Venezuela Speaks! Voices from the Grassroots, published by PM Press with the support of Global Exchange, is a collection of interviews with activists and participants from across Venezuela’s social movements. From community media to land reform; cooperatives to communal councils, from the labor movement to the Afro-Venezuelan network, Venezuela Speaks! sheds light on the complex realities within the Bolivarian Revolution. These interviews offer a compelling oral history of Venezuela’s democratic revolution, from the bottom up.
For the last decade, Venezuela’s “Bolivarian Revolution” has captured international attention. Poverty, inequality and unemployment have all dropped, while health, education and living standards have seen a commensurate rise. The international mainstream media has focused predominantly on Venezuela’s controversial leader, President Hugo Chavez, who has routinely been in the headlines. But without the active participation of large and diverse sectors of society, Chavez’s moment on the scene would have ended long ago.
Venezuela Speaks! is available here. Co-authors Carlos Martinez, Michael Fox, and JoJo Farrell toured California and the East Coast between January 10, 2010 and February 10, 2010. If you would like to organize an additional event with them, please contact Carlos Martinez at carlos@globalexchange.org or at 415-260-8566.