This is Caracas before Night 4 of the blackout: a ghost town where behavior is increasingly similar to those of apocalyptic novels and movies. Ordinary citizens feel completely abandoned by the State and have no clue of what to expect. The US dollar takes over the survival economy, cash only.
Venezuelans stranded on the other side of the closed Colombian border are torn between the desire to see their families again, and fear of regime violence.
The battle for humanitarian aid at the Venezuela-Colombia border affected people on both sides, physically and spiritually. Anger, frustration, chaos and a glimmer of hope, this is what we saw from the field.
Venezuela Aid Live brought up the best of people, regardless of which side of the border they come from, while it helped to make our problems visible to the world. But the event, from that marginalized, strange place, also showed the strength we Venezuelans have built, even under the threat of war.
Desiré Cumare, a nurse from Maracao, at the southwestern tip of Caracas, saw how the regime’s death squad killed his son kicking his head, “just because we can”. They also sacked the apartment. “It’s a war on us.”
Genuinely harrowing stories are coming out of Petare, Caracas’s biggest shantytown. As the poor begin to protest, the National Police’s death squad —FAES— has launched an unprecedented rampage.
Camaraderie, friendship, happiness and beauty can flourish after the worst of circumstances and in the dirtiest of places. The Guaire river may split Caracas in two, but it brought these young Venezuelans together.
Confusion is rife over what exactly National Assembly Speaker Guaidó really said at today’s “Cabildo” assembly. No, he did not proclaim himself president. Yes, he said he’s ready to do so. Soon. And called for protests.
Designer Manuel Lara has a special knack for looking at the ravishing Caracas all around us that we barely stop to notice.
From the Cordonazo de San Francisco to Leopoldo López’s arrest, a stroll through the images that defined the second decade of revolution.
We’ve been able to hang on for 22 years in one of the craziest media landscapes in the world. We’ve seen different media outlets in Venezuela (and abroad) closing shop, something we’re looking to avoid at all costs. Your collaboration goes a long way in helping us weather the storm.
Donate