Venezuelans living in Halifax have had mixed feelings after they watched thousands of their fellow citizens take to the streets of their nation’s capital last week.
“It’s really unfair when you have to leave everything behind because a few people didn’t know how to manage a government, and even worse when everything you know was destroyed,” said Iola Vargas, who settled in Halifax in 2014.
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The Venezuelan government is running out of money and the oil rich country has yet to overcome the 2014 crash of crude oil prices. Inflation in the country is expected to hit 700 per cent this year. As a result, thousands of Venezuelans have begun to participate in civil unrest, protesting the current political and social crisis.
“People are angry because they’re hungry and not only for food, they are hungry for justice. They are tired of losing weight because they can only afford to eat once per day,” said Javier Ojeda, who landed in Halifax in 2015.
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According to 2011 census data, around 100 Venezuelans live in Halifax. For the small community, conversations with family members and a limited number of online news channels are the only sources of information about their country. All of them agree the situation in Venezuela has had very little presence in the media.
“There’s more coverage on what any of the Kardashians do than about what is going on in Venezuela right now, and the mainstream coverage that exists is often either superficial or it has a specific agenda,” said Rigel Biscione, a Dalhousie student who has lived in Halifax since 2015.
Despite their common concerns, there is still hope and optimism.
“We will prevail. Like the Phoenix we will rise from our ashes. The darkest hour is just before the dawn,” said Ojeda.
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