Venezuelanalysis

The Venezuelan political landscape has seen the farthest-right sectors, led by María Corina Machado, emerge as the leaders of the opposition. But this trend is far from unique to Venezuela. From Argentina to Italy, and with the Gaza genocide as the ugliest exponent, fascism and its violent impact are growing.

In the latest VA podcast episode, staff members José Luis Granados Ceja and Cira Pascual Marquina are joined by writer and podcaster Justin Podur to discuss the alarming rise of fascist forces on a global scale and the grassroots efforts to fight back.

Following a short hiatus, the Venezuelanalysis Podcast is back with a new format. On-the-ground staff members are set to feature more prominently, with the podcast now published on YouTube and delivered on a more regular basis.

In this episode, host José Luis Granados Ceja is joined by editor Ricardo Vaz to catch up on the latest from Venezuela: renewed US sanctions, Edmundo González's exile, aircraft piracy and lots more!

With the Venezuelan presidential elections fast approaching, Venezuelanalysis members José Luis Granados Ceja and Andreína Chávez sat down for a special podcast episode to discuss a range of topics, from imperialist soft power to corporate media propaganda. 

The brutal US-led sanctions campaign has led grassroots socialist organizations to reinvent themselves and come together to survive the conditions created by the economic blockade. In our latest podcast episode, we go deep into communes and the socialist project in Venezuela, discussing the challenges in building a communal economy, political autonomy and lots more.

Host José Luis Granados Ceja is joined by Venezuelanalysis’ Cira Pascual Marquina who shares her experiences documenting the efforts of communards to build their productive capacity and end their isolation. We also speak with Juan “Juancho” Lenzo, co-founder of Tatuy Televisión and the Communard Union’s communications coordinator, to discuss the genesis of the Communard Union and its role in defending socialism as the strategic horizon of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Music: 

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

Dionis Bahamonde Alan Gonzalez Eli Rondon y Truk - Comuna o Nada

With the US reimposing oil sanctions, we look at the implications and how grassroots socialist movements hold the key to fighting back. 

On today’s episode we talk with Laura Lorenzo about the Pueblo a Pueblo initiative, a grassroots plan for organizing the production, distribution, and consumption of food that directly connects agricultural producers with urban dwellers. Host José Luis Granados Ceja is also joined by Venezuelanalysis editor Ricardo Vaz to discuss the decision by the Biden administration to once again impose an oil blockade on Venezuela.

Music: 

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

Tyburcio - Campesino Amigo

The ruling class must establish its hegemony in order to assure its survival, and cultural production is critical to this process, dominance over our cultural lives is indispensable for capitalism to reproduce itself.

As Gramsci wrote: “To achieve a revolutionary perspective, the worker must first be freed of the ideological fetters imposed on him by the cultural organizations of the ruling class.”

On today’s episode we’re talking about culture as a site of political struggle. To address this topic we will speak with Luigino Bracci Roa, a communications activist, expert in digital communications and a rank-and-file worker in Venezuela’s Ministry of Culture. Host José Luis Granados Ceja is also joined by VA’s Andreína Chávez to talk about music as a space for constructive criticism within the Bolivarian process and the role of cultural expressions such as the gaita Zuliana as a reflection of the central place that voices of the people should occupy. 

Music: 

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

Betulio Medina - La Grey Zuliana

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez sought to build a participatory democracy that would directly include the population in decision making and knew that a robust education system, one that would seek to incorporate those historically excluded from the formal educational system, was indispensable.

From primary school all the way into higher education, Venezuela massively expanded educational opportunities for the population since the onset of the Bolivarian Process. Unfortunately today, under a brutal economic blockade, many of those gains have been rolled back. Venezuela’s public education system suffers from underfunding, with high rates of academic desertion, and low wages for teachers. But better outcomes in education are still possible if there’s the political will to fight for them.

To address this topic, host José Luis Granados Ceja speaks with Dr. Luis Bonilla Molina, former vice-minister for education and current co-director of the Latin American Council for Social Sciences’ International Research Center Other Voices on Education. José Luis also talks to Venezuela Analysis’ Cira Pasqual Marquina about the role of movements and organizers to promote educational inclusion and participation, her own experience as an instructor at the Pluriversidad Patria Grande in Caracas and her efforts at political education through the Escuela de Cuadros program. 

Music: 

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

Que Vivan los Estudiantes - Los Guaraguao

By retaking control of the region’s natural resources, pink-tide governments throughout Latin America were able to make great strides in the redistribution of wealth, working to attend to the social debt owed to the population. But this came at a cost. Today there is a clear global consensus that climate change is real and we risk making the planet uninhabitable if we do not take urgent action immediately.

How can progressive and leftist governments in Latin America work to secure climate justice? Should we consider de-growth as the strategy, as some progressive thinkers advocate? What of anti-extractivism, which has become a common position among many on the left throughout the world? Or does the solution lies in the communalization of life?

To help us answer these questions, host José Luis Granados Ceja speaks with Liliana Buitrago, environmental activist and Researcher from the Venezuelan Political Ecology Observatory. This episode also features a conversation with Venezuela Analysis’ Cira Pasqual Marquina on the efforts by environmentalists and communards in Venezuela to tackle the issue of climate change in their communities.

Music: 

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

Efren Clavo - La Tierra Está Sufriendo

With another year nearly behind us, Venezuelanalysis hosts a special podcast episode where we once again take stock of the Venezuelan political landscape and look at the most important topics from Venezuela. This time around, the VA staff sat down to discuss sanctions relief, the Essequibo dispute, upcoming elections and a lot more.

What is behind the decision by the US Treasury Department to suspend sanctions on Venezuela? Is it because of increased Venezuelan migration to the US? Is it owed to fears of wider instability in the Middle East? Or has the White House finally come to terms with the failure of the current regime-change strategy?

You won’t be surprised to learn that the answer is yes, to all of that, and more. In our latest podcast episode, host José Luis Granados Ceja is joined by fellow VA member Ricardo Vaz and political analyst Ociel López to break down Washington's calculations, the potential impact of the licenses, and where the Venezuelan political chessboard factors in.

Music: 

• Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros
• Gino Gonzalez - A Palestina