
Another Bolivian beverage company recently launched a coca whisky.
The drink is called Ajayu, which translates as soul or spirit in the
indigenous Aymara language. The whisky packs a punch, with 32%
alcoholic content. According to Ajayus producer, the whisky
conserves all the essential qualities of coca, including more calcium
than milk, more iron than spinach and as much phosphorus as fish.
<br><br>
Boosters hope that Ajayu winds up being the emblematic brand of Bolivia,
much as tequila became identified with Mexico. Each separate bottle
of Ajayu contains 25 grams of coca, and the brands producers hope to
export the drink to Cuba or Venezuela. <br><br>
Historically, Mariani pioneered the use of coca leaf not only in
beverages but also in other products such as cordials and tea.
Lozenges meanwhile were marketed toward singers, teachers, and others who
sought to ease the throat. Today, Bolivian companies have taken up
Marianis lead and are using coca to make teas, syrups, toothpaste,
liqueurs, candy and pastry. In one Italian restaurant in La Paz,
diners can even order coca spaghetti made from a mixture of wheat flour
and coca leaf.<br><br>
<b>Coca Colla and Ethnic Pride<br><br>
</b>Though Bolivias promotion of Coca Colla may cause some to chuckle,
the move could contribute to a further deterioration in U.S.-Bolivian
relations. For years, Bolivias indigenous peoples have bristled
under the U.S.-fueled drug war which demonized coca leaf. In a snub
back at Washington, coca growers from the Chapare region proposed Coca
Colla and it is now Evo Morales, himself a former coca farmer from
Chapare, who has taken up coca nationalism as a cultural and political
rallying cry [for those interested in pursuing this matter further,
</font>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-South-America-Rise-Left/dp/0230617549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267639667&sr=1-1">
<font size=3 color="#0000FF">see my chapter on coca nationalism in my
book</a></font><font size=3>]. <br><br>
When speaking before adoring crowds, Morales drapes a garland of coca
leaves around his neck and wears a straw hat layered with more
coca. Whats more, Morales claims that the United States seeks to
intervene in Latin American countries by playing up the drug war.
Washington's policy, Morales has charged, is merely "a great
imperialist instrument for geopolitical control." The Bolivian
President argues that the only way to do away with drug trafficking is to
cut off demand. <br><br>
Raising eyebrows in Washington, Morales recently requested the removal of
coca leaf from a list of banned substances under the 1961 U.N.
anti-narcotics convention. Specifically, Bolivia wants to modify
two subsections of Article 49 of the 1961 U.N. convention on drugs that
prohibit chewing of coca leaf. In a theatrical move, Morales held
up coca leaf and actually chewed it in front of a U.N. panel in Vienna to
demonstrate that it had no ill effects. Hardly amused, the Obama
administration announced its opposition to Morales proposal the very next
day.<br><br>
<b>Coca Tit-for-Tat<br><br>
</b>The Bolivian presidents UN diplomacy is not too surprising given that
Morales originally came to power in January, 2006 promising to end forced
eradication of coca. In fact, the recent scuffle at the UN caps a
number of other diplomatic fall outs: in September, 2008 Bolivia expelled
U.S. ambassador Phil Goldberg, accusing the diplomat of conspiracy.
Shortly thereafter, Morales suspended official collaboration with the
DEA.<br><br>
Striking back, the Bush administration suspended Bolivias participation
in a tariff-exemption program for Andean nations, asserting that Morales
was not cooperating sufficiently in the war on drugs. Categorically
rejecting that assertion, the Bolivian leader cited U.N. statistics
demonstrating that his government had done better than Washington allies
Colombia and Peru in seizing shipments of cocaine. Indeed, local
authorities claim they have confiscated tons of cocaine and destroyed
many drug laboratories. <br><br>
Its difficult to see a way out of the morass, given that the Obama White
House does not seem very interested in reversing the foreign policy
course of the earlier Bush years. In fact, Washington says Morales
is not doing enough to clamp down on drug smuggling and has continued to
exclude Bolivia from the U.S. tariff exemption program. <br><br>
An excluded black man can exclude an Indian man, Morales declared.
The so-called Indians and blacks have historically been the most
excluded, the most marginalized, Morales added. If he wants to
exclude us let him continue to exclude us; that doesnt matter to
us. In another round of the endless tit-for-tat, Morales recently
expelled U.S. diplomat Francisco Martnez, also on charges of
conspiracy. <br><br>
<b>Increased Cultivation for Coca-Colla?<br><br>
</b>Joking aside, the Coca-Colla <i>imbroglio</i> may add yet another
twist on the recent diplomatic fall out. Like neighboring Peru,
Bolivia permits certain limited cultivation of coca for use in cooking,
folk medicine and religious rites. If plans for Coca Colla move
forward, however, Bolivia will have to grow more coca, thus putting a
further strain on U.S. relations.<br><br>
Under Bolivia law, up to 30,000 acres of land may be cultivated with
coca, but Morales wants to increase that to nearly 50,000 hectares in an
effort to further commercialize the leaf. With the new excess
cultivation, Bolivia will be well placed to launch its new Coca
Colla. While promoting the beverage is sure to irritate Washington,
the move is politically smart for Morales as he may drum up support
against an unpopular corporation while helping to bring welcome resources
to coca growers.<br><br>
Whether or not the initiative is a success, notes a recent column on the
environmental website treehugger, Bolivia may find international support
for standing up to a company that many see as an unfeeling capitalist
juggernaut with a product that better serves the environment and
livelihoods of the people producing it. No word on how Coca-Colla will
taste, but there's already something refreshing about it.<br><br>
Nikolas Kozloff is the author of
</font>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-South-America-Rise-Left/dp/0230617549/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267639667&sr=1-1">
<font size=3 color="#0000FF"><i>Revolution! South America and the Rise of
the New Left</a></i></font><font size=3> (Palgrave-Macmillan), and
</font>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Rain-Amazon-Americas-Climate/dp/0230614760/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266891858&sr=1-1">
<font size=3 color="#0000FF"><i>No Rain in the Amazon: How South Americas
Climate Affects the Entire Planet,</a></i></font><font size=3> to be
released by Palgrave-Macmillan in a matter of weeks. Visit his
blog,
</font><a href="http://www.nikolaskozloff.com/">
<font size=3 color="#0000FF">http://www.nikolaskozloff.com/</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
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