Evo Morales Praises 'Avatar'

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia's first indigenous president is praising "Avatar" for what he calls its message of saving the environment from exploitation.

A self-proclaimed socialist, Evo Morales says he identifies with the film's "profound show of resistance to capitalism and the struggle for the defense of nature."

James Cameron's "Avatar" tells of the mystic, nature-loving Na'vi – tall blue creatures who inhabit the planet Pandora and must contend with humans intent on grabbing its resources.

It has earned more than $1.1 billion worldwide since its release last month.

Morales' comments were reported Tuesday by the official news agency ABI.

ABI said he watched the film with his daughter Sunday in his third-ever trip to the movies.

Comments

[Beckydudette]

02:39 PM on 02/22/2010

I recall the night about having this decsion to either advance on watching "New Moon",in the theature's.Or this epidental IMAX 3D movie. My feelings gravitated towards the BIGGEST filme ever in history. Hard to believe,lol. It did move me before I knew it was certain movements.

Many people agree,and you know what so do I. I think that Vadincan has the right positive motives such as I really do! I tell you something. I died June 22,2009 for a moment.I had night terrors,overwhewling sense of dying,etc... I stopped believing what I thought was my spiritual path.
But this one movie,a good director;James Cameron'changed "everything" for me on that accord,even before I knew it. They may be bluish goo,but it has a very powerful inpact!!!!!

[MarsAmbassador]

07:03 PM on 02/16/2010

I'll never figure out how the right convinced people that trying to prevent the complete and utter poisoning of our air, water and soil was some sort of evil, Marxist plot, hatched by anti-American leftists who hate Baby Jesus.

[LovingHope]

10:42 PM on 01/14/2010

I'm glad he liked it. It is a beautiful message to all indigenous people that continue with their struggle for basic human rights. Evo you are also a wonderful sign that times are a changin.

[Hare]

03:47 PM on 01/13/2010

If I had to agree with one of the views. The indigenous, mother nature loving Evo or the successor of Christ on Earth, I'd choose Mother Earth because Father God still has that unresolved Multiple personality disorder.

[Sean McGuire]

03:19 PM on 01/14/2010

I wanna make a shirt that reads "Im with Evo'

(Bad Idea. See how wishy washy I am??)

[lightningbolt]

02:19 PM on 01/13/2010

I have to go see that movie.

[romika3]

12:58 PM on 01/13/2010

Avatar is a movie, but also a metaphor. Over the history of mankind there have been many "Avatars". Marco Polo's first visit to China, Livingston's first encounters with the people of the upper Nile, Columbus and the new world, western culture meets easten culture and the list rolls on forever. What follows is the same, hatred for the culture, the people look different so they are discriminated against, laughing at their beliefs and religion, amazement at new flora and fawna, eyeing the resources and economic opportunites. See the pattern. Perhaps it is the nature of humankind. What's going to happen when we discover that we, who fight over things that in the big picture mean nothing, find out that we are not the only one's in the universe or perhaps, when somebody else discovers they are not! Now that is when we are going to learn a hard lesson.

[SaltyLassi]

10:56 AM on 01/13/2010

Bravo! Meanwhile, the Vatican is telling everyone that Avatar is horrible for its themes of favoring nature over religion. Vatican seems to forget there are ethnic cultures in the world.

[AverageJose007]

06:28 PM on 01/13/2010

No they did not. They just know and don't care because if you are not of their faith your are less than human. Just go ask Pat Robertson.

[hippie4ever]

02:30 AM on 01/13/2010

I wish Evo Morales was POTUS.

[Balzac]

01:35 AM on 01/13/2010

The Shaman has contradicted the Pope. I'm with the Boss Shaman. I've never had a communion wafer but I've had many American sacraments - Tobacco in a formal gathering with a Native American, Peyote, Mexican shrooms, DMT (psychoactive in Ayahuasca), cocaine (derived of the sacred domestic plant, coca). The power and the clarity of American sacraments is unsurpassed.

I'm not saying I don't feel any of the power of Islamic, Christian or Judaic traditions, but American Shamanism is much closer to home for me. Of course I'm tuned into the far east with the Taoist, Shinto, Buddhist traditions, as well as south and central Asian Buddhism, Hinduism, among others.

I would be a classic example of what Chogyam Trungpa referred to as a "spiritual materialist", except that I'm not so concerned with the accoutrements or knowledge as I am with the spiritual intrigue and the feeling of a given tradition.

[vascopyjama]

01:10 AM on 01/13/2010

I wonder who does Evo's hair, he looks really cool.

[3dtrix]

11:54 PM on 01/12/2010

Anybody foolish enough to buy into the fraud that Avatar speaks to an anti-capitalist, anti-war, or tree-hugging nature-spirit ethos has revealed themselves to be just another simpleton. To begin with, Avatar is a text-book example of capitalism - investor money was used to hire armies of low-wage drones to produce the digital special effects which are the chief selling point of this product - the investors are cleaning up - the drones are not. One can't sell an anti-war message to intelligent people by employing minute after minute of completely over-the-top scenes of military po.rn intended to pump you up - and then infer that the motivation behind said action is reprehensible - it's like claiming that xxx films espouse an abstinence only message. Lastly - there is NOTHING about the technology employed in the generation of this popular entertainment that is the slightest bit green. It's a shuck - a con - a lie. It's like electric cars - they're so green, right? And where does the electricity to run these "green" cars come from? Extremely toxic coal-fired generators mostly. C'mon people - at least TRY to peek behind the curtain...

[sticksnstones]

12:23 AM on 01/13/2010

Someone needs to go down for a nap.

[Balzac]

01:25 AM on 01/13/2010

Somebody call the whaaaaaaaaambulance.

[henrypapillon]

11:33 PM on 01/12/2010

Eva Morales---is that the gal that got slapped around by Charlie Sheen?

[Balzac]

11:00 PM on 01/12/2010

The Boss of Shamans approves.

[lightningbolt]

02:15 PM on 01/13/2010

What shamans?

[Balzac]

04:20 PM on 01/13/2010

That is a question for you to contemplate on your own vision quest.

Other deep questions to ponder:

Can a shaman tear out your heart?
http://bit.ly/Kqyog

Can a shaman shape-shift?
http://bit.ly/5bIHDA

[hypnotoad72]

09:31 PM on 01/12/2010

I bet all the humans are pasty white too.

I miss the days when sci-fi shrouded the allegory a bit better, or made it more than being anti-human (do the makers have psychological problems? They're human...)

I do need to look up how much the animation workers got paid for doing the work to make this flick... they should certainly share in the wealth...

[hypnotoad72]

09:33 PM on 01/12/2010

http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar

[Balzac]

04:30 PM on 01/13/2010

lol

[Somali]

06:57 PM on 01/12/2010

Evo Morales is and always will be a hero in my book!

[enquiringmind]

08:59 PM on 01/12/2010

Agree..His humility is like fresh air. He is what I call a real leader.

[jan4insight]

09:13 PM on 01/12/2010

x2

[foxisms]

10:40 PM on 01/12/2010

Unfortunately I give Evo about the length of time it takes to shun the advances of corporate America to exploit his land and people, before he becomes the next Chavez in the press.
The US historically doesn't like small world leaders getting all mavericky.

[305Rider]

03:39 AM on 01/13/2010

They won't say anything about Evo.

The CIA needs their cartel money too much.