Urgent Call for Solidarity Delegation to Venezuela, December 5-15, 2016

What’s going on right now in Venezuela? Come see for yourself by connecting with the grassroots movements at the heart of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution.

The Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of New York invites historians, artists, videographers, writers, political analysts, and other activists who sympathize with the Bolivarian Revolution to join a delegation to Caracas, Venezuela this December. Witness:

• communities organizing themselves in the face of manufactured food shortages to grow and distribute their own food
• participatory democracy in action through community councils, ‘comunas’ and other forms of citizen organization
• community-run art, media, education, health and nutrition efforts
• alternative markets and fairs featuring homemade products and agroecologically produced foods
• parks, natural areas, historic sites, and other reclaimed public spaces.

The purpose of this delegation is to document the political resistance of the popular sectors to a neoliberal restoration in Venezuela in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections of December 6, 2015. In those elections the opposition coalition, Roundtable of Democratic Unity (MUD), won a qualified majority. The election results, however, do not reflect a popular endorsement of the MUD agenda. This electoral defeat was caused in large part by an economic and media campaign waged by powerful US-backed interests against the Maduro administration, exacerbated by a plunge in oil prices. There was also some voter abstention among a significant part of the chavista electoral base motivated by dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the related shortages, inflation, and corruption. For this reason, there is a great deal of critique and self-critique going on throughout the entire spectrum of chavismo with a view to correcting errors (rectificación) and relaunching (reimpulso) the Bolivarian project.

Come witness the efforts of the popular sectors to regroup and defend the political, economic and social rights guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, even during a period in which a neoliberal agenda will likely dominate the legislative branch of government.

Come see the real “threat” posed by Venezuela – as living proof that another world indeed is possible. As the Venezuelan people assert, “Venezuela is not a threat – we are hope!”

When: December 5-15, 2016

Tentative itinerary: Start and end in Caracas; visits to the states of Miranda and Aragua.

Cost for activities: $1000. This will cover all lodging, all ground transportation, 2 meals per day, qualified trip leaders, and Spanish-English interpretation. Additional expenses during the trip will be minimal. Airfare not included. (Round trip flights to Venezuela from New York are available in the range of $333- $430.)

Sponsored by the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of New York

For more information: cbalbertolovera@gmail.com

Some important articles:

Special Report: Hunger in Venezuela? A Look Beyond the Spin

Statement of International Solidarity with Venezuela’s Seed Law

Venezuela Passes Law Banning GMOs, by Popular Demand

Venezuela Takes Control of Its Border as Bogotá and Caracas Bring Their Cases to UNASUR

Venezuela Recognized by FAO for Halving Malnutrition

Revolution, Counter Revolution, and the Economic War in Venezuela: Part I

Revolution, Counter Revolution, and the Economic War in Venezuela: Part II

“THE COMMUNE OR NOTHING”: POPULAR POWER AND THE STATE IN VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA TO CONSIDER BAN ON TRANSGENIC SEED

VENEZUELA AND THE BATTLE AGAINST TRANSGENIC SEEDS