Beer for the world

Bolivia is a landlocked country. An unhappy landlocked country, to be precise. Until 1879, the country had its own access to the sea. After the so-called Saltpetre War, Bolivia had to cede 400 kilometers of Pacific coastline to Chile - in addition to 120,000 square kilometers of mainland. This is still painful and upsetting today, as the country only had these 400 kilometers of coastline.

The two countries have been at loggerheads ever since. Bolivia is still demanding its own access to the sea and wants to bring its arch-enemy to the negotiating table through the courts force. Chile, on the other hand, is not thinking of ceding its own territory back to its neighbor (more on this topic in the article and video, among others "Bolivia's dream of access to the sea and how Switzerland can help" at Nzz.ch; 12.4.2018).

The chance of an agreement soon? Very little. Other ways could be more effective. The agency Raza Ad has developed a - literal - beer idea for the small Bolvian craft brewery Franka, which aims to unite the two populations. Not at the negotiating table, but at the beer table. Franka brewed a special beer made from seawater for the annual Bolivian "Sea Day" on March 23. The water that the two countries have been fighting over for many years. Franka drove over 1500 kilometers to the Chilean coast to extract the water, which was then distilled. The beer was drunk by Bolivians and Chileans living in Bolivia at the same table.

Despite the low budget, the campaign attracted a lot of media attention. And provided a topic of conversation: perhaps you can reach your destination faster if you shake hands and drink a beer together?

Whether campaigns like this - apart from the PR effect for the brewery - really achieve anything in the end is another question. Because no beer in the world will change the fact that Bolivia is laying claim to land in Chile and Chile will not put up with it. (hae)