Esther Morales
Esther Morales | |
|---|---|
First Lady of Bolivia | |
| In role 22 January 2006 – 10 November 2019 | |
| President | Evo Morales |
| Preceded by | Fanny Elena Arguedas |
| Succeeded by | Héctor Hincapié Carvajal (as First Gentleman) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Esther Morales Ayma 13 November 1949 Oruro, Bolivia |
Esther Morales Ayma de Willacarani (13 November 1949 – 16 August 2020) was a Bolivian
Biography
Morales was born in Orinoca,[3] Oruro Department, on 13 November 1949,[3] to a family from the indigenous Aymara people.[4][5] One of seven children born to Dionisio Morales Choque and María Ayma Mamani,[6] only Esther and two of her siblings, Evo and Hugo, survived past childhood.[7] She was originally supposed to be named "Estefanía Morales", but her father decided to name her Esther at the last minute (likewise, her brother, Evo Morales, was supposed to be called "Evaristo" before their father changed his mind.)[8]
Her family were farmers and Morales spent her youth farming and herding
Esther Morales continued to work in agriculture into adulthood.
In December 2005, her brother, Evo Morales, was
Esther Morales, then 55-years old, appeared at her first event as Bolivia's
Observers noted that the appointment of his sister to acting First Lady indicated that President Morales wanted to focus on the poor and
Average Bolivians were quick to embrace Morales as the country's new first lady,
In the 2000s and 2010s, Esther Morales actively participated in official domestic and international events as acting first lady in support of her brother's government.
In January 2012, First Lady Morales met with members of the Bolivian immigrant community at the Casa Amèrica Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.[9][10][11] (There were an estimated 55,000 Bolivians in Catalonia and 200,000 immigrants across Spain in 2012).[11] In her speech at the Casa Amèrica Catalunya, Morales defended many of Evo Morales policies, saying, "The landowners and businessmen of Bolivia are upset with Evo because he works for the poor. Before, the Constitution of the country only spoke of the rich who have money and now it speaks of the poor."[11] She also noted that it is mainly Bolivian women who had emigrated to Spain and other countries in search of work.[11]
In 2013, President Evo Morales suddenly reversed his earlier decision and largely removed Esther Morales from her most public, high-profile roles.[12] In the announcement, Morales directly contradicted earlier statements that he had appointed his sister as first lady and called the title of first lady "an insult to women".[12] Morales argued that he did not want to favor his sister over other family members, including his daughter, Eva Liz Morales, who sometimes filled in for her aunt.[12] President Morales admitted that his decision made his sister cry.[3]
Despite the president's public reversal, Esther Morales continued to serve as the acting first lady (or its equivalent) for several years,[13] though in a diminished capacity.[9] Morales retired from public life during the later years of her brother's presidency.[9]
During the November 2019 Bolivian political crisis, which resulted in the exile of President Evo Morales, demonstrators set fire to Esther Morales' small home and store in Oruro.[9][8] Esther Morales also fled the country following her brother's resignation on 10 November 2019.[8] She briefly stayed in Mexico before returning to Bolivia.[8]
In August 2020, Morales began exhibiting symptoms of
Esther Morales died from complications of COVID-19 on Sunday, 16 August 2020, at the age of 70, at the Oruro hospital.[5][8][10] She was survived by her husband, Ponciano Willcarani and their three sons, Ademar, Marcelo, and Roger.[5][3] Morales was buried in her hometown of Orinoca.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "De vendedora a primera dama del país". EFE (in Spanish). La Nación. 22 January 2006. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Arie, Sophie (10 March 2006). "Sister leaves mountain life to be First Lady of peasant presidency". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Alanoca Paco, Jesus Reynaldo (16 August 2020). "¿Quién fue Esther Morales, la mujer que Evo consideró como una madre y que sucumbió ante el Covid-19?". El Deber (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ Harten 2011, p. 35; Webber 2011, p. 62.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Díaz Arnau, Oscar (16 August 2020). "Esther Morales, del incendio de su casa a la instrumentalización de su muerte y los ataques a su hermano". Correo del Sur. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "Evo entrega modulo educativo "Maria Ayma" y dice que nunca influyó en nombramiento de obras - Diario Pagina Siete". Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Gutsch 2006; Sivak 2010, p. 32; Harten 2011, p. 35.
- ^ El Pais (in Spanish). Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "La hermana de Evo Morales, que pudo haber sido primera dama, fallece en Bolivia". EFE (in Spanish). Infobae. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Muere por coronavirus la hermana de Evo Morales". ABC (in Spanish). 16 August 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Esther Morales, Primera Dama de Bolivia: "Mi hermano Evo valora más a las mujeres gracias a la educación de nuestra madre"". Casa Amèrica Catalunya (in Spanish). 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Evo Morales cree que el título de primera dama "es un insulto para la mujer"". Radio Cooperativa. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Agence France Press. The Guardian. 26 February 2016. Archivedfrom the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Fallece Esther Morales, hermana del expresidente Evo". El Deber (in Spanish). 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
Bibliography
- Gutsch, Jochen-Martin (5 February 2006). "Indian, Coca Farmer, Bolivian President". Der Spiegel. Germany: SPIEGEL-Verlag.
- Harten, Sven (2011). The Rise of Evo Morales and the MAS. London and New York: Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84813-523-9.
- ISBN 978-0-230-62305-7.
- Webber, Jeffrey R. (2011). From Rebellion to Reform in Bolivia: Class Struggle, Indigenous Liberation, and the Politics of Evo Morales. Haymarket Books. ISBN 978-1608461066.