•  HOME 
  •  ARCHIVES 
  •  BOOKS 
  •  PDF ARCHIVE 
  •  WWP 
  •  SUBSCRIBE 
  •  DONATE 
  •  MUNDOOBRERO.ORG
  • Loading


Follow workers.org on
Twitter Facebook iGoogle




'Chavez, Venezuela & the New Latin America'

Published Feb 13, 2005 9:20 PM

Aleida Guevara, daughter of legendary revolutionary leader Che Guevara, traveled to Venezuela in February 2004 to experience the "Bolivarian Revolution" first hand. Guevara, herself a Cuban pediatrician, compiled invaluable interviews with President Hugo Chávez, his supporters, Cuban doctors serving in Venezuela and others. From all this, she has created a riveting and informational documentary entitled, "Chávez, Venezuela and the New Latin America."


Los Angeles premiere of Guevara's
film at International Action Center office.

The documentary begins with images of pro-Chávez demonstrators, mostly poor and working people of color, converging in the thousands, proclaiming their loyalty to the advances promulgated by the "Bolivar ian Revolution."

Chants of "Chávez no se va!"--Chávez will not go!--are a testament to the dedication of the people not to allow Washing ton or anybody else to usurp their sovereignty.

Guevara's extensive interview with Hugo Chávez reveals his revolutionary awakening while serving in the military as a young poor worker with indigenous roots. He describes, with great historical analysis, the conditions of poverty and submission to capitalist bosses Venezuela was experiencing when he and other military officers attempted to wrest power from the subservient government in 1992 in an unsuccessful coup.

Chávez also recounts the struggles and achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution following his electoral victory in 1999 and the looming recall attempt last Aug. 15.

Chávez's head of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, Gen. Jorge Garcia Carneiro, speaks in detail about the U.S.-sponsored coup in April 2002 which brought out hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to take over the Presidential Palace of Mira flores demanding the return of their president.

Heartfelt testimonials give insight to the progressive nature of the Bolivarian Revolution. A mother at a demonstration tells how her daughter is in a university as a result of the Bolivarian Revolution. An indigenous woman from the Amazon speaks about gains achieved in the most remote regions of Venezuela under Chávez.

Cuban doctors who work under the Barrio Adentro program, serving the most marginalized neighborhoods of Caracas, talk about their mission to serve the oppressed.

"Chávez, Venezuela and the New Latin America" provides a unique insight into the changing political atmosphere in Latin America.

Chávez quotes Fidel Castro when asked what is on the horizon for Venezuela: "A new wave will arrive in Latin America, but in a different form."

The Bolivarian Revolution is at the forefront of that new wave.