Petare, Venezuela
I didn't write this, but my notes were used in compiling it.
PETARE, Sunday, March 29, 2008
George’s posting based on notes compiled from Joan, Cherie, Tom W., Anne, Tom C., Jeff
[Petare is a parish of the municipality of Sucre, in the state of Miranda. It was founded on Feb. 17, 1621. In Native Venezuelan language, Petare means Face to the
River. George]
Two subways, a bus, then private bus up the hill. View of high-rise apartments, steep, twisting, narrow streets, shops.
COMMUNITY TV STATION
Angel Piñango, member of coordinating body, and his co-workers.
Angel studied television for five years.
TV guys built the studio themselves with financial help from a foundation, Friends of Ismael (Puerto Rican salsa singer), who has visited Petare several times. A 2000 telecommunications law requires each of Venezuela’s 325 municipalities to have TV and radio stations but only 28 community TV stations in operation and over 100 radio stations across the country. Projected goal is 300 community TV stations and 500 radio stations. The telecommunications law made possible the acquisition of building space, state provides money for building materials; Ministry of Education provides cameras and broadcasting equipment. Some Cubans help with production. Note that volunteer staff were there on the Sunday we visited, helping to finish the building and expand the broadcasting.
Tere Tere is community newspaper.
During the April 2002 coup, Mayor Alfredo Peña, in cahoots with coup leaders, closed the Petare TV and radio stations – a blow to community, since all presentations were by community people. This was an attack in favor of the opposition and imperialism. Coup leaders also closed channel 8, the only state-run TV channel. Now newspapers, radio and TV stations organizing on a national level with help from Ministry of Telecommunications, but still a work in progress.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
Community organizations and projects can borrow equipment, tape what they want, and broadcast it to the neighborhood. This supports people’s power. Petare has a population of 1.5 million in an area of 40 sq. kilometers. They are working to calibrate equipment to reach this largest neighborhood in Latin America. President Chavez visited a Petare home for a broadcast of Aló Presidente.
Jorge: Technical coordinator, helped design the set-up. Got help from friends who are engineers and architects. Some people in the barrio supported this effort, some did not. Still have to integrate further into the community. TV watchers participate in evaluation of content; they monitor what’s happening at the local level. Insecurity in Caracas is at least partly due to corporate media, which is top down, with content decided by an elite. This is why community stations are needed; they teach community members how to film, edit, produce, direct, because according to the constitution, people have a right to tell their own story. Community stations provide a counterbalance to partying, drinking, foreign values, individualism, violence, commercials of interest to upper classes, seen on private media. Some Venezuelans don’t seem like they have Venezuelan values, more like those of outsiders. Community stations are trying to create a new reality, go back to Venezuelan values, and produce arts, plays, music of community to promote Venezuelan identity. This is grassroots up, not top down and responds to the needs of Venezuelans, not to outside interests. Editorial line of the opposition is that the state is monopolizing TV and radio and newsprint but this responds to foreign interests. The community station’s 3 thematic areas: education about all subjects such as new values, environmental education; social accounting-denouncing what government is not doing well; and consciousness-raising.
Q: Are there limits to how, or how much, you can be critical of the government?
A: No. Our job is to denounce and be critical of the government because if we don’t, we aren’t doing our job and won’t be credible. We are supposed to be critical; that is one of the purposes of this station. We bring the voices of the people to the government.
Some shows address healthcare, such as not smoking, dengue fever, HIV/AIDS, stopping unwanted pregnancies, popular power, sex education.
FREE EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Foreign visitors bring documentaries that are critical of their government that are difficult to see in their own country. They are shown in Venezuela, bringing different perspectives of US government and showing breakdown of the American dream. Poverty is global, not just in poor countries, and people are waking up to the concept of the American dream. Why is Chavez sending oil to the US? People are getting a more nuanced understanding of the US as a rich country. Hope US people are looking beyond borders to see what’s happening beyond CNN. Use videos to show Venezuelans that not everyone from US is an enemy; they are interested and fighting the same battle abroad.
Eva Golinger, US/Venezuelan lawyer, has detailed payments by US to Venezuelan media. She published a book, The Chavez Code, which details a lot of these payments thru USAID and US National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Last year, opposition student movement painted hands with symbols that came from outside Venezuela. At autonomous universities, 80% of students are from middle and upper class families. Chavez government is trying to eliminate entrance requirements.
ROOF TOP AT TV STATION
Can see geography – wealthiest neighborhoods (small) and vast poor neighborhoods.
- 1960s-80s-pact (Punto Fijo, 1958) between 2 political parties (Acción Democrática and Copei) to share power
- Over 1000 barrios
- Mistakes with community participation-trying to get people involved. People previously told they had no rights and told they should have different values. Now teaching that solidarity more important than trying to have more than other people.
- Mansion of former dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, sits on a hill, was taken over by the state and now houses part of the National Guard.
- Community movement began in 90s, before Chavez, but was decentralized, with no bigger political vision. Now there is more direction, bigger than just the community, more at the macro level, nation wide.
- From TV station roof, could see several Barrio Adentro clinics
CLINIC
- There was a 2001 pre-project and then a project overhaul and money was lost in the first overhaul. In 2004 a second request for money.
- Jesus Garcia- a community leader who taught them how to organize
- Clinic not yet functioning. Community council first had to get mayor to designate the building as clinic. Then the community remodeled and divided the space for exam rooms, counseling office (the first we had seen), reception area, pharmacy, etc.
- Furniture delivered day before. A fleet of 70 semis had brought equipment and furniture to clinics all over the country. Equipment is from Cuba and Europe-ordered by Cubans, manufactured by Europeans w/whom Cubans had contacts.
- A prominent member of community and its council showed us through the clinic. She was proud to show us that they had an otoscope (device for ear exam) among their new treasures. Also had state-of-the-art scale for weighing infants and young children-critical for newborns and children w/diarrhea and other illnesses where weight loss is an issue. She also took us up on the roof where they hope to get enough money to have a classroom to train pre-med and medical students to implement Misión Sucre. She exuded so much pride – as indeed it matched the community’s accomplishments..
- Major health problems in neighborhood are respiratory illnesses and asthma.
- There will be an MD, 2 RNs, secretary, social worker, social psychiatrist (for cancer and drug problems counseling), and gynecological treatment. A pediatrician will rotate w/ an ophthalmologist. Also a cardiology treatment room, air conditioned, and a dental clinic.
- Community working on window treatments.
- Even in private clinics, food offered to patients subsidized by state
VARIOUS NOTES
- Community requesting funds for school, speed bumps, housing rehab, day care center, popular pharmacies, police and neighborhood watch.
- 2006 community councils [established?], local cabinets with president created, did census. Communities have popular assemblies, election committees, leadership, committees for health care, religion, environment, education, tourism
- Community chapel, multi-sport facility
- Chavez constitutional reforms (defeated): no term limits for presidency, eliminate middlemen by giving financing to local councils. But governors and other middlemen didn’t organize in support of reform referendum since was against their self-interest to give financial power to community councils.
- Stopped at community kitchen which prepares 150 meals per day for people unable to buy food or cook for themselves. Our lunch was cooked with food from a Mercal. These grocery stores sell basic foods at set prices and some people get discounts, up to 100%, depending on their financial situation. Our hosts absolutely refused all of Patrick’s efforts to reimburse them for our lunches, beer, soft drinks, musical entertainment with cuatro and three musicians, etc.
- Went to Reina Tovar’s house to eat our lunch and sign her wall, entirely covered by other visitor’s signatures. She had an abundance of decorative elements as well as plants.
- Saw inside of a house for sale. The owner was donating space in living room for the community council’s computer. House will become a pre-school.
- Saw a water runoff channel being constructed so that houses on downhill side
- would be protected from erosion due to heavy rains.
TRASH COLLECTION
Huge piles of garbage in dumpsters. Collection is by private company, owned by the opposition. In fall 07, prior to referendum, piles of garbage everywhere. Opposition thought they could pour gasoline on it and it would look like Caracas in flames. Failed. Now the company lets it pile up until an opposition candidate comes to the community, then they hurry and clean it up so opposition look like good guys, and show the poor that Chavez government doesn’t work. Services are paid individually in Petare. All services are provided through local mayor who contracts out to private companies. Chavez wants to nationalize garbage collection so opposition says Chavez is a communist.
PARAMILITARIES
Both Reina and TV guy said that violence and uncollected garbage are the two worst problems in Petare. They attribute the violence to Colombians-probably AUC (United Self-defense Forces of Colombia) paramilitaries. As we were walking through the community with Reina, there was an expensive new SUV, with several people listening to loud Colombian music. Tom Walker innocently commented on it to Reina-saying “I like Vallenato music.” Reina said “I hate it,” saying that she associated it with the violence. Tom noted that Vallenato music is the theme music of the AUC and that AUC money is behind some of the Vallenato stars.
PETARE, Sunday, March 29, 2008
George’s posting based on notes compiled from Joan, Cherie, Tom W., Anne, Tom C., Jeff
[Petare is a parish of the municipality of Sucre, in the state of Miranda. It was founded on Feb. 17, 1621. In Native Venezuelan language, Petare means Face to the
River. George]
Two subways, a bus, then private bus up the hill. View of high-rise apartments, steep, twisting, narrow streets, shops.
COMMUNITY TV STATION
Angel Piñango, member of coordinating body, and his co-workers.
Angel studied television for five years.
TV guys built the studio themselves with financial help from a foundation, Friends of Ismael (Puerto Rican salsa singer), who has visited Petare several times. A 2000 telecommunications law requires each of Venezuela’s 325 municipalities to have TV and radio stations but only 28 community TV stations in operation and over 100 radio stations across the country. Projected goal is 300 community TV stations and 500 radio stations. The telecommunications law made possible the acquisition of building space, state provides money for building materials; Ministry of Education provides cameras and broadcasting equipment. Some Cubans help with production. Note that volunteer staff were there on the Sunday we visited, helping to finish the building and expand the broadcasting.
Tere Tere is community newspaper.
During the April 2002 coup, Mayor Alfredo Peña, in cahoots with coup leaders, closed the Petare TV and radio stations – a blow to community, since all presentations were by community people. This was an attack in favor of the opposition and imperialism. Coup leaders also closed channel 8, the only state-run TV channel. Now newspapers, radio and TV stations organizing on a national level with help from Ministry of Telecommunications, but still a work in progress.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
Community organizations and projects can borrow equipment, tape what they want, and broadcast it to the neighborhood. This supports people’s power. Petare has a population of 1.5 million in an area of 40 sq. kilometers. They are working to calibrate equipment to reach this largest neighborhood in Latin America. President Chavez visited a Petare home for a broadcast of Aló Presidente.
Jorge: Technical coordinator, helped design the set-up. Got help from friends who are engineers and architects. Some people in the barrio supported this effort, some did not. Still have to integrate further into the community. TV watchers participate in evaluation of content; they monitor what’s happening at the local level. Insecurity in Caracas is at least partly due to corporate media, which is top down, with content decided by an elite. This is why community stations are needed; they teach community members how to film, edit, produce, direct, because according to the constitution, people have a right to tell their own story. Community stations provide a counterbalance to partying, drinking, foreign values, individualism, violence, commercials of interest to upper classes, seen on private media. Some Venezuelans don’t seem like they have Venezuelan values, more like those of outsiders. Community stations are trying to create a new reality, go back to Venezuelan values, and produce arts, plays, music of community to promote Venezuelan identity. This is grassroots up, not top down and responds to the needs of Venezuelans, not to outside interests. Editorial line of the opposition is that the state is monopolizing TV and radio and newsprint but this responds to foreign interests. The community station’s 3 thematic areas: education about all subjects such as new values, environmental education; social accounting-denouncing what government is not doing well; and consciousness-raising.
Q: Are there limits to how, or how much, you can be critical of the government?
A: No. Our job is to denounce and be critical of the government because if we don’t, we aren’t doing our job and won’t be credible. We are supposed to be critical; that is one of the purposes of this station. We bring the voices of the people to the government.
Some shows address healthcare, such as not smoking, dengue fever, HIV/AIDS, stopping unwanted pregnancies, popular power, sex education.
FREE EXPRESSION AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Foreign visitors bring documentaries that are critical of their government that are difficult to see in their own country. They are shown in Venezuela, bringing different perspectives of US government and showing breakdown of the American dream. Poverty is global, not just in poor countries, and people are waking up to the concept of the American dream. Why is Chavez sending oil to the US? People are getting a more nuanced understanding of the US as a rich country. Hope US people are looking beyond borders to see what’s happening beyond CNN. Use videos to show Venezuelans that not everyone from US is an enemy; they are interested and fighting the same battle abroad.
Eva Golinger, US/Venezuelan lawyer, has detailed payments by US to Venezuelan media. She published a book, The Chavez Code, which details a lot of these payments thru USAID and US National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Last year, opposition student movement painted hands with symbols that came from outside Venezuela. At autonomous universities, 80% of students are from middle and upper class families. Chavez government is trying to eliminate entrance requirements.
ROOF TOP AT TV STATION
Can see geography – wealthiest neighborhoods (small) and vast poor neighborhoods.
- 1960s-80s-pact (Punto Fijo, 1958) between 2 political parties (Acción Democrática and Copei) to share power
- Over 1000 barrios
- Mistakes with community participation-trying to get people involved. People previously told they had no rights and told they should have different values. Now teaching that solidarity more important than trying to have more than other people.
- Mansion of former dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, sits on a hill, was taken over by the state and now houses part of the National Guard.
- Community movement began in 90s, before Chavez, but was decentralized, with no bigger political vision. Now there is more direction, bigger than just the community, more at the macro level, nation wide.
- From TV station roof, could see several Barrio Adentro clinics
CLINIC
- There was a 2001 pre-project and then a project overhaul and money was lost in the first overhaul. In 2004 a second request for money.
- Jesus Garcia- a community leader who taught them how to organize
- Clinic not yet functioning. Community council first had to get mayor to designate the building as clinic. Then the community remodeled and divided the space for exam rooms, counseling office (the first we had seen), reception area, pharmacy, etc.
- Furniture delivered day before. A fleet of 70 semis had brought equipment and furniture to clinics all over the country. Equipment is from Cuba and Europe-ordered by Cubans, manufactured by Europeans w/whom Cubans had contacts.
- A prominent member of community and its council showed us through the clinic. She was proud to show us that they had an otoscope (device for ear exam) among their new treasures. Also had state-of-the-art scale for weighing infants and young children-critical for newborns and children w/diarrhea and other illnesses where weight loss is an issue. She also took us up on the roof where they hope to get enough money to have a classroom to train pre-med and medical students to implement Misión Sucre. She exuded so much pride – as indeed it matched the community’s accomplishments..
- Major health problems in neighborhood are respiratory illnesses and asthma.
- There will be an MD, 2 RNs, secretary, social worker, social psychiatrist (for cancer and drug problems counseling), and gynecological treatment. A pediatrician will rotate w/ an ophthalmologist. Also a cardiology treatment room, air conditioned, and a dental clinic.
- Community working on window treatments.
- Even in private clinics, food offered to patients subsidized by state
VARIOUS NOTES
- Community requesting funds for school, speed bumps, housing rehab, day care center, popular pharmacies, police and neighborhood watch.
- 2006 community councils [established?], local cabinets with president created, did census. Communities have popular assemblies, election committees, leadership, committees for health care, religion, environment, education, tourism
- Community chapel, multi-sport facility
- Chavez constitutional reforms (defeated): no term limits for presidency, eliminate middlemen by giving financing to local councils. But governors and other middlemen didn’t organize in support of reform referendum since was against their self-interest to give financial power to community councils.
- Stopped at community kitchen which prepares 150 meals per day for people unable to buy food or cook for themselves. Our lunch was cooked with food from a Mercal. These grocery stores sell basic foods at set prices and some people get discounts, up to 100%, depending on their financial situation. Our hosts absolutely refused all of Patrick’s efforts to reimburse them for our lunches, beer, soft drinks, musical entertainment with cuatro and three musicians, etc.
- Went to Reina Tovar’s house to eat our lunch and sign her wall, entirely covered by other visitor’s signatures. She had an abundance of decorative elements as well as plants.
- Saw inside of a house for sale. The owner was donating space in living room for the community council’s computer. House will become a pre-school.
- Saw a water runoff channel being constructed so that houses on downhill side
- would be protected from erosion due to heavy rains.
TRASH COLLECTION
Huge piles of garbage in dumpsters. Collection is by private company, owned by the opposition. In fall 07, prior to referendum, piles of garbage everywhere. Opposition thought they could pour gasoline on it and it would look like Caracas in flames. Failed. Now the company lets it pile up until an opposition candidate comes to the community, then they hurry and clean it up so opposition look like good guys, and show the poor that Chavez government doesn’t work. Services are paid individually in Petare. All services are provided through local mayor who contracts out to private companies. Chavez wants to nationalize garbage collection so opposition says Chavez is a communist.
PARAMILITARIES
Both Reina and TV guy said that violence and uncollected garbage are the two worst problems in Petare. They attribute the violence to Colombians-probably AUC (United Self-defense Forces of Colombia) paramilitaries. As we were walking through the community with Reina, there was an expensive new SUV, with several people listening to loud Colombian music. Tom Walker innocently commented on it to Reina-saying “I like Vallenato music.” Reina said “I hate it,” saying that she associated it with the violence. Tom noted that Vallenato music is the theme music of the AUC and that AUC money is behind some of the Vallenato stars.
Labels: barrios, Caracas, community TV stations, paramilitaries, Petare, politics, Venezuela
1 Comments:
I enjoyed reading your notes about Petare. I am an American living and teaching English in Merida, Venezuela.
It's great to see some positive comments about this great country.
The western media has demonized Chavez, following the U.S. State Department's efforts to destabilize Venezuela so they can gain control of Venezuela's oil resources.
From my perspective here in Merida, Chavez's programs are really benefiting the people.
I am working with a group that is forming a cooperativa of langauge teachers. The government supports cooperatives by providing very low cost loans for start-up costs and equipment.
We also have wonderful , free medical services here through Mission Barrio El Dentro. I've used it and the doctors and nurses are as good as any I had at home at Kaiser in Hawaii.
If you come back to Venezuela, do come to Merida. It's a wonderful city in the Andes mountains, home of one of Venezuela's best universities, University of Los Andes. Merida is the site of the world's highest and longest cable car system if you like heights.
Aloha, thanks for your interesting Blog!
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