1998-2008 In Pictures: A Country Interrupted
What was the first decade of chavismo like? Photographers know.
Sierra de Perijá: No Sacred Cows, But Sacred Thugs
Machiques de Perijá is one of the most fertile areas in the country. Their plague? Livestock trafficking, smuggling, robberies and cold blooded murder in the hands of gangs acting like they’re in charge because, well, they are and nobody can stop them.
5 de Julio of The Walking Dead
Maracaibo’s throbbing comercial heart looks like a post-apocalyptic zombiescape these days.
Declawing Gaita: How Protest Music Disappeared from Zulia’s Airwaves
Venezuela’s Western state of Zulia has a long and proud tradition of protest music: gaiteros have always raised their voices against injustice. But under growing pressure from the government, radio stations no longer dare to air it.
Current State of Maracaibo City: Looks Like War But It’s Chavismo
Maracaibo now looks like a city devastated by war. But that’s not what happened. It’s what chavismo has done to the second most important city in Venezuela: crime, chaos, collapse of public services, hunger, poverty and desperation.
Graverobbers Plunder Maracaibo’s Old Cemeteries
Cemetery El Cuadrado can no longer offer a final resting space. Graverobbers, lack of maintenance and government negligence are threatening what little is left of historic memories, art and peace for the deceased.
You Know Where Protesting Will Take You: From Citizen to Terrorist
Isaac López and over a dozen of his neighbors went to jail for protesting in their town square. He still has to show up in court every fifteen days and spend his monthly salary defending himself of a crime he didn’t commit.
[UPDATED with Good News!] Radio Station in Tucupita Shut Down by CORPOELEC for the Fifth Time this Year
Radio Fe y Alegría 92.1 FM, local radio station for a vulnerable community, has been forced to stop broadcasting due to a power cut ordered in June.
Government Causes Electricity Crisis, Is Powerless to Fix It
It’s the same old combination causing the electricity crisis that took over the entire nation: lack of maintenance, corruption and overall inefficiency. According to Zulia State government, there are also astronomical phenomena involved.
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