Ostensibly there should be scant difference between the two; they’re separated only by a river, and they share a common language, art, and ancestry.

Yet their economic differences between are vast. As anthropologist Mary Douglas put it, “The Lele are poor, while the Bushong are rich… Everything that the Lele have or can do, the Bushong have more and can do better.”

We’ve seen these differences before– East vs West Germany. North vs. South Korea. Similar people, different ideals. On one side, economic freedom flourishes. On the other, it’s central planning and totalitarian control.

South America is becoming a similar case study, with the Andes forming a sort of “Golden Curtain” separating two clear sides.