Re-visiting Venezuela on International Women's Day with Yanahir Reyes
In recognition of International Women's Day, I recall visiting with representatives of a Caracas community radio station, including Yanahir Reyes. Her contribution to educating children through teaching and community radio, as well as her views in support of a revolutionary movement there, underscore the vitality and difficulty of protecting hard-fought gains.
During a "media and democracy" research trip to Venezuela in 2007, the group I traveled with met with a cross-section of media groups in Venezuela, ranging from large private "opposition" media such as El Nacional newspaper and RCTV to the smaller Tal Cual newspaper and the journalists' association, SNTP. We visited community radio and TV stations, some that started many years ago with a tradition of resistance to repression under past governments. These community stations include: Radio Negro Primero based in the Pinto Salinas barrio, Pernal Radio in the Caricuao neighborhood of 23 de Enero barrio, Calle y Media collective in the La Vega barrio and Catia TV. We met representatives of public-funded ViveTV station and opposition political party Primero Justicia. Along the way we also met with the New York Times reporter Simon Romero, Venezuelan-American Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and venezuelanalysis.com editor Greg Wilpert.
We met with Daniel Fernandez and Yanahir Reyes, an elementary school teacher, at the apartment building in the working class neighborhood where the Radio Perola, a community radio station, is located. The neighborhood consists of a mix of buildings, including a series of the 50-year old apartment buildings, which house approximately 1000 people each.
She discussed how the radio station meets the need of the surrounding community. "We felt for the first time to be able to share information with people not filled by major media," Reyes said. The group first started as a cinema club, showing films with social content. The radio station first started up with a small amplifier and microphone, broadcasting their program over loudspeakers to nearby residents. "Legally, we did not have a license to broadcast," she mentioned.
In 2001 the National Assembly passed a law allowing community radio to have a legal framework. The original draft was modified by CONATEL (National Commission of Telecommunications). The idea was to develop the project in three parts -- social, economic, and technical.
One of the proposals of the law called for organizers to report the GPS coordinates of the station. "Imagine a community without resources trying to get coordinates!," Fernandez exclaims.
The proposal called for an economic plan for the station, though CONATEL provides equipment to the community without a fee. "We've been working legally for 6 years on 92.3 FM. The idea is to use a summer camp to integrate them with the Simon Rodriguez project. Changing the paradigm of summer camp with ideas of cooperativism, working with the most important part of the community that's been excluded -- children."
"Especially in times like this, we provide an alternative for kids of families where they can't afford vacations," Reyes said. "The idea of the radio is not only about communicating ideas, problems, but with connecting kids, mothers, old people."
"A new model of game with less competition but required more cooperation," Daniel Fernandez mentioned. "Our struggle is not an easy struggle, we have to counter stations that focus on selfishness with togetherness, love. We want to make clear that the movement for community radio started before Chavez, but we're getting support to have radio that's getting to the hearts and minds of people."
Community radio has flourished under this revolutionary government. "We started traveling around the country working with other radio stations, forming ANMCLA (National Association of Alternative and Community Media). Working with campesino groups, community groups."
The station has 62 shows, featuring programs on education, kids, family shows, and music, including salsa, reggae, ska, and rock. Several denominations are represented -- Catholic, Evangelical, and Jehovah, Fernandez mentioned.
Yanahir Reyes has been working for four years at the station. "Community radio is the most important aspect of freedom of speech for my community. We are going to defend this project with our lives. This is our dream, the thing we hoped for in this past."
Reyes discussed a kids program called 'Lulatech': "The community gets integrated with kids. An alternative for kids to get an education. We teach them what a popular education is. The Ministry of Education is a big bureaucracy so we had to create this. We have violence, robbery, and we had to find a way to reduce this. We are working with the community council to solve the problem of violence."
Oil and gas are important to the economy and social programs in Venezuela, but the people are the most important, Reyes says. "We keep the 'door open' for we make a difference between government and people."
"The idea of radio is to tell the truth. The idea of commercial radio is to make the people consume." Reyes points out that most of the people that work at the station live in the community -- a housewife, a cab driver, a lawyer.
She continues her comments by saying: "Of course, it's not easy or short-term. It's not easy being revolutionary in a capitalist country; there are many counter-values. My show is called 'Millenia Mujer.' The foundation of this revolution is women. You know, my show is broadcast in prime-time during novella shows, countering these shows with women's show discussing domestic violence; making them understand the value of women."
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| Photo from 2007: Yanahir Reyes, elementary education teacher, community activist, and radio show host in Caracas, Venezuela. |
During a "media and democracy" research trip to Venezuela in 2007, the group I traveled with met with a cross-section of media groups in Venezuela, ranging from large private "opposition" media such as El Nacional newspaper and RCTV to the smaller Tal Cual newspaper and the journalists' association, SNTP. We visited community radio and TV stations, some that started many years ago with a tradition of resistance to repression under past governments. These community stations include: Radio Negro Primero based in the Pinto Salinas barrio, Pernal Radio in the Caricuao neighborhood of 23 de Enero barrio, Calle y Media collective in the La Vega barrio and Catia TV. We met representatives of public-funded ViveTV station and opposition political party Primero Justicia. Along the way we also met with the New York Times reporter Simon Romero, Venezuelan-American Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and venezuelanalysis.com editor Greg Wilpert.
We met with Daniel Fernandez and Yanahir Reyes, an elementary school teacher, at the apartment building in the working class neighborhood where the Radio Perola, a community radio station, is located. The neighborhood consists of a mix of buildings, including a series of the 50-year old apartment buildings, which house approximately 1000 people each.
She discussed how the radio station meets the need of the surrounding community. "We felt for the first time to be able to share information with people not filled by major media," Reyes said. The group first started as a cinema club, showing films with social content. The radio station first started up with a small amplifier and microphone, broadcasting their program over loudspeakers to nearby residents. "Legally, we did not have a license to broadcast," she mentioned.
In 2001 the National Assembly passed a law allowing community radio to have a legal framework. The original draft was modified by CONATEL (National Commission of Telecommunications). The idea was to develop the project in three parts -- social, economic, and technical.
 |
| Clockwise from upper left: building where Radio Perola is located, kids playing outside, computer room, and on-air studio. Center photo (from left): Yanahir Reyes, Daniel Fernandez. |
The proposal called for an economic plan for the station, though CONATEL provides equipment to the community without a fee. "We've been working legally for 6 years on 92.3 FM. The idea is to use a summer camp to integrate them with the Simon Rodriguez project. Changing the paradigm of summer camp with ideas of cooperativism, working with the most important part of the community that's been excluded -- children."
"Especially in times like this, we provide an alternative for kids of families where they can't afford vacations," Reyes said. "The idea of the radio is not only about communicating ideas, problems, but with connecting kids, mothers, old people."
"A new model of game with less competition but required more cooperation," Daniel Fernandez mentioned. "Our struggle is not an easy struggle, we have to counter stations that focus on selfishness with togetherness, love. We want to make clear that the movement for community radio started before Chavez, but we're getting support to have radio that's getting to the hearts and minds of people."
Community radio has flourished under this revolutionary government. "We started traveling around the country working with other radio stations, forming ANMCLA (National Association of Alternative and Community Media). Working with campesino groups, community groups."
The station has 62 shows, featuring programs on education, kids, family shows, and music, including salsa, reggae, ska, and rock. Several denominations are represented -- Catholic, Evangelical, and Jehovah, Fernandez mentioned.
Yanahir Reyes has been working for four years at the station. "Community radio is the most important aspect of freedom of speech for my community. We are going to defend this project with our lives. This is our dream, the thing we hoped for in this past."
Reyes discussed a kids program called 'Lulatech': "The community gets integrated with kids. An alternative for kids to get an education. We teach them what a popular education is. The Ministry of Education is a big bureaucracy so we had to create this. We have violence, robbery, and we had to find a way to reduce this. We are working with the community council to solve the problem of violence."
Oil and gas are important to the economy and social programs in Venezuela, but the people are the most important, Reyes says. "We keep the 'door open' for we make a difference between government and people."
"The idea of radio is to tell the truth. The idea of commercial radio is to make the people consume." Reyes points out that most of the people that work at the station live in the community -- a housewife, a cab driver, a lawyer.
She continues her comments by saying: "Of course, it's not easy or short-term. It's not easy being revolutionary in a capitalist country; there are many counter-values. My show is called 'Millenia Mujer.' The foundation of this revolution is women. You know, my show is broadcast in prime-time during novella shows, countering these shows with women's show discussing domestic violence; making them understand the value of women."
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