Venezuelanalysis Podcast

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and President Gustavo Petro of Colombia announced that the border between the two countries, after being closed for years, will officially reopen on September 26.

The decision to reopen the border represents yet another step in the restoration of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia following the arrival of Petro to the presidency, as the two neighbors work to turn back the clock on years of strained relations under previous administrations.

This latest move is not only symbolic but also represents a significant opportunity for economic development that wasn’t possible before. The issue is whether this economic activity (Caracas estimates border trade will reach US $2 billion in the near future) will translate into improvements in the well-being of people on both sides of the border.

To speak about the new horizon for the Venezuela-Colombia relationship, we speak with Enrique Acosta, a researcher with the Center for Research and Border Studies. 

One of the clearest expressions of the struggle of the Venezuelan working class against the bourgeoisie today is the efforts by workers to seize control of the means of production directly, taking the factory out of the hands of the bosses and running their workplaces democratically.

In the tenth episode of the Venezuelanalysis Podcast, the subject is workers' control! 

Podcast host José Luís Granados Ceja talks to Venezuelan worker Sergio Requena about the need to break with capitalist logic and seize the means of production, as well as fellow VA member Cira Pascual Marquina about the history of the worker controlled movement and its present day challenges.

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, born July 28 1954, is undoubtedly the most important figure in modern Venezuelan history. Former Uruguayan President Pepe Mujica, upon hearing news of Chávez’s death on March 5th, 2013, said: "I met Che, I met Mao, but I can say this man is a character who broke the mold."

In the ninth Venezuelanalysis Podcast episode, we go go over Chávez's revolutionary legacy. More than a president, he was a teacher, a political scientist, a soldier, a visionary, a powerful orator, and a man profoundly committed to the well being of the Venezuelan people.

Podcast host José Luís Granados Ceja talks to fellow VA member Andreína Chávez and to political science professor Chris Gilbert about the Bolivarian Process, the transition towards socialism and lots more.

In this episode, the team at Venezuelanalysis answers questions submitted by readers and followers. From questions about Venezuela’s relations with its neighbors to the future of the struggle against US imperialism, it’s everything you always wanted to know about Venezuela.

The Great Housing Mission is undoubtedly one of the flagships of the Bolivarian Revolution. The program created by Hugo Chávez in 2011 has provided a reported four million houses for low-income families and looks to reach five million by 2025.

In the newest episode of the Venezuelanalysis podcast, we go over the struggle to establish housing as a human right in Venezuela, as opposed to a capitalist commodity, and we put the spotlight on grassroots movements that have pushed the so-called “urban revolution.”

Host José Luis Granados Ceja, fellow VA writer Andreína Chávez and Juan Carlos Rodríguez from the Pobladores Movement go over the housing mission and its achievements, as well as the emerging challenges and contradictions in Venezuela’s current political context.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has upended the previously existing geopolitical order. With mid-term elections looming and rising energy costs inside the US as a result of the conflict and the subsequent ban of Russian oil imports, the White House was left scrambling.

This global scenario led Washington to abandon its years-long strategy of pretending that Juan Guaidó was president and forced high-level members of Biden’s team to finally sit down with the real President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.

In this episode, we’re going to take a look at the fallout of the visit by a high-level White House delegation to Venezuela, spurred on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as the implications of this political moment for Venezuela and the region.

We also feature Venezuelan journalist and professor Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein, who speaks to us about the struggle against imperialism in a context of declining US hegemony, as well as the prospects for regional integration in Latin America in an era that some have called “new cold war”.

Music:

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

11 de abril 2002: Golpe de Estado - Lloviznando Cantos

The Bolivarian Revolution has always worked to put social inclusion at the very center of its political program, focusing on attending to the needs of the most marginalized. In a capitalist patriarchal system this meant expanding the political participation of women; but this also doubled the social reproduction work of women, who found themselves working, taking care of their families and taking care of the community.

Nonetheless, Venezuelan women today continue to organize and fight for equality, struggling to end machista violence and secure recognition of their sexual and reproductive rights.

In honor of International Working Women’s Day on March 8th, we’re going to talk about the gains and the challenges facing the feminist movement in Venezuela and will speak with Daniela Inojosa, a long time feminist and founder of Tinta Violeta.

Music:

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

La Chiche Manaure - La Mujer Bolivariana

With its immense oil reserves, there was a time when Venezuela was called the “Saudi Arabia” of Latin America. This reliance on oil rents invariably distorted much of the economy, making it cheaper to import food rather than produce it locally. 

This decades-long arrangement helps explain Venezuela’s challenges when it comes to securing food sovereignty. With the collapse in the price of oil and the effects of US-led sanctions that have crippled the industry, the scenario has changed, and the oil sector can no longer fuel the rest of the economy.

This shift and the pressing need to secure a model that allows for locally produced healthy, and nutritious food for Venezuelans, has made the land question more important than ever. 

In this episode, we will speak with Andres Alayo. He is one of the key leaders of the Campesino Struggle Platform, which brings together local, autonomous peasant, communal and revolutionary organizations in order to present a unified voice and organize their demands.

Music:

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros

El Último Hombre a Caballo - Cristóbal Jiménez

Today more than ever, it is critical to support anti-imperialist media. 

With recent victories by the left in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Honduras, US Imperialism is nervous. The response by the US Department of State to these recent elections in Latin America, discrediting the first two and only reluctantly embracing the latter, is proof that neo-colonial domination over the region remains very much at the center of US foreign policy.

On today’s program we’re going to take a look at what goes into producing anti-imperialist media that is capable of striking back against the Empire.

In the first segment, we will talk with VA’s own Andreína Chávez, staff writer at Venezuela Analysis and our social media mastermind.

We will also speak with Camila Escalante, a Latin America-based journalist who has played a key role in disseminating an anti-imperialist perspective through Kawsachun News. 

Music:

Los Caimanes Negros - Embandolaos

Billo’s Caracas Boys - Fiesta Decembrina

Javier Marin - Llanto

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In our first Dispatch you’ll be hearing directly from members of the Venezuela Analysis team who were on the ground covering the election in the capital and surrounding region where the United Socialist Party secured an important victory in Venezuela’s regional and local elections on Sunday, winning at least 19 of the 23 governorships.

The 42.3% turnout was twelve points higher than December’s parliamentary elections, bucking a recent downwards trend. Sunday’s vote saw a wider electoral offer than on past occasions, with 111 parties running including the US-backed hard-right which returned to the ballot on the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) ticket. 

Sunday’s vote was overseen by over 300 international observers from 55 countries and a host of international organizations, including the Carter Center, the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA) and the European Union (EU).

Song credit:

Embandolaos - Los Caimanes Negros