Beyond the Maduro Government’s Propaganda

By Onai

HAVANA TIMES – Although those terrible weeks, in which almost all of Venezuela remained in darkness, have not been repeated, electricity cuts persist throughout the country.

Many times, more than cutting off the electrical service, there are small and large fluctuations that tend to shorten the life of appliances and even cause the occasional fire of lesser or greater intensity.

But the darkness of Venezuela goes beyond the daily blackouts that, by the way, are always more intense outside the Capital District, although Caracas is no longer free of them as before.

The other darkness in which a large part of the Venezuelan population lives is due to the distressing day to day in which we never know if we will be victims of some type of violence (organized gangs or government uniforms). Likewise, if we will obtain what is necessary to put the food on the table.

The anguish of not being able to pay for a medical consultation or, if paid, that there is not enough money for medicines, much less for expensive tests. The anguish of learning of the deaths of those who take the risk of emigrating by sea or by land. The anguish that children learn less and less if they are not taken to a private school. The anguish of not being able to take to the streets to demand our rights because the government has created a umpteen laws to lock up those who protest… even if they are over 70 years old.

The anguish of not knowing if we will ever see the light again.

See more from Onai’s illustrated diary here.