Airport, Unplugged
I was supposed to go back to Ecuador. But instead of going to the airport and saying goodbye—for now—to Venezuela, I ended up in the midst of the consequences of the second national blackout in 17 days.
Politics
A Country Interrupted
Photo by Gabriela Mesones Rojo Hello darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again Paul Simon 20 days ago, Venezuela spent four and a half...
In Venezuela, Kids With Cancer Need True Heroes
In Venezuela, pediatric oncology patients and their relatives struggle with a parent’s worst nightmare... and with a collapsed health system. Fundanica, a foundation in Valencia, walks with them every step of the way.
Behind the Gold Mining Company That Props Up Maduro’s Regime
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the State-run CVG Minerven, used as a front to hide the illegal extraction of gold by armed gangs, Colombian guerrilla and military, with tremendous damage to the environment and local communities.
In Maracaibo, the Local Government Takes the Side of the Looters
On the afternoon of Sunday March 10th, on Day 4 of the nationwide blackout, looting started in Venezuela’s second city. More than 500 businesses were looted. But the Maduro-loyal governor, a kind of Rodrigo Duterte, seems to be OK with that.
Six Nights in the Heart of Darkness
During six days of blackout, Merida, the most important city of the Venezuelan Andes, braced for the end of the world. Ordinary citizens geared up to defend streets and stores from looters, while the state disappeared. What can we do to survive if this happens again?
How the Maduro Regime Hides the Collapse of Healthcare from a UN Mission
In Barquisimeto, the four envoyées sent by UN Human Rights High Commissioner were only taken to places the regime can control, while patients, doctors and journalists were harassed to stop them from telling the truth to the visitors.
A Backup Plan Is Needed for Venezuela, But this One Won’t Work
Dorothy Kronich suggests in The New York Times that in order to avoid a famine here, American companies should be allowed to buy Venezuelan oil, as long as the revenues are exclusively used for buying food and medicines. But that would be ignoring chavismo’s very nature.
100 Hours of Darkness
Army soldiers who want to help and think people have the right to be angry. Truman Capote’s masterpiece. A sky exposing its wonders in the absence of urban lights. Some strange and unforgettable things happen in this Merida tale of the nationwide blackout.
How a Powerless Diaspora Tried to Help a Country in the Dark
Millions of Venezuelans abroad experienced complete disconnection from their elders, friends and even children during the nationwide blackout. As people in the country tried to overcome the hardships of the crisis, the diaspora had to find new ways to help, and fast.
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