Hidden Corner Of Men With Masking Shoes In Bolivia

Seven years of practicing shoe polish, Rubin always covered his face because he did not want others to recognize him.
Hidden corner of men with masking shoes in Bolivia
Fliss Lloyd went to Bolivia to travel with the desire to thoroughly understand the lives of the people here. Therefore, she hired Roger, a Lustrabota (shoemaker), to be her own guide for 80 Boliviano (about 260,000 VND).
Fliss's trip started at 14:00 in the administrative capital of La Paz. She was led to Witches Market on Sagarnaga Road, to explore the sights along Prado pedestrian street, Mercado Uruguay

. With the advantage of being a shoemaker, Roger knows every corner of the Bolivian capital, as well as cheap restaurants or fine restaurants. That makes female tourists very excited.
Face shoemakers in Bolivia Photo: NeilsPhotography / Flickr.




Roger has two jobs. His main job is to polish shoes, and his left hand job is a tour guide. He is a member of the Hormigon Armadon, an organization formed to support the lives of shoemakers known collectively as Lustrabota.
Roger had been a guide for 3.5 years, by the time he met Fliss in 2013. Several years earlier, Roger lived in a poor village with his family. To help his parents, he escaped to town and went shoe shine
Rubin, a 28-year-old shoe polisher this year.



Photo: Harry Stewart.
Every day, downtown La Paz often has hundreds, even thousands of young people gather. They wear dark clothing, and mask their faces. Many people who came here for the first time misunderstood it as a mafia gang in Bolivia. But in fact, it's shoeshineers - a profession that is underestimated and considered "the most undesirable job in the country", according to Culture Trip.
Shoe polishers first appeared in the 1980s. That was a time when Bolivia was experiencing a period of severe economic crisis. Many people in Aymara and Quechua have moved from their homes to the streets to earn a living, out of extreme poverty in the countryside.



However, they do not have the skills and qualifications to find "light, high-paying jobs". Therefore, they went to polish shoes for the upper class to survive.
Most of these workers are minors, orphans, or run away from home because of abuse. They turn to shoe polish on the street to make a living .. Photo: Culture.
In the 1990s, the number of shoeshineers has increased dramatically. Despite the hard work, most Lustrabota did not have a good reputation.



They are considered alcoholics, drug addicts, and thieves. Many people have faced discrimination from society, sometimes even ostracized. That is the reason that these people have chosen for me to wear a face veil so that no one knows who I am.
Rubin, 28 years old, is a Lustrabota. He often works at Plaza Murillo, in La Paz, but also moves around to make a living. He started shoe polishing when he was 21 years old. Today, he said, there are two types of shoe shineers. One is freelance practice, the other is joining an organization.



These people will be given uniforms and a "beautiful" position to make a living. In return, they have to pay a monthly fee. Rubin didn't join this group because he didn't like it.
Speaking of masking, he said partly because he didn't want others to see his face. The second reason is that the masking makes him not have to smell the unpleasant smell of chemicals used to polish shoes every day.
In 2005, the Foundation for Arts and Culture in Bolivia created the Hormigo Armado newspaper. This newspaper is run by shoeshineers and issues two monthly issues. The content of these newspapers is to provide residents and visitors with insight into the lives of the poor in Bolivia.



They also keep a portion of the profits from the sale of newspapers.
More information
Bolivia is a continental country in South America, with borders with Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru.
A unique feature that makes visitors learning about Bolivia interesting is that this country has two capitals: Sucre and La Paz. Administratively, Sucre has been the official capital since 1825. However, after that, La Paz emerged as the political and economic center of the country with ore mines, banking system, government offices. and embassies.
That is also the reason why the people of Sucre or La Paz think that their new city deserves to be the capital, and the debate so far is still "indomitable".
Some of the tourist favorite tourist destinations when coming to this South American country are: The most dangerous road in the world ”Yungas Road, Madidi National Park, La Paz City, Carnaval Festival in Oruro, Lake Titicaca and Uyuni salt fields.




According to Anh Minh / Vnexpress
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