Professors: From Riches to Rags
Professors in Venezuela used to do well enough to sustain themselves and their families. With their current wages, they’re a step away from starving
Dancing Against Disease and Evil Spirits
The Wayuu know how to survive in harsh environments. They now must endure coronavirus and demons in green fatigues
Can't Even Buy an Egg
Many products are back on Maracaibo stores and shelves... but they’re so expensive that nobody buys them.
The Blackout Generation
Children in Maracaibo don’t know what it’s like to live without chavismo, and they’re also forgetting what their lives were like with power, water, movie theatres or regular school.
The Art of Having Fun In A Powerless Maracaibo
The young people at Venezuela’s second city have to work hard to carry on with their lives amid the chronic blackouts. This is how they manage to have some sort of night life or event to watch Game of Thrones.
Rural Areas in Zulia Have It Worse Than Maracaibo
Machiques de Perija and the Guajira are the areas affected the most by the blackouts, as most of the region has been more than 20 days without electricity. This will result in more economic contraction and more violent protests.
In Zulia, Blackouts Are Splintering Chavismo
The ruling party used to be quite disciplined, particularly under pressure. But the collapse of the nation’s power network is damaging Maracaibo so much that some local lawmakers started a rebellion against the imposed governor.
In Maracaibo, the Local Government Takes the Side of the Looters
On the afternoon of Sunday March 10th, on Day 4 of the nationwide blackout, looting started in Venezuela’s second city. More than 500 businesses were looted. But the Maduro-loyal governor, a kind of Rodrigo Duterte, seems to be OK with that.
Maracaibo Is Helpless Against Looters
These are the stories of the people hit hardest by looting in Venezuela’s second city: small business owners who have no chance of surviving an event like that, helpless against the anarchy unleashed in Zulia due to the national blackout.
The Sack of Maracaibo
Venezuela’s second city spent the first 50 hours of blackout trying to survive under the intense heat. But once food and water began to run out, the looting started. All kinds of businesses are being destroyed by a mob made of desperate people and common thugs.
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