to attend a full day’s school and ernments, mostly vassals of and played havoc with prices in be given a hot meal and to learn Washington, preside over the a society that imports almost music, art and dance. “I have theft of billions of dollars in oil all its food; yet, as the journalist seen their confidence blossom spoils, much of it flown to Miami. and filmmaker Pablo Navarrete like flowers,” she said. “We didn’t matter in a human reported, Venezuela is not the In Barrio La Vega, I listened sense”, she told me. “We lived catastrophe it has been painted. to a nurse, Mariella Machado, and died without real education “There is food everywhere”, he a black woman of 45 with a and running water, and food we wrote. “I have filmed lots of vidwicked laugh, address an urban couldn’t afford. When we fell eos of food in markets [all over land council on subjects rangill, the weakest died. Now I can Caracas] ... it’s Friday night and ing from homelessness to illegal read and write my name and the restaurants are full”. war. That day, they were launchso much more; and whatever ing Mision Madres de Barrio, a the rich and the media say, we programme aimed at poverty have planted the seeds of true n 2018, Maduro was re-elected among single mothers. Under democracy and I have the joy of President. A section of the opthe constitution, women have seeing it happen”. position boycotted the election, the right to be paid as carers, In 2002, during a Washinga tactic tried against Chavez. and can borrow from a special ton-backed coup, Mavis’s sons The boycott failed: 9,389,056 women’s bank. Now the poorest and daughters and grandchilpeople voted; 16 parties particihousewives get the equivalent dren and great-grandchildren pated and six candidates stood of $200 a month. for the presiIn a room lit “There is food everywhere”, he wrote. “I have filmed dency. Maduro by a single fluowon 6,248,864 lots of videos of food in markets [all over Caracas] rescent tube, I votes, or 67.84 met Ana Lucia per cent. – it’s Friday night and the restaurants are full” Ferandez, aged On election 86, and Mavis day, I spoke to Mendez, aged 95. A mere 33, joined hundreds of thousands one of the 150 foreign election Sonia Alvarez, had come with who swept down from the observers. “It was entirely her two children. Once, none of barrios on the hillsides and fair”, he said. “There was no them could read and write; now demanded the army remained fraud; none of the lurid media they were studying mathematloyal to Chavez. claims stood up. Zero. Amazing ics. For the first time in its his“The people rescued me”, really” tory, Venezuela has almost 100 Chavez told me. “They did it Like a page from Alice’s percent literacy. with the media against me, tea party, the Trump adminThis is the work of Mision preventing even the basic facts istration has presented Juan Robinson, which was designed of what happened. For popular Guaido, a pop-up creation of the for adults and teenagers predemocracy in heroic action, I CIA-front National Endowment viously denied an education suggest you look no further”. for Democracy, as the “legitibecause of poverty. Mision Ribas Since Chavez’s death in 2013, mate President of Venezuela”. gives everyone the opportunity his successor Nicolas Maduro Unheard of by 81 percent of the of a secondary education, called has shed his derisory label in Venezuelan people, according a bachillerato. (The names Robthe Western press as a “former to the Nation, Guaido has been inson and Ribas refer to Venbus driver” and become Saddelected by no one. ezuelan independence leaders am Hussein incarnate. His Maduro is “illegitimate”, from the 19th-century). media abuse is ridiculous. On says Trump (who won the US In her 95 years, Mavis Menhis watch, the slide in the price presidency with three-million dez had seen a parade of govof oil has caused hyper inflation fewer votes than his opponent),
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ColdType | March 2019 | www.coldtype.net