No one told me, I lived it
When I look back, I remember having heard through the radio or seen on television events that at the time became worldwide occurrences, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the September 11 attacks, the cloning of Dolly the sheep, famine in Africa, AIDS, the death of Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. Events that happened far from my country, Venezuela, but which captured global interest and which we followed avidly through the media, as if they were a fictional story.
But one thing is to be told about it, and a very different thing is to experience it, to see it with your own eyes. That is why, although I have lived through several events that changed the history of my country, today I will only talk about four events that marked a before and after, and that surely, when the memory of what has happened in Venezuela in recent years is recorded, will be there because of their relevance. I will recount them through my own perspective, how I experienced them, and although there is much background, I will try to be brief.
The first event occurred in 1989, known as the Caracazo, when the people from the hills of Caracas came down to protest, and although I live in a city six hours from the capital, the entire country was caught up in protests, looting, and unrest. I remember that I was very young to fully grasp the magnitude of what was happening: the people, upset over a series of economic measures, began looting stores. I recall seeing people carrying away food, appliances, clothing, and shoes that they had taken from shopping centers. The government had to declare a "curfew" throughout the country in order to control the people's tempers.
The second event occurred in April 2002. Venezuela was living in protest; the country marched against Chávez every day of the week. Chávez, so that the country would not see the protests and how the government was confronting the people, broadcasted national addresses, but on that occasion, Radio Caracas Television (a television channel that the government later shut down) did the unthinkable: it split the screen in two. On one side appeared Chávez, calmly speaking, and on the other side of the screen, one could see how the government attacked the people. This led the high military command to ask Chávez to resign: 'Which he accepted' (a phrase that went down in history). I remember that at home we went out to celebrate the fall of the dictator, but not even 24 hours passed before Chávez returned to power. Many of us were left like fans, looking from one side to the other, not knowing what to say. What happened behind Chávez’s reinstatement to power would take hours of writing and analysis.
The third historical event was the death of Chávez in 2012. It all began when Chávez himself announced his illness, cancer. Since Chávez distrusted Venezuelan doctors, fearing they might end his life, he went to Cuba for treatment. Not to the United States, nor to Europe, he went to Cuba. I remember that months after that announcement, in December, I was having dinner with a friend when they broadcast a presidential message to inform that Chávez was fine, but the tone and the faces looked like they were taken from a horror movie. My friend said, 'Chávez is dead and they are hiding it.' He was not the only one to think this way: all of Venezuela turned into a rumor. Then, in March 2013, they announced what they could no longer hide: Chávez's passing. I remember that at home we were left stunned, not knowing what to say. At that time, we thought that with Chávez's death everything would end, but it was the beginning of the worst stage.
The latest event is relatively recent: the elections 2024. When all the polling stations closed, everyone knew that Chavismo would lose, even they themselves. On that day, they could not use the tricks they had always used: manipulation of machines, delays in the lines, fake ID cards, vote buying. The opposition leader said: "Keep the records," and that is what people did. In every record, Chavismo lost. So it was only necessary for the electoral body to announce the results. That night, after an endless wait, the crime was consummated before our eyes and the eyes of the world. Without proof of the votes, the electoral body declared Maduro the winner. From that very moment, a stage of persecution and vandalism against civil society and its freedoms began. The Chavista government had finally removed its mask: it would do anything to stay in power like any dictatorship.
There is a saying that those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. While it is true that in the last century there were limitations to knowing what was happening in the world and today it is easier to access all kinds of news and information, it is also true that nowadays one can talk about how history circulates, is produced, and even edited. Sometimes it is impossible to know what really happened, but if you experienced an event or were present when the events occurred, you can talk about what you lived through, heard, and felt, and that is part of your memory.
The images are from my personal gallery and the text was translated with Deepl
Thank you for reading and commenting. Until a future reading, friends
And, how's now?
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We are still waiting. Personally, although hope remains intact, I cannot deny that sometimes despair overwhelms me and I feel like leaving the country. But we must have faith. Thank you for the support, my friend. Regards đź«‚
I did wonder if you would choose something to do with the situation over there, and I remember you dressed in the flag! Yellow and blue in there so it looks good. So what do you think of Trump trying to get rid of your leader? A hopeful hug
Anything that helps end this tyranny seems perfect to me. I want my country to be prosperous again, without divisions, with families coming back together. Do you know that just for writing this I am at risk of being imprisoned? This is how we live or survive here, sadly. A tricolor hug
Hello! I also remember everything you mention, even the Apollo moon landing on black and white TV.
I wasn't present at the 2024 elections; I watched them from the 5,000 kilometers that now separate us. But I witnessed how the regime mobilized a march in support of the government that filled Cancamure Avenue in Cumaná, and then, when the results were announced, I watched with great sadness as the regime almost won the elections in Sucre state.
And I feel like we're manipulated like pawns on a chessboard; we don't decide anything. I hope the winds of international geopolitics change direction and Venezuela changes for the better.
A hug.
There is no need for you to be so far from your beautiful and charming home, with fruit and medicinal plants that nourished even the soul of those of us who came to your home. I hope everything changes for the better and we can see each other soon, my friend. Greetings and a hug to the family.
It's my wish too.
Only now the children have settled here, and the friends, siblings, and nieces and nephews are scattered around the world.
A big hug.