Nicolás Maduro is one of the worst and most repressive dictators of our time, right? Not so fast. Many online have been quick to judge Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution as a failed economic experiment or authoritarian dystopia. That’s why African Stream recently visited the country for Maduro’s presidential inauguration to get a better sense of what’s up.
As a Pan-Africanist reporter, Inemesit Richardson, was intrigued by the presence of self-declared Afro-Venezuelan ‘Chavistas’ at rallies, events, and conferences who support the Bolivarian Project begun under former President Hugo Chavez (1954-2013). While the perspective that circulates on Western media outlets and English-speaking social media pages tends to favour regime change, we wanted to hear what the other side had to say.
In this video, you hear from Afro-Venezuelans who attended the Third International Congress on Communication in Caracas, Venezuela, on 12 January. Some were members of Afro-Venezuelan organisations known as ‘cumbes’ or were the heads of Afro-descendant wings of political parties and groups. Others were citizens not affiliated with any political organisations.
So, why did Afro-Venezuelans vote for Maduro? This is what they had to say.