Help, They Are Strangling Us

Illustration by Onai

By Onai

HAVANA TIMES – It might seem that this issue is nothing new. The Venezuelan government has lost the reins of the crazy horse of inflation. For more than ten years the bolivar, the national currency, has been losing value at every turn and, with it, the wages of ordinary people lose value.

Ordinary people see their quality of life disappear.

But for this Christmas we have a surprise in store!

In just the first ten days of December, the price of the dollar rose by 37%, which means that not only Christmas dinner, but also everyday food disappears from many tables.

The government repeats, like a broken record, the lie that they themselves do not believe: it is the fault of imperialism, the opposition mafias, and the Internet pages that indicate the price of the dollar.

To top it off, once again the lines at the gas stations and with them, an increase in the price of public transport and basic services, linked to the price of the dollar, increase month after month.

The uniformed officers, more than ensuring order, ensure that no one passes by without leaving something in their pockets.

And the salary is not even enough to go to and from work.

See more from Onai’s diary from Venezuela here.

Onai

I like to write, but I don't do it. I prefer to draw and repair what is damaged if it can be fixed. I identify with what animals and the most vulnerable people feel. I like trees and I am hopeful even though time is running out for us humans on the planet. I was born in a soft, watery, generous, diverse and complex land subjected by the most perverse political ignorance of those who drown in their own speech. However, here I still am, trying to protect dreams.