Sign reads: Venezuela, thanks for the oil!
Boston Delegation, WSF (World Social Forum), 2006
Credits: Latinas and Latinos for Social Change
Since 2003, our hosting duties in a different manner: Several large, global-scaled, civil society gatherings have been held in Caracas and other cities bringing together guests and speakers from all the continents -activists, students, academics and many others- usually with the state acting out as the organiser or financial supporter. We´ve held, among others:
1st World Encounter of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity (2004)
16th World Festival of Youth and Students (2005; "For Peace and Solidarity, We Struggle Against Imperialism and War")
World Social Forum (2006, "Another World is Possible")
and.. currently, the World Peace Conference ("Caracas, World Capital of Peace and Anti Imperialism")
Venezuela has become, for many people, a haven for "counterpoint" meetings and such vision has been reaffirmed by the government. They, for one part, have given an opportunity with people from around the world to discuss critical issues relevant for all of us and also act as a window to the country, its culture and people.
Are such meetings completely fulfill their purposes when the government of the host country acts as as one -if not the- main organizer? There seems to be something amiss when the meeting of the World Peace Council coincides with the 6th anniversary of the April 11th 2002 coup d´état against Hugo Chávez´s government and its comeback on the 13th.
Last Wednesday, the local National Assembly (Congress) granted an additional credit for US$9.84 million to the actor Danny Glover for a film epic about the Haitian independence hero François Dominique Toussaint-Louverturen - Toussaint , listed in the IMdB for a 2009 release At the same time, in other places of our country, such as San Carlos, capital of the Cojedes State, people are demanding more security after the assasination of a baker:
Sign reads:
Who answers for our dead? Where are the state´s organisms? We demand security, inepts!
San Carlos, Cojedes, Venezuela
Source: Noticias24
The aforementioned encounters do represent a great source of learning but where are their long lasting effects in today´s Venezuela?
Perhaps these international events come true at the end by making us see the need to work on our own problems as well as the rest of the world´s. But please, someone tell the government: we need you as much as the rest of the world.
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