VENEZUELA: MUSIC AND NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE IN A POLARIZED COUNTRY

image: Art students stage a nonviolent protest dressed as Soldiers in Caracas @unearteresiste

October 16th, 2015

Venezuela: Music and Nonviolent Resistance in a Polarized Country by Gerardo Gonzalez

“Keeping quiet or ignoring what’s happening is the worst thing an artist can do.”

Andrea Lacoste, Venezuelan singer

Andrea Lacoste is a young singer that participated in the protests in Venezuela during the early part of 2014 with mixed feelings. She studied languages at the Universidad Central de Venezuela but has an expanding career in music. She defines her music as being, “alternative pop, sometimes acoustic, sometimes electronic.” In those days Andres wrote “Cancion sin Color” or “Song with Colors.” She spoke about the events in Venezuela: “It was in February 2014, just a few days after the National Student Day. Students started to protest peacefully against the government”.

After taking part in the protests on the first day, Andrea had to run from tear gas and tanks.  She says, “it ended up tragically as the police and military tanks appeared, threw tear gas and took hundreds of students to jail. Students just got angrier and didn’t stop protesting for days.”  She recounted her feelings of sadness and hurt afterwards, ashamed of the events and feeling apprehensive towards many persons who did not participate in the peaceful protests.  Two days later, Andrea and her sister wrote “Canción Sin Color.”

Venezuela has been at a political crossroads since 2002. A deep political, economic and social crisis has affected the country for many years now. In 2013 there were over 4,410 protests against the government on issues that dealt with basic services, lack of democratic rights, and insecurity. By early 2014 there was a scarcity of medicine, basic food products and even toilet paper.  In December 2013 the candidate for the Chavista Party, Nicolas Maduro, had technically “won” the election.  Sixteen years since Chavez came into power; the country continues to be highly polarized. Half of the country fiercely opposed the government’s lack of rule of law, abuse of power and censorship. The other half supported the government and many of its measures, as the figure of a recently deceased Hugo Chavez still lingers in the minds of many of its supporters. . An article in El National reported Venezuela’s inflation rate hitting 56.2% in 2013 (the highest since 1996).

In February 2014, nonviolent protests were promoted by the student movement and eventually supported by a number of opposition leaders who stood against the national government and particularly top government officials. The campaign received the name of #LaSALIDA, “The way out.” Huge “cacelorazos” (pots and pans beating) could be heard in most neighborhoods and barrios throughout the main Venezuelan cities. Roadblocks were a common tactic. What followed was a combination of both nonviolent and violent protests throughout February and March that faced repression by the National Guard and the State Police.

People marched on a daily basis demanding more security and civil rights, while the police grew more repressive. NGO´s reported 24,763 violent crimes occurred in the country in 2013 alone. On my neighborhood block, everyone found a way to participate. Older women would lead prayer sessions, cyclists would join hundreds of others and cycle through Caracas. Adults and students would carry signs with anti-government slogans, wear costumes mocking the National Guard and dressing up as basic products that could not be found.  They would sing songs expressing in a hundred ways their frustrations with the government. Chants against the government would express frustration against repression by the national guards.

Music is an important symbol of discontent and social identification in Venezuela. In “Canción de Protesta in Venezuela,” Dr. Emilio Mendoza outlines three kinds of music that stand out in the composition of protest and social discontent songs. Folkloric music, usually from the llanos (grasslands) has led the way to popular demands and criticism against governments. Secondly “Gaitas,” a Venezuelan folk music from Maracaibo in Zulia State, has a tradition of incorporating songs about protesting bad governments. Finally, hip-hop and rock music also have a repertoire of protest songs, geared more towards the youth and the middle classes.

Andrea Lacoste and her song “Canción sin Color” is a melancholic piece lamenting the incidents in February and the situation of Venezuela. Her song tries to seek the unity of all Venezuelans by invoking peace and qualities that are common to all of us. “Canción sin color,” can be considered an anthem of unity within a nonviolent struggle in a polarized country like Venezuela.

“Cancion sin color” is a song that was well received by both sides of the polarized country. “The song doesn’t have a political tone that is why it’s called a song without (political) colors,” Lacoste said in an interview with La Onda Super Estación Radio. It describes the desperation of many young people around themes like violence and social apathy. “In the beginning I describe the apathy and the kind of anarchy that are ruling in our country. But in the last part, which is actually the main message, I try to bring Venezuelans together… we have so many reasons to be together and to fight together as a country… …to create some kind of empathy, to bring Venezuelans together with this empathy and try to make people react to what’s happening, to tell them not to stay still and that maybe if we work as a team without color we could start again and become a safer, economically better and fairer country.”

This aftermath of the protests in February 2014 was a time of terrible polarization in the country. At least 3,404 people were detained, 110 cases of torture by the police and the National Guard were documented and denounced by several civil rights NGOs. Sixty-nine people are still in jail.

As an artist, Lacoste thinks she is there to help reconciliation. “We have contact to people, we can communicate, and we can spread a message to hundreds, thousands of people,” Lacoste said. “That’s the way we can help. Keeping quiet or ignoring what’s happening is the worst thing an artist can do.”