Venezuela: A year since Hugo Chavez’s death -- special edition of the AVSN broadsheet

8/13/2019 Venezuela: A year since Hugo Chavezs death -- special edition of the AVSN broadsheet

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February-March 2014

Salim Lamrani

President Hugo Chavez, whodied on March 5, 2013 of can-cer at age 58, marked foreverthe history of Venezuela andLatin America.

1. Never in the history of LatinAmerica, has a political leader hadsuch incontestable democratic legit-imacy. Since coming to power in1999, there were 16 elections inVenezuela. Hugo Chavez won 15,the last on October 7, 2012. Hedefeated his rivals with a margin of10-20 percentage points.

2. All international bodies, fromthe European Union to theOrganization of American States, tothe Union of South AmericanNations and the Carter Center, wereunanimous in recognizing the trans-parency of the vote counts.

3. James Carter, former U.S.

President, declared that Venezuela'selectoral system was "the best in theworld."

4. Universal access to educationintroduced in 1998 had exceptionalresults. About 1.5 millionVenezuelans learned to read andwrite thanks to the literacy cam-paign called Mission Robinson I.

5. In December 2005, UNESCOsaid that Venezuela had eradicatedilliteracy.

6. The number of children attend-ing school increased from 6 millionin 1998 to 13 million in 2011 andthe enrollment rate is now 93.2%.

7. Mission Robinson II waslaunched to bring the entire popula-tion up to secondary level. Thus, the

rate of secondary school enrollmentrose from 53.6% in 2000 to 73.3%in 2011.

8. Missions Ribas and Sucreallowed tens of thousands of youngadults to undertake university stud-ies. Thus, the number of tertiary stu-dents increased from 895,000 in2000 to 2.3 million in 2011, assistedby the creation of new universities.

9. With regard to health, theycreated the National Public Systemto ensure free access to health carefor all Venezuelans. Between 2005and 2012, 7873 new medical centerswere created in Venezuela.

10. The number of doctorsincreased from 20 per 100,000 pop-ulation in 1999 to 80 per 100,000 in

2010, or an increase of 400%.11. Mission Barrio Adentro I pro-

vided 534 million medical consulta-tions. About 17 million people wereattended, while in 1998 less than 3million people had regular access tohealth. 1.7 million lives were saved,between 2003 and 2011.

12. The infant mortality rate fellfrom 19.1 per thousand in 1999 to10 per thousand in 2012, a reductionof 49%.

13. Average life expectancyincreased from 72.2 years in 1999 to74.3 years in 2011.

14. Thanks to Operation Miracle,launched in 2004, 1.5 millionVenezuelans who were victims ofcataracts or other eye diseases,regained their sight.

15. From 1999 to 2011, thepoverty rate decreased from 42.8%to 26.5% and the rate of extremepoverty fell from 16.6% in 1999 to7% in 2011.

16. In the rankings of the HumanDevelopment Index (HDI) of theUnited Nations Program forDevelopment (UNDP), Venezuelajumped from 83 in 2000 (0.656) atposition 73 in 2011 (0.735), andentered into the category Nationswith 'High HDI'.

17. The GINI coefficient, whichallows calculation of inequality in acountry, fell from 0.46 in 1999 to0.39 in 2011.

18. According to the UNDP,Venezuela holds the lowest recordedGini coefficient in Latin America,that is, Venezuela is the country inthe region with the least inequality.

19. Child malnutrition wasreduced by 40% since 1999.

20. In 1999, 82% of the popula-tion had access to safe drinkingwater. Now it is 95%.

21. Under Chavez, social expen-ditures increased by 60.6%.

22. Before 1999, only 387,000elderly people received a pension.Now the figure is 2.1 million.

23. Since 1999, 700,000 homeshave been built in Venezuela.

24. Since 1999, the governmentprovided / returned more than onemillion hectares of land toAboriginal people.

25. Land reform enabled tens ofthousands of farmers to own theirland. In total, Venezuela distributedmore than 3 million hectares.

Five millionchildren nowreceive free mealsthrough theSchool FeedingProgramme.

26. In 1999, Venezuela was pro-ducing 51% of food consumed. In2012, production was 71%, whilefood consumption increased by81% since 1999. If consumption of2012 was similar to that of 1999,Venezuela produced 140% of thefood it consumed.

27. Since 1999, the average calo-ries consumed by Venezuelansincreased by 50% thanks to theFood Mission that created a chain of22,000 food stores, where productsare subsidized up to 30%. Meat con-sumption increased by 75% since1999.

28. Five million children nowreceive free meals through theSchool Feeding Programme. Thefigure was 250,000 in 1999.

29. The malnutrition rate fellfrom 21% in 1998 to less than 3% in2012.

30. According to the FAO,Venezuela is the most advancedcountry in Latin America and theCaribbean in the erradication ofhunger.

31. The nationalization of the oilcompany PDVSA in 2003 allowedVenezuela to regain its energy sov-ereignty.

32. The nationalization of theelectrical and telecommunicationssectors (CANTV and Electricidadde Caracas) allowed the end of pri-vate monopolies and guaranteeduniversal access to these services.

33. Since 1999, more than 50,000cooperatives have been created in

all sectors of the economy.34. The unemployment rate fellfrom 15.2% in 1998 to 6.4% in2012, with the creation of more than4 million jobs.

35. The minimum wageincreased from 100 bolivars/month($ 16) in 1998 to 2047.52 bolivars($ 330) in 2012, ie an increase ofover 2,000%. This is the highestminimum wage in Latin America.

36. In 1999, 65% of the work-force earned the minimum wage. In2012 only 21.1% of workers haveonly this level of pay.

37. Adults at a certain age whohave never worked still get anincome equivalent to 60% of theminimum wage.

38. Women without income anddisabled people receive a pensionequivalent to 80% of the minimumwage.

39. Working hours were reducedto 6 hours a day and 36 hours perweek, without loss of pay.

40. Public debt fell from 45% ofGDP in 1998 to 20% in 2011.

Venezuela withdrew from theInternational Monetary Fund andWorld Bank, after early repaymentof all its debts.

41. In 2012, the growth rate was5.5% in Venezuela, one of the high-

est in the world.42. GDP per capita rose from $

4,100 in 1999 to $ 10,810 in 2011.43. According to the annual

World Happiness 2012, Venezuelais the second happiest country inLatin America, behind Costa Rica,and the nineteenth worldwide,ahead of Germany and Spain.

44. Venezuela offers more directsupport to the American continentthan the United States. In 2007,Chvez spent more than 8,800 mil-lion dollars in grants, loans andenergy aid as against 3,000 millionfrom the Bush administration.

45. For the first time in its histo-ry, Venezuela has its own satellites(Bolivar and Miranda) and is now

sovereign in the field of space tech-nology. The entire country has inter-net and telecommunications cover-age.

46. The creation of Petrocaribein 2005 allows 18 countries in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, or 90million people, secure energy sup-ply, by oil subsidies of between40% to 60%.

47. Venezuela also providesassistance to disadvantaged commu-nities in the United States by pro-viding fuel at subsidized rates.

48. The creation of the BolivarianAlliance for the Peoples of OurAmerica (ALBA) in 2004 betweenCuba and Venezuela laid the foun-dations of an inclusive alliance

based on cooperation and reciproci-ty. It now comprises eight membercountries which places the humanbeing in the center of the socialproject, with the aim of combatingpoverty and social exclusion.

49. Hugo Chavez was at the heartof the creation in 2011 of theCommunity of Latin American andCaribbean States (CELAC) whichbrings together for the first time the33 nations of the region, emancipat-ed from the tutelage of the UnitedStates and Canada.

50. Hugo Chavez played a keyrole in the peace process inColombia. According to PresidentJuan Manuel Santos, "if we go intoa solid peace project, with clear and

concrete progress, progressachieved ever before with theFARC, is also due to the dedicationand commitment of Chavez and thegovernment of Venezuela."

[Translation by Tim Anderson. Firstpublished at venezuelanalysis.com].

Fifty truths about Hugo Chavezand the Bolivarian Revolution

Produced with the support of the Venezuelan embassy in Australia

Australia VenezuelaSolidarity Network

Special edition: A year since Hugo Chavezs death


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February-March 2014Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network

Embassy of Venezuela inAustralia

Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias wasthe President of the Bolivarian

Republic of Venezuela.As the leader of the Bolivarian

Revolution, Chavez promoted apolitical doctrine of participatorydemocracy, socialism and LatinAmerican and Caribbean coopera-tion.

He was also a critic of neoliberal-ism, globalization, and UnitedStates foreign policy.

A career military officer, Chavezfounded the left-wing FifthRepublic Movement after orches-trating a failed 1992 military rebel-lion against former President CarlosAndres Perez.

Chavez was elected President in1998 with a campaign centring onpromises of aiding Venezuelas poor

majority, and was re-elected in2000, 2006 and 2012.

Domestically, Chavez establishednationwide Bolivarian SocialMissions, whose goals are to com-bat disease, illiteracy, malnutrition,poverty, and other social ills.

Abroad, Chavez acted against theWashington Consensus by support-ing alternative models of economicdevelopment, and advocating coop-eration among the world's poornations, especially those in LatinAmerica.

Chavezs policies evoked contro-versy in Venezuela and abroad,receiving anything from vehementcriticism to enthusiastic support.

Early life

Chavez was born on July 28, 1954in the town of Sabaneta, Barinas.

The second son of two school-teachers, Hugo de los Reyes Chavezand Elena Frias de Chavez, he wasof mixed Amerindian, Afro-Venezuelan, and Spanish descent.

Due to the Chavez familysimpoverished conditions, HugoChavez was sent to Sabaneta withhis older brother Adan to live withhis paternal grandmother, Rosa InesChavez.

There, he pursued hobbies suchas painting, singing, and baseball,while also attending elementary

school at the Julian Pino School. Hewas later forced to relocate to thetown of Barinas to attend highschool at the Daniel FlorencioOLeary School.

Hugo Chavez married twice. Hefirst wedded Nancy Colmenares, awoman from a poor family originat-ing in Chavezs own hometown ofSabaneta. Chavez and Colmenaresremained married for eighteenyears, during which time they hadthree children: Rosa Virginia, MariaGabriela, and Hugo Rafael.

They separated soon afterChavezs 1992 coup attempt.

Chavez was divorced from hissecond wife, journalist MarisabelRodriguez de Chavez. Through thatmarriage, Chavez had anotherdaughter, Rosines.

Chavez had two grandchildren,Gabriela and Manuel.

Chavez was raised a RomanCatholic, although he had a series ofdisputes with both the VenezuelanCatholic hierarchy and Protestant

groups like the New Tribes Mission.Originally he kept his own faith a

private matter, but over the course ofhis presidency, Chavez becameincreasingly open to discussing hisreligious views, stating that both hisfaith and his interpretation of Jesuspersonal life and ideology had aprofound impact on his left-wingand progressive views.

According to him, as a result ofthis background his socialist poli-cies have been borne with roots inthe teachings of Jesus Christ.

In the military

At age seventeen, Chavezenrolled at the Venezuelan Academyof Military Sciences. After graduat-ing in 1975 as a sub-lieutenant witha degree in Military Arts andScience, Chavez entered militaryservice for several months. He wasthen allowed to pursue graduatestudies in political science atCaracas Simon Bolvar University,but left without a degree.

Over the course of his collegeyears, Chavez and fellow studentsdeveloped a left-wing nationalistdoctrine that they termedBolivarianism.

Chavez promoteda politicaldoctrine of

participatorydemocracy,socialism andLatin Americanand Caribbeancooperation.

Bolivarianism was inspired bythe Pan-American philosophy of19th century Venezuelan revolution-ary Simon Bolvar, the influence offormer Peruvian President JuanVelasco and the thought of varioussocialist and communist leadersincluding Karl Marx, VladimirLenin and Leon Trotsky.

Chavez engaged in sportingevents and cultural activities duringthese years as well.

He played both baseball and soft-ball with the Criollitos deVenezuela, progressing with them tothe Venezuelan National BaseballChampionships in 1969.

Chavez also wrote numerouspoems, stories and theatrical pieces.

Upon completing his studies,Chavez initially entered active-dutymilitary service as a member of acounter insurgency battalion sta-tioned in Barinas.

Chavezs military career lasted17 years, during which time he helda variety of posts including com-mand and staff positions, eventuallyrising to the rank of lieutenantcolonel.

Chavez also held a series ofteaching and staffing positions atthe Academy of Military Sciences,where he was first acknowledged byhis peers for his fiery lecturing styleand radical critique of Venezuelangovernment and society.

In 1983, Chavez established theRevolutionary BolivarianMovement-200 (MBR-200).

Afterwards, he rose to a numberof high-level positions in Caracas

and was decorated several times.

Presidency

Following Chavez's inauguration inFebruary 1999, a referendum for anew constitution was soon passed,and a constitutional assemblyformed.

The resulting 1999 VenezuelanConstitution was approved byanother referendum on December15, 1999.

The new constitution included anincrease in the presidential termfrom five to six years, a new presi-dential two-term limit, a new provi-sion for presidential recall elections,the renaming of the country toRepblica Bolivariana de

Venezuela, conversion of the bicam-eral National Assembly into a uni-cameral legislature, and creation ofthe Public Defender, an officeauthorized to regulate the activitiesof the presidency and the NationalAssembly.

Elections for all elected govern-ment positions followed in 2000under the new constitution, includ-ing for the presidency.

Chavez survived an April 2002coup d'tat attempt which brieflyremoved him from power.

A few months after the coup, onDecember 2, 2002, Chavez faced atwo-month lockout organized by theresistant PDVSA management who

sought to force him out of office bycompletely removing his access tothe all-important government oilrevenue.

The strike/lockout, led by a coali-tion of labor unions, industrial mag-nates, and oil workers, sought tohalt the activities of the PDVSA.

A further attempt to removeChavez from office, the Venezuelanrecall referendum, 2004, also failed.

Chavez again won the December3, 2006 with 63% of the vote, beat-ing his closest challenger ManuelRosales.

After his victory, Chavez prom-ised a more radical turn towardssocialism.

On August 15, 2007, Chavez pro-

posed a broad package of measuresas part of a constitutional reform.

Among other measures, he calledfor an end to presidential term lim-its and proposed limiting centralbank autonomy, strengthening stateexpropriation powers and providingfor public control over internationalreserves as part of an overhaul ofVenezuelas constitution.

Chavezs proposed amendmentswere put to a national referendumon December 2, 2007. However,51% of voters rejected Chavezsproposal.

In 2009, voters passed a referen-dum to remove term limits from theconstitution, paving the way forChavez to stand for re-election.

Chavez went on to win theOctober 7, 2012 presidential elec-tions, defeating his nearest rival,Henrique Capriles Radonski, bymore than 10%.

However, Chavez was unable todefeat a recurring cancer whichended his life on March 5, 2013.

Chavez: Life of a revolutionary

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Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network February-March 2014

Juan Manuel Karg

March 5 will mark one yearsince the passing away ofVenezuelan president Hugo

Chavez. What changes haveoccurred in Venezuelan poli-tics during his absence? Whatbalance sheet can we draw upof Maduros time as presi-dent?

On April 14, 2013, HenriqueCapriles came within a whisker ofbecoming president. NicolasMaduros small margin of victory(only 1.5%) was just enough toavoid a change of government,something that seem unimaginablejust one month earlier during themassive outpouring of people ontothe streets, crying and cheering forChavez.

What had change in comparison

to the October presidential elec-tions, when the margin was muchgreater?

Nicolas Maduro explained whatoccurred in a long interview withRoberto Malaver published inJanuary. He stated that, in compari-son to the October 2012 elections,on April 14 some 870,000 chavistasdid not go to vote.

According to Maduro, and aftervarious focus groups and polls hadbeen taken to discover the motivesfor why some had chosen not tovote, it was determined that 97% ofabstention was the product ofdepression and sadness due toChavezs death.

In the same interview, Madurostated that for the December 8

municipal elections, this group ofnearly 1 million Venezuelans, nowfeeling better, came out to vote,something that was demonstrated inthe final election results.

This anecdote is also useful forvisualising the first moments ofuncertainty following the death ofChavez. Uncertainty in what sense?In the sense that large sections ofthe population did totally accept theloss of this guide.

For the first few months, NicolasMaduro was probably more focusedon getting to grips with the day today aspects of running a govern-ment. These moments were themost turbulent perhaps for this rea-son, and the attacks by the opposi-tion and the media, who quicklycame out with the slogan Madurois not Chavez, and sought to desta-bilise the process of changesVenezuela is living through.

Nevertheless, this situation dras-tically changed due to some of theparticular initiatives undertaken byMaduro: the government of thestreets, the economic offensive

against speculation and hoarding,and the renewed push for communalcouncils and communes.

Through this process, Madurowas able to project himself as aleader in his own right, firm andwith his personality. He went all theway with his policy of attempting tohalt the economic boycott that theVenezuelan right wing had plannedout.

This policy bore fruit in theDecember municipal elections,when the United Socialist Party ofVenezuela (PSUV) and its allieswon an absolute majority.

The biggest loser was none otherthan Capriles, who attempted to turnthe elections into a referendum with

the hope that the United DemocraticRoundtable (MUD) would winmore votes than chavismo.

Capriles defeat was so big that itgenerated disputes within MUD: the

re-elected mayor of GreaterCaracas, Antonio Ledezma, wasdesignated Co-ordinator of theCommission for Dialogue with thegovernment of Maduro. Maduroheld an extensive meeting in thepresidential palace with these sec-tors, in which Capriles was conspic-uous by his absence.

Ledezma can count in his favourone thing for 2014: he was the onlyopposition heavyweight that won inthe municipal elections, even if onlyby a tiny margin.

Capriles knows this and, takinginto consideration Ledezmas risewithin MUD, will have to changestrategies in order to not lose groundin the future within the opposition

alliance.As a first conclusion we can say

the panorama of uncertainty thatseemed to have opening up on thenight of April 14 regarding the level

of governability that Madurowould be able to exercise has closedif we look at it in simple numericalterms.

The PSUV and its allies now

have a majority in the NationalAssembly with 95 deputies versus64 for MUD and its allies, 20 gover-norships versus 3, and 256 mayoraloffices versus 81.

This represents a huge differenceboth in the executive and legislativearena, and was unthinkable back inApril when the margin was so tightand the future so uncertain.

Nevertheless, it is well knownthat the opposition has other anglesof attack besides political ones.

The economic war that has gener-ated a yearly inflation rate of 56%for 2013 will continue in 2014. Thisis no small detail, as it impacts onthe lives of millions of Venezuelanswho every day have to confront thespeculative voracity of this monop-olistic economic groups.

A second conclusion we candraw is that the frontal attackagainst this economic war is as, ormore, important than next yearselections, particularly as no elec-tions will be held this year, some-thing quite unusual given Venezuelaseems to be always holding elec-tions.

Defeated in the ballot box, thesesectors will never rest. They willcontinue to foment indiscriminateprice rises, speculation and short-ages of basic goods.

The government should, as it didlast November, increase controls in

order to ensure it wins the invisibleelections that will take place in2014.

[Translated from Rebelion byFederico Fuentes]

From Chavez to Maduro

Ryan Mallett-Outtrim

Venezuelan President NicolasMaduro has called for aneradication of colonialismin Latin America at the annualsummit of the Community ofLatin American and Caribbean

States (CELAC).

During the summit held inHavana, Cuba over 28 and 29January, Maduro called for PuertoRican independence and an end tothe United Kingdom's administra-tion of the Falklands/MalvinasIslands, which are disputed byArgentina.

The former was offered fullmembership of CELAC under aproposal made to the summit byVenezuela.

Venezuela has come to Havanawith its proposals and contribu-tions, which is to declare the region'free of colonies' and invite PuertoRico to formally join the family,he stated.

There was no immediateresponse from Puerto Rico, whichremains an unincorporated UnitedStates territory. Maduro also spokein support of Puerto Rican inde-pendence from Washington.

Launched in 2011 in Caracas,CELAC was founded as an alterna-

tive to the Organisation ofAmerican States (OAS) and cur-rently boasts 33 member states.

Unlike the OAS, CELACexcludes the US and Canada.

The Venezuelan president calledon CELAC members to continueon the path of unity, freedom andprosperity as Simon Bolivardreamed.

Other leftist leaders joinedMaduro in calling for theFalklands/Malvinas to be handedover to Argentina and slamming theUS on issues ranging from espi-onage to the ongoing embargo onthe host country, Cuba.

The only way to resist and getrid of the empire of capitalism isintegration, Ecuadorian PresidentRafael Correa told the summit.

We have to make LatinAmerica and the Caribbean a spaceof free men and women, he stated.

Cuban President Raul Castroalso called on the US to end itsembargo of his country, and toclose the military base atGuantanamo Bay.

The summit reissued a declara-tion of a zone of peace in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, andcalled for the peaceful resolution ofinternational disputes and respectfor the Charter of the UnitedNations.

Latin America can jointogether based on its cultural,political, ideological...diversity,Maduro stated on the second dayof the summit.

During the event Maduro alsosigned a series of bilateral agree-ments with neighbouring coun-tries, which he told press wouldensure the supply of capital,goods, services [and] food forour people.

The summitopened with oneminute of silencefor Chavez, whowas a keyadvocate ofCELAC's creation.

Meeting with ColombianPresident Juan Manuel Santos,Maduro said he would remain com-mitted to tackling border crime,including international narcoticstraffickers operating between

Venezuela and Colombia.Let's crush the smugglers and

smuggling mafias, Maduro stated.The Venezuelan head of state

also inked a new energy trade

agreement with Saint Lucia's primeminister Kenny Anthony under thePetrocaribe initiative.

The head of another islandnation, Grenada's Keith Mitchell,submitted a request for member-ship of the Bolivarian Alliance forthe Peoples of Our America(ALBA) to Maduro.

Maduro also met with the presi-dents of Argentina, Uruguay andCuba.

Tributes were also paid toMaduro's predecessor HugoChavez during the event. The sum-mit opened with one minute ofsilence for Chavez, who was a keyadvocate of CELAC's creation.

We deeply regret the physicalabsence of one of the great leadersof our America, the unforgettableVenezuelan President HugoChavez, an ardent and tireless pro-moter and fighter for independence,cooperation, solidarity and integra-tion, Latin American andCaribbean unity and the very cre-ation of this community, Castrostated.

A museum dedicated to Chavezin the east of Havana was inaugu-rated during the conference.Opened during a ceremony onWednesday, the museum's exhibitfocuses on Chavez's life fromchildhood to his death last year.

CELAC member states also usedthe summit to hold talks on region-al issues that have historically beendiscussed through the OAS; suchas security and human rights.

Outgoing Chilean PresidentSebastian Piera and his Peruviancounterpart Ollanta Humala used

the conference to publicly issue ajoint statement to end a long-run-ning maritime border dispute.Earlier this week The Hagueredrew the border, handing Peru alarger piece of the Pacific Ocean,though Chile held on to coastalfishing grounds.

We are sure that by sharingexperiences between the nations ofLatin America and the Caribbean,we will be able to enrich publicpolicy in every one of our nations,Pinera stated.

This year's summit ended withCuba passing the rotating CELACpresidency to Costa Rica. Presidentof Costa Rica Laura Chinchillastated her country's presidency of

the organisation will prioritiserespect for human rights and ruleof law in their national and interna-tional dimensions as a basis forharmonious coexistence.

Ecuador will hold the presidencyafter Costa Rica, Maduro reportedyesterday.

Maduro speaks out against colonialism at CELAC summit


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Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network February-March 2014

Federico Fuentes

The December 4-13, 2013 sol-idarity brigade to Venezuelawas the 14th of its kind organ-

ised by the AustraliaVenezuela Solidarity Network(AVSN). The next brigade willbe held from December 2 to13, 2014.

This brigade was the first sinceChavezs death in March 2013, andcoincided with both the municipalelections and the unleashing of arange of new economic measuresundertaken by the government aspart of beating back the oppositionseconomic war against the revolu-tion.

This years delegation was com-prised of 13 participants fromAustralia, Bulgaria, England, andNew Zealand.

An important component of thisyears delegation was the participa-tion of a number of members of theTrade Union Choir that sung in achoir festival in Cuba just prior tothe start of the brigade.

While the official activities werenot due to start until the night ofWednesday, December 4, as somebrigade participants were arrivingthat afternoon, Ruben Pereira, fromthe Bolivarian Alliance for thePeoples of Our Americas (ALBA)Social Movements Council, offeredto organise a days worth of activi-ties with those already in the coun-try.

The morning began with an inter-view involving brigade participants

on Rubens radio program on thecommunity radio station, ColectivoRadiofonico Petare.

Afterwards, Ruben took us tomeet activists from the Commune inMacas, located in Petare.

Participants had the opportunityto find out more about the processof forming communal councils andcommunes, as well as getting to seesome of the projects the communehas undertaken. This included adirect communal property compa-nies entrusted with gas distributionservice, an Infocentre which pro-vides free internet access, and alocally-run public transport route.

We also visited a cooperative-runchocolate factory, where we spoke

with the workers about their strug-gle to get the company up and run-ning under workers control.

That night we had our orientationsession, which went through someof the important organizationalissues and the agenda of the visit.We also had a lovely dinner pre-pared by our friends at the AteneoPopular, where most of the brigadestayed when in Caracas.

The following morning we metagain with Ruben, this time in theoffices of the ALBA Secretariat. Hegave the delegation a warm wel-come and some introductory wordsabout ALBA.

From there we travelled via thenew Metrocable cable car toMariche to visit the Latin AmericanSchool of Medicine Dr SalvadorAllende (ELAM).

Students from a number of coun-tries, including from the Caribbean,Mexico, Paraguay and Palestine,among others, together with theschools director, Dr SandraMoreno, greeted us on our arrival.

A meeting was organised in themain hall, where students providedthe group with a little informationabout ELAM, how they came to bethere, and what it meant to be ableto study for free to become a doctorand go back to help their communi-ties.

After lunch, we walked aroundthe installations of ELAM, includ-ing an onsite medical centre wherewe spoke to some of the Cuban doc-tors about the work they are doingin Venezuela.

Afterwards, we returned to theALBA offices to hear a presentationon Petrocaribe by Amaylin Riveros,manager for social and socio-pro-ductive projects in Petrocaribe.

Her presentation focused on thesocial programs carried out in coun-tries that have signed up to the pref-erential oil trade agreement.

As a number of participants thenwent along to the closing rally forthe election campaign of theChavista candidate for Mayor ofCaracas, Jorge Rodriguez.

On December 6 we took a daytrip out to Valencia, in the state ofCarabobo, to visit Industrias Diana,a food processing plant that was

nationalized in 2009 and now oper-ates under workers control.

After a tour of the factory, whichalso houses a PDVAL food distribu-tion point, a free medical clinic, agovernment-subsidised pharmacyand a state bank outlet, we spokewith some of the members of theworkers councils.

They talked of the improvementsfor workers rights that had occurredsince nationalisation, the dilemmasthey faced to ensure the companywas self-sustaining, as well as therecent confrontation they had withthe government over the name of anew manager.

The next morning we did a tourof the historic centre of Caracas,looking at how the government(local and national) has been work-ing to improve it.

The walk around included a visitto Plaza Bolivar, Simon Bolivarshouse, and a number of the govern-ment-supported outlets in the areaselling chocolate, coffee, books andother local products at just prices.

While some stayed in the area towalk around on their own, a smallgroup went on to visit PuenteLlaguno, Plaza de la Revolucion,Miraflores Palace and some othernearby sites that hold importantvalue for the Bolivarian revolution.

In the afternoon we met withZulieka Matamoros, an activistfrom Barrio 23 de Enero and lead-ing member of Marea Socialista, acurrent within the United Socialist

Party of Venezuela, who took us ona tour of the community and provid-ed participants with a history of theradical neighbourhood.

The nextsolidarity brigadeto Venezuela willbe held fromDecember 2 to 13,2014.

We walked past some of theBarrio Adentro modules that pro-vide the community with free

healthcare, a SimoncitoBolivarian childcare centre, andother community spaces.

We visited an old police stationthat had been taken over by thecommunity and was now being usedto house a community radio, anInfocentre and a bookshop, andwhich provided a space for commu-nity groups to meet. We also walkedup to the Cuartel de la Montana, themilitary barracks where Chavezsremains are housed.

Afterwards, Zulieka fielded arange of questions regarding therevolution, the state, communes,criticisms from the left, etc.

The day finished with a numberof participants hanging around for aparty that was organised in the localarea.

December 8 was the day of themunicipal elections.

We visited the Andres Belloschool which houses the largestpolling station in the country.

There we spoke with AntonioVivas, the National Electoral

Council president for the Candelariadistrict of Caracas, who was head-ing up that particular polling boothon the day. He gave us a rundown ofthe voting system and answeredquestions from the delegation.

Afterwards, participants wereshown some of the main sites in theBellas Artes cultural area, includingthe Teresa Carreno Theatre, somenearby art galleries and museums,the Hotel ALBA Caracas and a local

organic farm. A number rode thenearby Metrocable up to SanAgustin.

The following morning we metwith representatives from theMinistry of Foreign Relations,including Orietta Caponi, Directorfor the Department covering Asia,Middle East and Oceania region,and Daniel Gasparri and AnaRobles, who also work in this min-isterial department.

The meeting took place in thehistoric Casa Amarilla that datesback to colonial times. Participantswere able to ask numerous ques-tions about Venezuelas foreign pol-icy (including about the Tamilstruggle in Sri Lanka, Libya andSyria, and other topical debates).

Afterwards, we briefly visited theBolivarian University of Venezuela(UBV), before heading off toMerida later that afternoon.

December 10 was largely a freeday to allow participants some restand a chance to recover from theovernight bus trip, as well as achance to see some of the sights inMerida.

In the early evening, we had ameeting with Tamara Pearson,Ewan Robertson and Ryan MalletOuttrim, journalists from VenezuelaAnalysis. This was an opportunityto find out more about the work ofVenezuela Analysis and ask generalquestions about what has beengoing on in Venezuela.

The next day we headed off earlyin the morning to Mucuchies, fur-ther up the Andes, were we meetwith local farmers from the Proinpacooperative who are working withthe government on a seed bank proj-ect.

The principal focus of the projectis to provide seeds to farmers for

potato harvesting, including throughthe recuperation of local seeds thathad almost disappeared. We visitedboth the laboratory and greenhousesthey have in place for seed produc-

tion, discussed questions of agricul-tural production and issues facingfarmers in Venezuela.

From there we travelled furtheruphill to speak with Carmen, one ofthe spokespeople from the localCommune Pasos de Bolivar 1813about the process of building com-munes and their experiences in pop-ular participation.

Finally, we travelled toApartaderos to see some of the proj-ects the commune had been workingon, including a new school,Infocentre, medical clinic and sportsfield.

On the morning of December 12,brigade participants visited the

Alternative School in Barrio PuebloNuevo. This was an opportunity tosee the school in action, interactwith the children, and speak to someof the teachers.

There is also a local BarrioAdentro module attached to theschool, so participants got to findout more about the health program.

In the afternoon, a meeting wasorganised at a local space taken overby communal councils at which par-ticipants spoke with studentactivists from the United SocialistParty of Venezuela (PSUV),Communist Party of Venezuela(PCV) and independent activists.

That night the delegation trav-elled back to Caracas

Although a meeting had beenscheduled for December 13 with YulJabor, a PCV deputy in the nationalassembly and head of the foreignrelations commission, the meetingwas cancelled as Jabor had to travelto South Africa to attend NelsonMandelas funeral.

Instead, in the afternoon, we metwith Amlcar Carvajal, Director forCo-ordination of Culture andSolidarity with the Peoples. Thisprovided the group with an opportu-nity to express their opinions aboutwhat they had seen during the visitas well as ask questions about issuesand doubts they still had.

That night, we had a final debrief

session and farewell dinner at theAteneo Popular.Overall, the visit was a great suc-

cess.The different meetings and com-

munity visits gave a good overviewof the revolution and its achieve-ment to date in across differentspheres (social missions, com-munes, workers rights, agriculturalproduction, etc.), while attemptingto address perhaps the three keyareas of major interest given the cur-rent context (the elections, the eco-nomic war and the process of build-ing communes).

To register, express your interest,or for more information on the next:AVSN brigade to Venezuela to be

held in December 2014:Email: brigades@venezuelasoli-

darity.orgPhone: Jim McIlroy 0423 741

734, Roberto Jorquera 0425 182994 or Lisa Macdonald 0413 031108.

Visit: venezuelasolidarity.org.

Witnessing a revolution in action

The Latin American School of Medicine. Brigade participants spoke with students from a number of countries, as wellas with the schools director, Dr Sandra Moreno.

Documents

Venezuela: A year since Hugo Chavez’s death -- special edition of the AVSN broadsheet