Every Sunday in El Alto, a suburb of La Paz, indigenous Aymara women dressed in bowler hats, braided hair, jewellery and traditional clothing come to wrestle male opponents. They are the Cholita wrestlers.
Bolivia is the country in Latin-America with the highest level of gender-based violence. Studies have shown that up to 70% of the female population have experienced gender-based violence of some sort. In a country where machismo culture is so rampant, the Cholita wrestlers have become national icons for Bolivia´s women.
The Cholitas are fighting back and have inspired women across Bolivia to follow their lead - not only in the ring, but through political protests where they demand an end to the gender-based violence.
While Cholitas have long been discriminated and looked down upon in Bolivian society, their role in society has taken a dramatic turn for the better recently. Their traditional clothing have become fashion, their small businesses and cooperatives have become an integral part of Bolivian economy, and many Cholitas now combine their traditional life with higher education and careers - something which was unheard of only 10 years ago.
