Dozens of clowns marched through La Paz on Monday, wearing full face paint and red noses, to protest a February government decree they said will limit extracurricular activities and threaten their livelihoods. The clowns gathered in front of the Ministry of Education, arguing that the decree’s implementation would curtail the school-day events where they are frequently hired to entertain children.
Wilder Ramírez, a leader of the local clown union who also goes by the name Zapallito, said, “This decree will economically affect all of us who work with children,” adding that “children need to laugh.” During the protest, some clowns voiced doubts about whether Bolivia’s Education Minister had experienced childhoods like the ones they said their work helps brighten.
The clowns said the decree mandates that schools comply with 200 days of lessons each year, which they said would effectively ban schools from hosting the special events where entertainers are commonly employed. They pointed to Children’s Day, celebrated in Bolivia on April 12, as an example of an upcoming occasion that often involves performances during school festivities.
Under the decree, the clowns said celebrations will no longer be authorized during regular school days, though they can still be held voluntarily on weekends. Government officials told reporters they would take the clowns’ critiques into account when preparing a decree for the 2027 school year, but the protesters said that reassurance offered little relief.
Elías Gutiérrez, a spokesperson for the Confederation of Artisanal Workers of Bolivia, said, “This decree will diminish our income, and with the economic crisis the country is going through, our future looks increasingly gloomy.” He connected the performers’ concerns to a broader economic strain facing Bolivia, where revenues from natural gas have fallen after a sustained decline in production and U.S. dollars have become scarce, making imports more expensive in the landlocked country.
Tailors who make children’s dresses for cultural events joined the march, along with photographers who typically work school celebrations. The group moved through the center of La Paz blowing whistles and setting off small fireworks, and one clown carried a sign blaming the government for “taking away smiles, and taking work away.”