Caracas Chronicles

As a media outlet that operates virtually, we had been craving an in-person gathering—an opportunity to connect with friends and many of our readers, the people who remind us that our work is worthwhile. We had a historic theater in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana (yes, we fully acknowledge the symbolism), the Manuel Artime Theater. We had plenty of coffee and even more questions—especially the one that gave the event its title, a question we’ve been exploring in our content for weeks:
What does it mean to be Venezuelan after an electoral fraud like this, under a dictatorship? How do we live with it, both inside and outside the country? What can we do?

This event, produced by NVIVO, wasn’t meant to provide a definitive answer to Y Ahora Qué, Venezuela (Now What, Venezuela) No one knows what will happen next. No one can lay out a precise roadmap. Not even the most powerful have full control over the future. But we can use this question as a guide—both on that Saturday, February 22 in Miami and moving forward.

We need to start gathering informed perspectives. Our first panel aimed to outline the landscape ahead. Raúl asked Sary Levy, one of Venezuela’s most renowned economists, what to expect from the country’s current economic situation. She described it as the inevitable result of implementing a model known as 21st-century socialism. But she didn’t stop at the economy—she also discussed coping with uncertainty, the dilemmas of returning to Venezuela given the suspension of TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S., and the critical importance of achieving political change.

We also wanted to understand what Venezuela’s crisis means for the hemisphere. Andrés Riebman, from the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, explained how perceptions shifted from before the elections to now, and how global actors beyond China, Iran, and Russia are involved.

You can watch the full discussion from the panel “What the Storm Left Behind” on our YouTube channel (this event was in Spanish, English subs will be available soon):

The next panel tackled a directly related issue: how losing democracy led to the loss of everything else.

Rafa shared insights from his newly published book, Venezuela, Memories of a Lost Future, which explores this experience from his generation’s perspective. He then asked political scientist María Isabel Puerta Riera, a contributor to Caracas Chronicles, how the erosion of our civil rights ties into the global democratic backslide.

Eugenio Martínez, an expert in electoral processes, had a ready answer to a question many have asked themselves: If voting is all we’ve ever known, what do we do when our vote becomes meaningless—something the events of July 28 seem to confirm? Both panelists pointed to overlooked alternatives that deserve serious consideration, leaving us with much to think about.

You can watch the full discussion from the panel “From Democratization to Dictatorship” on our YouTube channel:

The third panel explored an often-overlooked aspect of our reality: how society remains in the dark due to the persecution of journalism.

Three outstanding journalists shared how they continue working despite all odds: Ronna Rísquez, author of El Tren de Aragua: The Gang That Revolutionized Organized Crime in Latin America; César Batiz, co-founder and director of El Pitazo; and Juan Andrés Ravell, co-founder of El Chigüire Bipolar and director of the documentary A Dangerous Assignment.

We discussed exposing corruption, confronting a level of repression previously unknown to Venezuelan journalists, and what it takes to keep doing our work.
You can watch the full discussion from the panel “How This Story Is Told” on our YouTube channel:

Venezuela may be devastated on every level, and the state may have become a hostile, parasitic entity, but the Venezuelan nation still exists.

To close the event, professor, researcher, and musician Luciana Kube led a conversation about what’s happening with our culture in the face of mass migration and the need to preserve truth and beauty. Panelists included Venezuelan art curator and researcher Adriana Meneses, writer Camilo Pino, and cuatrista and composer Héctor Molina.

You can watch the full discussion from the panel “A Culture in Metamorphosis” on our YouTube channel:

Join the Conversation, leave a comment, spread the word, and tell us what you think. The big question remains, and it demands many answers.