Sabina Orellana Cruz (born 1970) is a Bolivian unionist and politician of Quechua origin serving as Minister of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization since 20 November 2020. She is a member of the

Bartolina Sisa Confederation The Bartolina Sisa National Confederation of Campesino, Indigenous, and Native Women of Bolivia ( es, Confederación Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas Indígenas Originarias de Bolivia “Bartolina Sisa”; CNMCIOB-BS; informally, ''the Bartolina Si ...

of indigenous women.

Biography

Sabina Orellana was born in 1970. Of Quechua origin, she was raised in Vacas, Cochabamba. From 1993 to 2004, Orellana worked as a reporter for Radio Chualake dealing with issues of the environment, municipalities, education, health, and gender. In addition, she assumed responsibilities as a leader of the Departmental Federation of Women of Cochabamba. From 2005 to 2008, Orellana was a leading member of the Bartolina Sisa Confederation of women. From 1995, she was a member of a faction within the

Assembly for the Sovereignty of the Peoples The Assembly for the Sovereignty of the Peoples ( es, Asamblea por la Soberanía de los Pueblos, ASP) was a political organization in Bolivia. It was formed as a "political instrument" of the popular movements of the country. Alejo Véliz was the na ...

(ASP) which eventually split into the

Movement for Socialism The Movement for Socialism–Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples ( es, Movimiento al Socialismo–Instrumento Político por la Soberanía de los Pueblos, abbreviated MAS-IPSP, or simply MAS, punning on ''más'', Spanish for ...

(MAS).

Minister of Cultures

On 20 November 2020, President Luis Arce restored the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism which had been dissolved by the previous administration of

Jeanine Áñez Jeanine Áñez Chávez (; born 13 June 1967) is a Bolivian lawyer, politician, and television presenter who served as the 66th president of Bolivia from 2019 to 2020. A former member of the Social Democratic Movement, she previously served two ...

on 4 June. The Ministry was redubbed the Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization with the stated intention to "decolonize and de-patriarchalize nd toreverse this inequality between nationalities, as well as between men and women." Sabina Orellana was appointed to head the ministry making her the only indigenous representative within the Arce cabinet.

Political positions

A few minutes after being sworn into her ministerial position, Sabina Orellana announced an investigation against the groups (UJC) and the (RJC) for having incurred in racism and

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

towards indigenous women in 2019 and 2020. In addition, Orellana declared that during her tenure in the ministry, she would work to promote the Wiphala as a national symbol, regretting that it had been burned during the 2019 crisis after the resignation of the president Evo Morales. On 19 May 2021, Orellana publicly asked the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a Bolivian government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Bolivia. The minister since 8 November 2020 is Rogelio Mayta. List of chancellors Embassies * Embassy of Bolivia, London in the United ...

to proceed to cut Bolivia–United States relations, claiming that the government in Washington "attacks Bolivian sovereignty".

References

1970 births Living people 21st-century Bolivian politicians 21st-century Bolivian women politicians Bolivian trade unionists Culture ministers of Bolivia Luis Arce administration cabinet members Movement for Socialism (Bolivia) politicians People from Arani Province Women government ministers of Bolivia {{bolivia-stub