Media and Freedom Tour: Happy Birthday, Simon Bolivar!

In 2007, I participated in a "Media and Democracy" Reality Tour to Venezuela organized by Global Exchange. The research tour included 12 North Americans and 1 South African with backgrounds in teaching and media -- one person worked for Free Speech TV channel and another for an alternative weekly Milwaukee newspaper. Others in the group were community activists and artists. Many in the group had traveled to various parts of Latin America - Chiapas, Oaxaca, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Nicaragua and Cuba. The combination of professional backgrounds and Latin American experience generated thoughtful discussions at each of the meetings we had with 15 different community groups, media outlets or individuals.

Crowd listening to ceremonies commemorating Simon
Bolivar's birthday in Caracas, Venezuela.
July 24, 2007 - The group struck out today in hopes of watching ceremonies honoring the birth of Simon Bolivar, a revered person in Venezuelan history, as well as surrounding South American nations. The Venezuelan revolution underway takes Bolivar as its namesake – Bolivarian Revolution. His space would be equal to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and others. He’s “The Liberator,” freeing Venezuela from the binds of Spanish colonialism in the early 1800’s.

We went to the square in front of the Parthenon hoping to participate in a memorable celebration. We found a dwindling crowd as the speeches concluded before we arrived. We wound our way to the back of the square and sat next to a small group that had traveled to Caracas the night before. They were strong advocates for the changes going on, especially Arroya, a woman lawyer, who shared her thoughts about the transformation.

In the afternoon we traveled to La Vega barrio, which is south of the Hotel Altamira, near where our hotel was located. To get to La Vega we went on a circuitous route, eventually driving to the top of one of the hills where the “informal,” housing communities had been built.

The tour guide indicated that the media theme of the tour itinerary had a wide range of media outlets – supporting and opposing the Revolution, "the process." He indicated we would be confused by hearing from some of these organizations. I’m not sure if what he indicated about “confusion” was related to confusion or some paradoxes of Venezuelan society. While the country has seen some truly spectacular advances in social services – education, health care, arts, to name a few – there is still heart-rending violence in the barrio. Spectacular advances in women’s health and participation in government and the economy, yet considerable repression of women through violence and machismo.

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