tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2010-02-01:/lill0155/ian//11741 The video I watched was called La Hoja, which directly translates to "The Leaf". The video discussed the coca leaf from the perspective of Bolivian farmers. To the farmers in Bolivia, coca is not a drug, rather a part of their heritage and culture that has been ever present since the time of their ancestors. Contrary to popular beliefe, coca leaves have medicinal purposes such as a cure for altitude sickness. This is the idea that the farmers are trying to convey when apprehended by international efforts headed by the United States. The film is nearly ten minutes long, however, the content that it tries to cover is far too expansive for such a short film. In this respect the film falls short of a digital story, it feels rather like a chapter in a very long novel. The film does a great job of personalizing coca leaves and their many uses, it focuses on a single family and their continued growth of coca leaves. The family depends on the continual harvesting of coca leaves as their main form of income, though it only brings in 1600 dollars a year. The film also does an excellent job of integrating opinions of those who oppose the cultivation of coca. They interview the director of narcotic affairs and he presents his case against coca. Ultimately the farmers case is much stronger than the opposition created by international efforts, it is a medicine, a source of income, and a way of life. The video is embedded below. Movable Type Enterprise 4.25