Bolivia pushes case for sea access with lake plunge, play

Citizens from 15 countries took part in a polar bear plunge in the freezing waters of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia to push for the landlocked country's sea access claim with neighboring Chile. Bolivian filmmaker and performance artist Juan Carlos Valdivia organized the event that was shared on social media. It followed Bolivia's plea to the World Court in The Hague in May to force Chile to negotiate the granting of a corridor of sovereign territory giving it access to the sea for its natural gas and mineral exports. The country's relationship with the sea is also examined in the play "Mar" or "Sea" produced by the Teatro de los Andes theater company in La Paz. Bolivia lost its coastal territory after being defeated by Chile in the 1880s War of the Pacific.