Vffn special newsletter

Bolivarian Government of Venezuela

Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Office of The Deputy Minister for Africa

Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Kenya Concurrent to Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia

Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP)and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme ( UN Habitat).

Special Bulletin venezuela film festival nairobi

vffn 2016

7th March 2016

The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Kenya opened the Second Venezuelan Film Festival Nairobi, in the framework of the commemoration of the 3 years of the Sowing of Commander Hugo Chavez.

On Thursday 3rd March, 2016, in the auditorium of the Alliance Française in Nairobi, the Second Festival of Venezuelan Film in Nairobi was inaugurated, promoted by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Kenya in commemoration of the third anniversary of the sowing of Commander Hugo Chavez.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Nairobi, as well as members of the Committee of Friendship and Solidarity Venezuela-Kenya, university students and the general public.

The festival was opened by the Counselor of this Diplomatic Mission, Ricardo Salas, who read a message sent by Ambassador Jhony Balza Arismendi for the occasion.

The event was enlivened by a Kenyan traditional music group and through its music, the common roots maintained by our cultures was highlighted. A graphic image of President Chavez, in which the event guests expressed their messages of solidarity with the people of Venezuela and their praise of the Commander, was also put in place.

The film "Zamora, Land and Free Men", Director, Roman Chalboud was screened to begin the festival and it portrayed to the audience the revolutionary ideas of

men like Ezequiel Zamora, one of the thinkers and socialist actors that is popularly rooted, which served to nutrient and support the Bolivarian socialist project that was led by the Commander and which today we celebrate another year of the sowing.

At the end of the film, university students and members of the Committee of Friendship and Solidarity with Venezuela expressed their full support to the Bolivarian revolution, Chavez's and Zamora’s ideas and President Maduro.

During the second day of the film Festival the movie "Death in High Contrast" Directed by Cesar Bolivar, was screened. It is the first police thriller in the Villa del Cine, which tells the story of Gabriel, a policeman who seeks to avenge the murder of his parents, leftist guerrillas massacred by a special police team.

Nairobi, 3 March 2016

Remarks by Ambassador Jhony Balza to the participants in the Venezuela Film Festival Nairobi 2016

" When I am no longer with you, Look for me in the eyes of the children; Look for me in the eyes of the poor.’’

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.

We are here today in the opening of this second Venezuela Film Festival in Nairobi, celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the seed planted by President Hugo Chávez.

We, your friends and comrades, are here today to pay tribute to your absence. We wanted to gather to remember and admire once again your gesture of brotherhood with this African continent. Today, in this month of March, we remember the whirl wind of emotions that you raised through your presence, through your word and through your gesture of solidarity in many African countries.

There are hundreds of national and international successes and achievements of different nature that make it fitting to remember you on this date of March. We have wanted to recall your legacy by organising in Kenya a second round of Venezuelan cinema.

Acknowledging the great contribution you made to the Venezuelan Revolution through your effort and actions is an imperative, a duty, an inescapable task.

We have wanted to organize this second Venezuela Film Festival in Nairobi, to show that in the political process of our Bolivarian Revolution there has been a resurgence of the national cinema. The national and international recognition given to our own or co-produced works attests to the revitalization of our film industry, which today, unlike yesterday, portrays stories, characters and realities that characterize us as a people. We can now say with truth that our cinema projects show our own imagination and are inspired and based on "the creative powers of the people".

On this date of March we pay tribute to someone who devoted his life to ensuring the recovery of national sovereignty. You always reminded us that "independence is the most excellent good a people can have".

We would never end if we were to speak here of our revolutionary political process and of the different achievements attained from 1999 until March 2013. However, it is vital to emphasize the role of the people inspired by you, which represents one of the most paradigmatic benefits for our Venezuelan political process.

Wrestling the control of the oil from the hands of the Venezuelan bourgeoisie of the time turned you into its most dangerous enemy. They cannot forgive you that the oil revenue has been put at the service of the poor and dispossessed of our homeland.

You were able to return to the Venezuelan citizen, political rights, social rights (health, housing, education, culture, to mention but a few among many). You reclaimed the right to life of the Venezuelans and that made you immortal.

You reclaimed the concept of sovereignty, justice, independence and dignity. You reclaimed the libertarian ideas to confront neo-colonialism and the hegemonic positions of some, and many of the peoples of the world made you their brother and friend. You knew to extend a solidarity and honest hand to the men and women of the world and they made you their ally.

Today we should repeat as the eminent Cuban José Martí: ‘‘death is not true when the life's work has been well done.’’

Nairobi, 3 March 2016

2

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías A Tribute by Mwandawiro Mghanga, Chairperson of Kenya - Venezuela Friendship and Solidarity Committee (KVFSC) Nairobi, 5th March 2016 Comrades and friends, we are gathering here today to commemorate the life of one of the greatest revolutionary heroes of our time, comrade Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, simply famous as Hugo Chávez. We remember him as a fighter for the poor and oppressed people of Venezuela, Latin America and the World. We also remember Chávez as of Africa’s friends and comrades to emerge as a leader of South America.

Comrade Chávez was born on 28 July 1954 and died in 5 March 2013 after a long brave battle with cancer. Actually, we are not sure whether he died a natural death or whether he died from the disease induced by the enemies of the Bolivarian revolution - the capitalists of Venezuela or the imperialists lead by the United States of America who hated him with an evil passion. All we are sure of is that after he came to power in 1999 up to the time of his death comrade Chavez lived for the struggle for the freedom and development of Venezuela and humanity. Chávez was always the champion of the poor and the majority and took many heroic risks and personal sacrifices in the life of a revolutionary he believed in and lived. As President of Venezuela and socialist party, his political, economic, social and cultural policies were for building the Bolivarian revolution to create and enhance the material and political conditions for freedom, justice and a humane society that he believed could only be realized in socialism and in fighting and defeating imperialism and neocolonialism in the world.

Venezuela is country endowed with rich natural resources, particularly petroleum. But for decades the natural resources only benefited foreign imperialists especially from the US and the greedy and brutal comprador bourgeoisie class of Venezuela who controlled state, political and economic power on behalf of imperialism. Through the colonial, neocolonial and dictatorial systems imposed upon the country like also in many so called Third World countries, the people of Venezuela suffered poverty, ignorance, disease, hunger, violations of human rights and all the manifestations of underdevelopment while their rich resources were pillaged, and squandered by imperialists and a few rich families of Venezuela allied with the neocolonial system against their country and people. The Bolivarian

KVFSC

kenya -Venezuela Friendship and solidarity Committee

revolution established by Venezuelan patriots and revolutionaries founded and spearheaded by Chávez until his death was about replacing the reactionary systems with the progressive system of using the human and natural resources of the country to end imperialist domination and to empower all the people of Venezuela politically, economically, socially and culturally.

It is for this reason that the Bolivarian revolution nationalized the petroleum and other natural resources based industries. Chávez and his government also embarked on implementing programs and policies of nationalizing and socializing other key sectors of the economy and putting them in the hands of the state and working class and majority of the people of Venezuela.

The Bolivarian revolution ensured that for the first time in the history of Venezuela the resources of the country were used to fight poverty and underdevelopment.

Despite organized imperialist propaganda to the contrary, the world is witness to the fact that the Bolivarian revolution created an independent and sovereign nation that has won the admiration of not only world revolutionaries but also people still under capitalist and imperialist’s domination and who desire freedom and independence of their countries, including from Kenya and Africa.

Under Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution, many social programs including of education, housing, health, nutrition, participatory democracy, human rights, environment, gender equality and poverty eradication were initiated and implemented. These programs achievements of the leadership of Chávez were recognized and appreciated even by the United Nation’s agencies. In fact, it is because of this that Venezuela became famous throughout the world as an antiimperialist and socialist oriented country that had regained its independence and was matching along the road of socialism. A philosopher of revolution, Chávez was a great reader, thinker and writer of socialist ideas that he applied to deal with the problems of building socialism and fighting imperialism under the historical and material conditions of Venezuela, Latin America and the world during his time. World socialist revolution will continue to benefit from his contribution in this regard, socialism of the 20th Century.

3

A socialist revolutionary, Chávez was also one of the greatest internationalists of our time. He shared the natural resources of Venezuela, particularly petroleum, with Cuba and the countries of Latin America and even Africa. The people of Cuba, for example, will never forget Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution for the socialist solidarity they extended to each other which helped their survival amidst the brutal economic, financial and commercial blockades imposed by US imperialism against their countries. The friendship and comradeship between Chávez and Fidel Castro and their governments, for example, is legendary.

Chávez was also a great supporter and fighter of the just causes of the people and countries of the world struggling for freedom and independence from colonialism, neocolonialism, Zionism, racism and imperialism. He always called for the strengthening of the non - aligned movement countries and the unity of the ‘Third World’ nations for an alternative just world economic system. Chávez was a vehement supporter of the struggle of the Palestine and Western Sahara people and put a lot of resources in solidarity with them.

Incidentally, for his solidarity with Palestine and Iran against imperialism and reactionary Zionism, the oppressors of the Palestine people loathed Chavez. At the same time, Chávez was also always thinking about Africa. He initiated and implemented foreign policy of forging close links between Venezuela, Latin America and Africa. It is for this reason that there are solidarity with Venezuela organizations in many countries of Africa, including Kenya.

Being a socialist revolutionary leader, Chávez was made one of greatest enemies by the comprador capitalists of Venezuela and imperialists led by the United States of America. The United States government declared cold and hot war against Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution. They used economic sabotage, propaganda, attempted coups, contraband trade, violence, crime, blockades of all sorts, assassinations, bourgeois democracy, etc., to fight Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution. But comrade Chávez never feared to participate in the internal and external class struggles on behalf of the popular masses of Venezuela and humanity as a whole.

Comrade Hugo Chávez died as a socialist revolutionary. Despite, the ‘victory’ the stooges of imperialists in the parliamentary elections held last year, comrade Nicolás Maduro - the successor of Chávez - is still the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The class struggle in Venezuela continues to

unfold in many forms. Since the struggle against capitalism and imperialism is long, hard and protracted and proceeds in zigzags the people of Venezuela are learning lessons of consolidating the revolutionary gains they made under comrade Chávez and continued under Maduro. In future they will not trust bourgeoisie elections that favor the reactionary classes, they will not participate in the elections imposed by the reactionary oppressors and traitors of Venezuela with their imperialist masters and collaborators that are aimed at killing the legacy of Simon Bolivar, Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution.

And in all this, the Venezuelan people will not allow the legacy of Simon Bolivar, Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian revolution to die just because imperialist’s puppets have managed to rig themselves to parliament through elections held under the state of war they imposed with the assistance of their imperialist masters.

Such people as Chávez rarely emerge in history.

And when they do they leave a significant mark in history. Such was Chávez. The KVSFC, Kenyan and African revolutionaries will never forget Chavez. For we cannot afford to forget our own. Chávez was and remains our own. We valued him, we loved him and we shall cherish his name and legacy forever.

Long live Hugo Chávez!

Long live Maduro!

Long live the Bolivarian Revolution!

Long live anti – imperialist solidarity!

Long live socialism!

4

K�����S �N �����A�I� Y �ITH THE V�NE�U���N

RE���U���N ��D THE L��ACY OF C�����DER ��AVEZ

5