Why does the clock on the Bolivian Congress building run backwards?
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Yes, in Bolivia there is actually a government building with a clock that runs backwards – and that is not a mistake, but a politically and culturally desired one.
The backward clock at the Bolivian Congress building
Location:
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La Paz, Bolivia
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Building: Plaza Murillo, seat of the Bolivian National Congress (now Plurinational Assembly)
Installation:
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In July 2014, the government of Evo Morales “turned” the clock above the Congress building:
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The hands run counterclockwise
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The numbers are also mirrored (1–12 run “backwards”)
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Why does the clock run backwards?
Political & symbolic message:
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“Southern perspective” instead of Eurocentrism:
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In the southern hemisphere, the shadow of the sundial moves counterclockwise
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The government wanted to show: “We think from our perspective – not according to northern standards.”
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Return to indigenous values:
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In many indigenous cultures of Latin America, time is considered cyclical, not linear
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The watch is intended to stimulate critical thinking and question Western norms
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“Clock of the South” – symbol of cultural change:
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The clock is called “Reloj del Sur” (“Clock of the South”)
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It is intended to reflect the identity of Bolivia and its indigenous majority
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Quote from Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca (2014):
"Why should we always go to the North? Why should we submit to what comes from the North? [...] We dare to think differently, to think backward."
Interesting:
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Inside the building, the clocks continue to run clockwise
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Tourists who see the clock often initially believe it is a mistake or a joke
Conclusion:
The backward-running clock on the Bolivian Parliament is a deliberately placed symbol for:
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cultural self-determination
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Criticism of the Western linear understanding of time
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Return to indigenous worldview
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the desire to "think differently"
It is an example of how the representation of time becomes a political statement
